West Berkshire Council provides important local services for around 155,000 people across the district. We provide education, housing and social services; we're responsible for roads in the area and we provide rubbish, recycling and other waste services. As well as these critical services we also make sure there are other local amenities and attractions such as Libraries, leisure centres, a museum and our Grade II listed Shaw House. We employ around 1,500 staff, not including those based in schools, and currently have three main offices in Newbury as well as smaller satellite offices across the district. Our vision is to make West Berkshire an even greater place to live, work and learn. West Berkshire welcomes business, enterprise and industry into a productive, growing and dynamic local economy. We are dedicated to supporting new and existing businesses as well as businesses looking to relocate to West Berkshire. For more information visit https://businesswestberks.co.uk/ West Berkshire is an area which offers beautiful countryside, thriving market towns and good transport links to London and southern England. Covering 272 square miles, around 60% of our area is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and our countryside is as varied as it is plentiful. Around 40% of residents live in rural areas although there are plenty of opportunities for urban living as well. Newbury is the largest town in West Berkshire, although Hungerford, Pangbourne, Thatcham, Theale and Tilehurst are also significant communities along with suburbs bordering Reading in the east. The district is widely recognised as an area with a high concentration of high-tech firms and is home to companies such as Norsk Data, Quantel, Vodafone and the Atomic Weapons Establishment. West Berkshire has a thriving economy with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, and is at the hub of what is often called 'Silicon Valley'.
External link for West Berkshire Council
Market Street
Newbury, West Berkshire RG14 5LD, GB
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🚨 #JOBALERT 🚨 Service Director – Community Services 👉 Where: West Berkshire Council 👉 Salary: £97,571 – £104,088 👉 Role: You will need to be confident working with Members and a wide range of stakeholders. We are looking for someone who has a strong understanding of community protection... Please follow the link 👇 for more information and to Apply Now. https://lnkd.in/eB3CAWE5
With just one week to go until #GeneralElection2024 are you ready? As we count down until polling day, here are eight things you might not know about the elections in West Berkshire: https://lnkd.in/efWXRrgP
The first Berkshire Prosperity Board took place took place last week at Wokingham Borough Council offices. The new joint committee made up of the six Berkshire unitary authorities aims to help drive forward and deliver future economic success across the county. The six councils have committed to working together to drive and deliver economic prosperity across the county with the aim of securing more funding, creating more jobs and enabling more affordable housing for residents. The first meeting provided a background to the creation of the Board, set out the six workstreams (health and inequalities, skills and education, affordable housing, sector development, strategic infrastructure and net zero. Alison Webster, Chief Executive Officer, at the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, also provided an update on the development of the Berkshire Economic Development Strategy. The agenda is here Committee details - Berkshire Prosperity Board | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk) The next meeting of the Board will be held at 12 noon on 16 September 2024.
Members of West Berkshire Ramblers group have been volunteering with our Public Rights of Way team since 2004. Over those 20 years, the volunteers have changed 330 stiles to gates allowing greater access to the wonderful countryside we have here in West Berkshire! Eugene, of the West Berkshire Ramblers said: "The work can be physically demanding, hot and tiring, but ultimately rewarding when the team has completed the task, and a pristine gate stands securely where an old wooden stile used to be, or a right of way is cleared of obstructions and is fit for public use again." We are very grateful for the dedicated service provided by the West Berkshire Ramblers and congratulate them on their 20-year anniversary and great achievements. Visit our website to see all our volunteering opportunities: https://lnkd.in/eQnGb_hT #VolunteersWeek #publicrightsofway #westberkshire #countryside #localgovernment
We’d like to say a massive thank you to all the volunteers we have working with us across the Council! Would you like to get involved? Email [email protected] to find out more about volunteering with our Culture and Libraries team. #volunteersweek #volunteering #localgovernment #culture #libraries
We want to make sure that people who have been in care are treated equally and fairly. We’ve made ‘care experienced’ a Protected Characteristic to help put a stop to the barriers and discrimination care leavers can face throughout their life. Hear from Cllr Heather Codling who championed the Protected Characteristic motion and from a care leaver about what being treated fairly will mean to her.
You can now follow West Berkshire Council on our WhatsApp channel! We'll be sharing important announcements, service updates and other useful information such as advice during extreme weather. We want to communicate with as many of you as possible and recognise that not everyone uses social media such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). This is why we've joined WhatsApp to make it easier for you to access our content and to share with people you know who may not otherwise have seen it. Follow our channel (using the link in the comments), turn on notifications and share with your contacts so we can make sure we reach as many people as possible with the information they need to know.
Back in February, Craig got in touch with us to share his dream of having his photo taken whilst dressed in the school crossing patroller and green civil enforcement officer uniforms. We were delighted to help Craig with this and invited him along to Shaw House to try on the vast array of uniforms officers at the Council wear on a daily basis. Craig was photographed as a Veolia waste management officer, a Roundhead, Cavalier, Shaw House visitor services officer, civil enforcement officer, a transport and countryside officer and, of course, a school crossing patroller, all organised by Road Safety Technician, Joanne Bassett.
As an employer, we're committed to the parity between physical health and mental health. This is demonstrated in our aim to train 10% of the workforce as Mental Health First Aiders. Our Mental Health First Aiders and physical First Aiders receive an annual payment to recognise their skills and contribution to West Berkshire Council. Mental Health Awareness Week provides an opportunity for our Mental Health First Aiders to share why they've taken on the role, the contribution they make and how they can support colleagues. Listen to what Mental Health First Aiders Nikki and Paul had to say. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #localgovernment #WestBerkshireCouncil #WestBerkshire #mentalhealth #mentalhealthfirstaiders #MHFA MHFA England® Mental Health Foundation
We’re delighted to have been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission for ensuring people have access to adult social care and support they need. It gives us reassurance that we are performing well in an area which provides vital services for vulnerable residents. Our adult social care service ensures that older people and vulnerable adults are looked after and supported to live independently. Around 2,000 adults are supported by the service at any given time – with the service accounting for around 40% of the Council’s annual budget. This underpins our commitment to prioritise support for those who need it most.