Protest against the bill while you can

I am writing in support of Dennis Flanagan’s letter, published in the August 26 paper, encouraging people to oppose this government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. 

As noted, this horrific bill would undermine public protests by granting police and government a wide swath of suppressive powers.

Under this bill, a single protestor is criminalised, even without causing damage or disrupting business. 

This bill was not part of the Conservative 2019 manifesto and current laws have been fit for purpose for decades.  There is no need, no demand, no mandate and no urgency for these changes.

This bill is very dangerous and ripe for the type of abuses seen in authoritarian governments.  This country deserves so much better.  

Public protest has always been essential to moving society forward – whether it is the rights of women to vote, the rights of ramblers or the rights of trade unions.   And a critical part of public protest is to be distractive, else these voices are never heard above the roar of entrenched business interests and government. 

If you ever wish your voice were heard about housing numbers, climate policy, racial justice or any other topic, you should contact your MP and ask them to oppose this regressive legislation.

Tom Ross, Crowthorne

I won’t support you any more

Re. Doctor warns of jabs abuse from anti-vaxxers (September 2).

I had hoped as a local paper that Wokingham Today wouldn’t follow the mainstream media’s bias on the reporting of ‘anti-vaxxers’.

This term is intentionally derogatory and like ‘conspiracy theorist’, refers to people who dare to have a different opinion and don’t agree with the Government’s stance on covid.

It’s articles like this that give the vaccinated carte blanche to abuse those who choose not to be vaccinated.

Dr Henry Walters doesn’t give his real name, does he even exist or is this just for the article, for fear of being targeted at work. Seriously?

How many surgeries in the borough have been targeted?

A few people outside Costa hardly counts as intimidation or a widespread campaign, does it?

His words are patronising and condescending – you have a choice, but not really.

I have been buying your paper to contribute to the running costs, but I’m not even going to bother with the free copies anymore.

This is one more biased article too far.

‘Juliet’, via email

Questions that need answers

Last week’s Wokingham Today headline story questions the morality of 2,500 houses being promoted by Conservative Councillors from outside the Borough. Morality or not it does raise many questions that need answers.

The Conservative Government want to build 300,000 houses each year for an indefinite period. It’s promoting new policies designed to identify large tracts of land ( including our green fields ) suitable for development while reducing residents’ rights to object.

Worse still the Conservative Government requires Councils to have a Housing Local Plan (ours will be up to 2036) but that local plan must be reviewed every five years.

The downside of that is Wokingham’s Conservatives, wherever they put houses in the
new local plan it will be the obvious area additional houses will go with every five year review excluding the North of the Borough and certainly nothing in Renenham or Hurst where our illustrious Leader and the Executive Member for planning preside.  

Cllr Stephen Conway makes some very fair points in the paper but when one looks at how development has occurred over many years where the South of the Borough got hammered and the North has escaped reasonable unscathed it’s not unreasonable that residents in the South say enough is enough so spread the development more evenly and fairly around the Borough as a whole.

One example of this unfairness is why has Hurst only had under 50 houses in the last 10 years when Shinfield, Arborfield Garrison and Winnersh tops around 10,000 in the same period with no doubt many more to follow?

With Global warming threatening us all and getting worse seeing the recent flooding, property destruction and loss of life in Germany why is the Borough Council promoting a site by the Loddon river flood zone and within the risk of flooding from a category A dam at Bearwood Lakes for over 4,500 houses in Arborfield in their draft local plan?

Looking objectively at Hurst as a case study it makes one wonder. Hurst is  located between two railway lines along with extensive highway links to the A4/M4/M3.

It is close to Reading, Twyford, Wokingham, Bracknell and Woodley shops but no major development is being considered there.

Why must be the question?

Similar evaluations could be made for other areas in the North of Wokingham taking in green belt considerations but again would not the North of the Borough and the Borough as a whole benefit from spreading development fairly across the Borough as a whole?

Such fairness to all our residents does not seem to be in Wokingham Conservatives mindset.   

The Leader of the Council is right when he says we should have some development but I only wish he added as long as it’s not in my back yard or my neighbours back yard so put them all in the South. 

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

Time to help

We need to help people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, these people cannot ask for help their self as they are confused.

We want people to be aware of this disease that these people need much help and understanding and care.

The Alzheimer’s Society need money and campaigners to help all walks of life.

As myself, I am a dementia friend and Advocate for them.

This is not my only issue that I fight for.

This disease can attack anybody who one least expect. It is too sad that this country has forgotten people with this illness big time.

Victor Rones, Bracknell

Think of the farmers

For many farmers, this is an all too familiar scene at this time of year: They have combined one of their fields, and carted the grain. They go to close the field gate and, as they do so, a group of individuals driving a 4×4 attempt to force access to go hare coursing.

When challenged, the group physically assault the farmer, leaving him or her shaken and needing medical treatment.

The common perception of the poacher is the shifty, Claude Greengrass-type character portrayed in Heartbeat and Emmerdale.

The brutal reality faced by many CLA members is unfortunately more like the scene described above, rather than the loveable rogue taking one for the pot.

Hare coursing is about as far removed from this populist image as you can possibly get. Large sums of money are bet on the outcome of matches, thousands of pounds of damage are caused to crops, violence against those who inadvertently get in the way is rife – and there are clear links between coursers and other organised criminal activity.

However CLA South East, which represents farmers and landowners across Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, believes hare coursing during the day is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wildlife crime.

Night poaching can be particularly distressing to CLA members. This is where individuals, with no consent to be on the land, will use a lamp to run bull lurchers (a bull breed crossed with a lurcher) on deer or any other wildlife they come across.

Others may target deer with firearms for the illicit venison trade. Again, this causes huge amounts of damage to farmland as they drive over crops and through hedges in the pursuit of their sport or to flee from the police and gamekeepers.

Finally, despite having been illegal since 1973, badger baiting and digging remains a popular criminal activity in some areas. Normally taking place away from public view at remote setts, it is a crime that often goes unnoticed and undetected. Like other forms of wildlife crime, it is becoming increasingly organised via social media.

Despite this rather bleak picture, there is some good news. The CLA’s continued efforts to lobby government – alongside other organisations as part of a coalition – has secured future legislative reform on penalties for hare coursing activity. We also continue to work with the police and other bodies to make sure that rural crime stays high on the list of policing priorities.

For more information about the CLA and its work, visit www.cla.org.uk/in-your-area/south-east/ and follow @CLASouthEast on Twitter.

Tim Bamford, CLA South East Regional Director

Looking back at 9/11

Wokingham Heritage Day this coming Saturday 11th September is clearly a day of fun and festivities many will be looking forward to with anticipation, deservedly so after the trying and traumatic times of the last 18 months.

I wish all those organising the event, participating in the event and attending the event good luck and very best wishes for an enjoyable and successful day all round.

Pausing for a moment, I wonder if Wokingham Town Council (and indeed WBC though not directly involved in planning, undertaking etc of the day) might be planning to mark in some way the tragic and devastating events of 20 years ago on September 11, 2000, a day we have come to know as “9/11”, to honour those poor souls of many nations who perished either in the Twin Towers or on the aircraft which so destructively caused not only the deaths of thousands, lasting trauma to families and friends and which acted as a catalyst to change our lives and our worlds forever.

Simon Jackson, Wokingham

Aldi Parking piracy

A few weeks ago a reader’s letter raised concerns with regards to parking at Aldi Wokingham calling for a boycott of Aldi given the parking piracy it operates.  

Despite being parked for less than the allocated free time and proving by credit card statement that they had shopped and purchased at Aldi, ParkingEye, on behalf of Aldi have refused the residents appeal.

How many shoppers find themselves with not only a parking penalty but also the stress involved, simply because they shopped at Aldi?

 If you have been fined for shopping at Aldi please let this paper know.

Name and address supplied

Saving heart care

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused huge disruption to life-saving heart care, causing untold heartbreak for so many.

Latest figures show that around 41,592 people in the South-East were waiting for heart tests and treatment, including heart surgery, at the end of June. 

Despite the unwavering efforts of everyone across the health and care system, the situation could get even worse. New analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) predicts that the number of people anxiously waiting for heart care and diagnosis in England could peak at over half a million in January 2024. In this scenario, it could take up to five years for cardiac waiting lists to recover to pre-pandemic levels. 

That’s why the Government must act now. We need a clear cardiovascular strategy for England to support recovery from the pandemic, alongside substantial long-term investment in the health and care system, with targeted funding to tackle the backlog of heart care.

To help us, we’re calling on readers to email their MP, urging them to show their commitment to addressing this vast backlog and help end the untold heartbreak. 

You can do that by visiting bhf.org.uk/askyourmp

Without this urgent action from the Government, we’re deeply concerned that many heart patients might not get the life-saving care they need before it’s too late.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive, British Heart Foundation

Best foot forward

Walking in the fresh air is something that many of us have appreciated more than ever since the pandemic began.

As someone who tries to walk every day, I value the physical and wellbeing benefits that it brings – as well as the time to think and reflect.

I am writing to encourage your readers to put their best foot forward and take part in Sue Ryder’s Walk to Remember 2021.

Healthcare charity Sue Ryder is a cause that is close to my heart.

My daughter was cared for in her final days at one of Sue Ryder’s hospices, Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, in 2010. The compassionate care she received meant an awful lot to me and my family.

Sue Ryder does fantastic work, being there for families like mine. However, it remains reliant on voluntary income and needs your readers’ support to ensure it can keep offering expert care.

This is why I want to tell you about how you can get involved with Walk to Remember this October. 

It is an opportunity to get together with family and friends to celebrate the memory of your loved one, raise vital funds and help Sue Ryder fill someone’s last days with love.

Sue Ryder’s research shows more than half (54%) of the British public think that remembrance events help them grieve. You can join hundreds of other supporters and walk 5k or 10k at one of Sue Ryder’s organised events – Walk to Remember in Bedford or Peterborough, or Starlight Hike in Cheltenham or Worth Valley.

You can also organise your own Walk to Remember and do 5k or 10k or a distance of your choice on any day during October.

The charity’s research found more than two thirds of people (71%) have a special place they visit to remember someone who has died. Make it your Walk to Remember by deciding your start and finish line and a route that means something to you.

The funds raised will help Sue Ryder to support people through the most difficult times of their lives. Whether that’s a terminal illness or a bereavement, with your support Sue Ryder can be there when it matters.

You can sign up now at sueryder.org/walk

Thank you so much for your support; it really will make a difference to those needing Sue Ryder’s care.

Sir Geoff Hurst MBE, Former England footballer, World Cup winner and Sue Ryder Ambassador