Thank you for your kindness Wokingham

A couple of weeks ago struggling with my purse, I dropped a number of credit cards et al at the checkout in Tesco Wokingham.

I thought I had collected them all up and continued through the checkout and home.

Several days later an envelope was dropped through my door containing my driving licence and small note – explaining that someone had picked up the licence, assuming it belonged to the kind person delivering it to me who accepted it because the picture ‘looked like her’.

When she got home she realised that it was not her licence and went to the trouble of putting it in an envelope and delivering it by hand.

She overlooked the opportunity to sign it.

She saved me the ultimate horror of ‘missing it’ and  having to apply for another etc etc.,

I would love to say ’thank you’ in person and to highlight how good it is that there are still people around who will go the extra mile to help someone- even from their own carelessness.

The only way I know to find out who this was is to ask you to publish this appeal.

I don’t need to ‘hug her’  (not allowed of course!) but to be able to write and say ’Thank you’ would make me feel better – and perhaps make the kind lady feel it was worthwhile

Nina Preston, Wokingham

Climate Change

I refer to the letter from Bridget Hobbs in last week’s paper. The petition calling for the King Street Lane zebra crossing removal is not for the convenience of motorists it is for the safety of residents especially children.

The zebra crossing was originally installed during the latter part of 2008. At that time, the Hatch Farm Way junction did not exist. 

During 2017, the traffic signal-controlled junction at Hatch Farm Way was introduced, including a safer pedestrian light-controlled crossing facility.

However, for a good part of the day traffic is queued over the zebra crossing whilst waiting at the new Relief Road junction.

This has created a ‘blind spot’ as the zebra crossing people cannot be clearly seen by drivers approaching from the ‘Sainsbury’s side’ and pedestrians have difficulty seeing those vehicles, resulting in increased near misses.

Cllr Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey, Lib Dem councillor for Winnersh Ward, Wokingham Borough Council

Higher standards

Charlotte King’s article on the suspension of the standards committee meeting, published in last week’s Wokingham.Today, made very interesting reading.

Where does probity in the Council end and self political interest begin?

You could suggest it’s with Wokingham’s Conservative ruling party.

To begin with the role of a Council’s Standards Committee is to promote, sustain and safeguard compliance along with the behaviour of members within the Council and the probity of all the Council’s proceedings. Sadly that is no more.

Members duties including the Leader include acting solely in the public interest, be accountable to the electorate for their actions and be prepared to submit to such scrutiny as is appropriate to fulfil their responsibilities.

Most importantly Members must promote and support these principles by leadership and example so as to promote public confidence in their role in the authority. Impartiality and integrity are key in promoting public confidence.

If the Standards Committee has a role in Compliance how can it be possible that the Leader can select to ignore the rules he has to operate under? Last week’s Standards committee was a clear example where Wokingham’s Conservatives were caught out as blatant abusers of all the moral and ethical principles associated with standards in local government.

The Constitution states that the Standards Committee shall consist of six elected Members but only one of those elected can be a Member of the Executive. The Leader of the Council is not entitled to be a Member of the Standards Committee but Wokingham’s Standards Committee consisted of three of its six Members were members of the ruling Conservative Executive and its Chairman was the Leader of the Council.

With 50% of the Committee being part of the ruling Executive and the Chairman (The Council Leader) holding a casting vote how can such a body be fair, balanced and unbiased?

How can it serve the best interests of staff, members and residents along with the probity of all Council proceedings?

The reality is it cannot.

The ruling administration bases its thinking on legal advice (which would be right and proper to be made public) and an odd belief that the constitution, as long as its not against the law can be just changed willy nilly to fit their political thinking if the mood suits them or to cover for any inconvenient discrepancy that might pop up.

The letter of the law and the spirit of the law springs to mind as does the Nolan Principles but these all seem to be lost in the long grass with so many other good ideas put before Wokingham’s ruling Conservatives.

If it’s the Conservatives intention to bat this into the long grass under the umbrella that Legal Advice has been sought that advice must be put in the public domain. It is vital we understand when the Constitution of Wokingham Borough Council  is purely advisory and does not have to be adhered to.

Constitutional changes are reviewed by the constitutional review group who report their findings to Council. Council can then  approve the changes but in this case this never happened. Members rightly are reliant on officers to advise them but this never happened heree.

Committee members are approved at Annual Council and the majority Conservative ruling group would have met in secret to agree their nominations.  With their majority whatever they say on the night goes. Why then did they agree to this?

It seems that Wokingham’s Conservatives can just change the Constitution if its inconvenient to their political ideology and to hell with its role to promote, sustain and safeguard the behaviour of members within the Council and the probity of all the Council’s proceedings.

The word anomaly used as an excuse by the Leader of Wokingham Borough Council means ‘something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected’ which is most definitely a Conservative trait.

Leopards do not change their spots so where is the red line drawn with our Constitution? Does it mean that the ruling Conservative Party now has the Authority to ignore any protocol they don’t agree with? It would seem so. 

The Conservatives just don’t get it where a simple apology and sorry we get it wrong is the answer but sadly the sorry word is not in the Conservatives vocabulary.

A simple acknowledgement that this was an error would go along way to restore trust. Is the Leader of WBC really so arrogant that he cannot see this or does he just not care one bit for anyone but this fellow Conservatives?

Cllr Gary Cowan, Independent Borough Councillor for Arborfield at Wokingham Borough Council

Extra support here

2020 was a difficult year for everyone. Though there is hope on the horizon, starting 2021 in lockdown is not how most people wanted to ring in the New Year.

It’s understandable that many of us are feeling down and in need of a little extra emotional support.

The situation is especially challenging for the more than two million people in the UK living with sight loss. Many have faced anxiety, sadness and even fear about the unique challenges they have experienced – such as problems social distancing, difficulty shopping without guidance and isolation from losing tactile contact with friends and family during lockdown.

That’s why the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) launched Emergency Mental Health Sessions for local blind and partially sighted people in October.

The sessions are completely free and offer people with sight loss the opportunity to speak to a counsellor for an hour over the phone about however they are feeling and any problems that are on their mind. It doesn’t have to be about their sight at all.

We know that the next few months might be tough for many, so we want
to remind you that RNIB is here to help.

If you or someone you know could benefit from speaking to someone, please call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

We can set up a chat within 36 hours and the service can be used as many times as needed.

No one with sight loss has to suffer on their own. Blind and partially sighted people deserve the same expectation of mental wellbeing as everyone else. That’s why RNIB will always be here.

Amanda Hawkins, Specialist Lead for Counselling and Wellbeing, RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Stresses and strains

We’ve all felt the strain of 2020 and with restrictions in place across England it’s important that looking after our physical and mental health remains a priority in 2021.

That’s why I’m encouraging people stay active throughout the winter months and improve their heart health by taking on the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) 30-day virtual cycling challenge, MyCycle.

The BHF found that signing up to a challenge has helped a quarter of people get fitter in the past. Completing an exercise challenge, like MyCycle, can also have a positive effect on your mental health as it helps to increase your level of endorphins, which are a natural mood booster. This, combined with the knowledge that the miles you’re covering are helping to raise vital funds for the BHF’s life saving research, is sure to help put you in a good mood.

The coronavirus crisis hit charities especially hard last year. The BHF anticipate they will have to cut funding for new research by £50 million this year which will put potential life saving discoveries at risk.

That’s why I’m taking on MyCycle this January.  So, join me and start pedalling to up the miles and get sponsored to help raise vital funds for life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

For more information visit: www.bhf.org.uk/mycycle

Aimee Fuller, British Olympic Snowboarder & cycling enthusiast

Thank you from Barnardo’s

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of your readers who supported Barnardo’s across the South East through 2020, a year like no other.

Our shops closed, they asked when they would open, they opened and they returned with their donations and custom. This was a huge boost to the charity as all of the proceeds from our shops in any area go towards supporting children and families. Throughout the year the support shown to our services by the local communities was truly humbling.

During the run-up to Christmas, again at a time when everyone was and is suffering in some way due to the pandemic, the generosity shown by individuals and local companies has been amazing, from supplying food parcels to gift tokens and offers of support.

I would like to extend a special thanks to all of our volunteers who have returned to the charity whenever they could. Their support is simply invaluable.

To them and to our staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, a very sincere thank you – and we hope to see you all in 2021.

Emma Bowman, Director, Barnardo’s South East Region

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