Howard Woollaston: Parish Matters – July 2025

July 2025

What is going on with our weather? Two heatwaves since my last newsletter and still virtually no rain. I have resorted to having to water my lawn and new plants twice a week just to keep them alive!

Devolution and reorganisation

Ridgeway Council is the proposed new unitary authority that would combine West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, and the Vale of White Horse districts. This initiative is part of a broader government plan to replace two-tier local government structures with larger, single-tier unitary councils.

Public consultation has now been completed, and I look forward to seeing the results. I hope that as many of you as possible took the opportunity to attend one of the meetings and have made your views known.

Speed cameras

The Parish Council which I attended virtually this week approved the extension to the speed warning signs and we should see the results in the next few weeks.

Asphalt plant

We now have a date for the appeal on October 2^nd, 2025. The Woodlanders Protection Group with the Racehorse Trainers Association and Jockey Club Estates are busy getting further hard evidence of the danger of Asphalt Plant fumes on the breathing of elite horses and veterinary advice is also being taken. I am setting up meetings with the case officer presenting the Council’s case at the appeal and the Senior Highways Officer. There is a lot to do!!

Barry Hills

I just want to add my thoughts to commemorate the life of Barry, who died last month. Sadly, I only got to know Barry in the last year of his life when he was clearly in ill health. In his prime he was one of the top trainers in Lambourn with a host of successful winners. I got to know him and his charming wife, Penny, over some planning issues which regrettably I was unable to resolve. He was ever the gentleman, although I suspect a fearsome leader to be able obtain the results that he achieved. My thoughts are with Penny and his family.

Eastbury Flood Alleviation Scheme

I cannot believe that it is 10 years since this fantastic scheme was completed. I still clearly recall attending the opening by our then MP Richard Benyon, now Lord Benyon and the Lord Chamberlain. Congratulations to everyone in the village who raised the necessary seed funds to be able to achieve grant support. I moved into Eastbury in 2005 and still recall the damaging flooding that took place in 2007 and 2014. The scheme has operated exactly as it was designed to do and has also benefitted villages downstream and particularly East Garston. I look forward to celebrating in the village this afternoon after finishing this newsletter.

Lambourn Junction CIC

The indefatigable Christian Noll arranged a meeting at West Berkshire Council which I also attended along with the Deputy Leader, the Chief Executive, the Sports & Leisure Executive Portfolio Holder and a number of other key Officers.

The main purpose of the meeting was to show that Lambourn needs help. On a number of key performance indicators, we are behind not just West Berkshire but the whole of England. I think that most of us who know Lambourn well would recognise some of the factors: –

A huge disparity in wealth levels.
Drug and alcohol dependency.
Perhaps an over-reliance on employment from the horse racing industry. There is a need for a more diverse employment base.
Seen by some as an outpost from the rest of the District.
Proximity to Oxfordshire and Wiltshire in the latter case with a different police force.
Not enough genuinely affordable housing
Perhaps not enough civic pride.
A lack of public transport particularly to Hungerford and in the evenings to Newbury.

Lambourn has a lot going for it not least an active and positive Parish Council. The Community Interest Company (CIC) does so many good things from the Food bank, the reinvigorated youth council, lunch clubs, our village website to the Lambourn Shed all of which encourage community spirit and with more initiatives in the pipeline. We are surrounded by some fantastic countryside in the National Landscape and provided that you can drive close to some lovely market towns including Newbury, Hungerford, Marlborough and Wantage.

The meeting concluded with a much clearer understanding of the key issues by the Council leadership and a clear direction forward – a really constructive meeting which will be repeated.

Lambourn neighbourhood Development Plan

I have what I suspect might be the final meeting on this, next week before it’s submission to the Council for approval and then onto the Inspector. I can but commend Sue Cocker for her ability to corral the Steering Goup and ensure that we have got there in the end. I believe we started about 5 years ago and it has been a long haul. The only worry is that we have to review it about 2 years after it is issued – a never-ending treadmill.

Casework

You will understand that I cannot share specific details for peoples’ personal reasons but there are some real issues out there ranging from housing to planning and everything in between. I try to do what I can through my contacts at the Housing and Planning Teams at West Berkshire, the local Police and Sovereign or other housing associations.

Get in touch

If you have any concerns or need help, please get in touch on howard.woollaston1@westberks.gov.uk or 07836 718100.