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Thursday, November 18, 2021 17

Newbury Weekly News

Your views talk to us POST: Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, RG14 2AD EMAIL: editor@newburynews.co.uk Pet of the Week Email letters to editor@newburynews.co.uk with your full name, a terrestrial address and daytime phone number. DEADLINE: MONDAY NOON

Volunteers should not have to pay to park HERE I am again preparing for another volunteer shift at the Kennet Centre today (8am, Friday, November 12) along with many others like me from St John Ambulance and other volunteer agencies. I have my bright green shirt and badge and a smile on my face ready for another busy day directing and vaccinating our Newbury residents against our common Covid enemy. Oh, and I should say that I have a £10 note in my pocket for my parking at the Kennet Centre. It actually costs me £9.20 for my 8am to 1.30pm shift. I’ve done four morning shifts in the past month and therefore Newbury Council have charged me £55.20 to help mostly older residents get their boosters. That is just my costs alone. I haven’t counted, but I reckon that there are at least eight volunteers at each shift I have been on, maybe more. We are too busy to count. There are four shifts per week so us volunteers are charged roughly £294.40 just for helping out on a morning shift every week. I am told the afternoon shift costs volunteers £5.20 per session. That’s another £166.40 per week that our caring council charges volunteers for helping out.

Council of failing to be open and transparent about how they want to spend our money. Two-and-a-half million reasons why they refuse to disclose massive capital expenditure. Two-and-a-half million reasons why they won’t tell us how much the proposed sports hub at Newbury Rugby Club will cost the local council tax payer. We know from the limited information that have put in the public domain that they plan to pay over £1.6m in rent and that they plan to subsidise the loss- making venture by a further £3.6m. But the council refuse to answer questions about the capital costs to build the “sports hub” as they deem this “commercially sensitive”. We have been told informally by council officers in meetings that the forecasted costs have gone up from £2m to £2.5m, but cannot get any formal confirmation. (My question to the execuitve meeting was rejected last week and my subsequent queries ignored.) At a time when our national Government is being accused of corruption on a daily basis, surely the least we could hope for is that our local government would be open and transparent on the way they want to spend our money? How can people be asked to evaluate a planning application, when they don’t know how much it’s going to cost the taxpayer.

Perhaps the council fear that many of its residents may feel there could be better ways to spend millions of pounds of

That is nearly £500 per week that volunteers (yes, volunteers) are charged for helping out. Shame on you West Berkshire Council. Hang your heads in shame. I know you have been asked many times to help us out but you have failed the very people you need to come to the fore in a crisis. I hope the people we are helping remember who let us down in the next election and who supported them in their time of need? TONY QUINN Greenham Nomads put on a great show at St Nics I WOULD like to broadcast my praise of the Nomads who put on a sparkling performance of songs from the shows in St Nicolas’ Church on Friday and Saturday last. The atmosphere was bubbling with excitement for their first live performance in a long time. Their stage presence was excellent with slick dance routines as appropriate as they proceeded through a range of some 20 songs from the shows from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to an lovely arrangement of Abba’s You Can Count on Me . Congratulations to them for a most welcome entertainment on a drab November evening. DEREK OLDFIELD Paddock Road Newbury

council tax revenue? LEE MCDOUGALL Newbury

Please give back tree and mother’s ashes WOULD the person who stole my beautiful blue spruce fir tree/Christmas-style tree and container from my front garden in Enborne Grove, Newbury, in the early hours of Saturday kindly return it as it has sentimental value. I will happily give you a real Christmas tree if you need one, no judgement. It could be that you are struggling and I understand that, but this tree has been in my garden for around four years now and has given me much pleasure. The pot belonged to my late mother and it means a lot to me (some of her ashes are in it). I am a “golden ager” so funds to replace the tree itself are in short supply, but it’s the ashes which are dear to me. I trust you will do the right thing, if you prefer then just put it back but I assure you there will be no repercussions. God bless you.

Name: Winston Owners: Oscar, 11, Flo, eight, Eddie, six, Ottilie, three months, and Hannah Hook Likes/dislikes: Winston loves playing with dog biscuits, catching spiders, being held like a baby, sleeping under duvets, biting toes and jumping on people’s shoulders.

EVE HUGHES Enborne Grove Newbury

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