M4 closure over weekend
Both carriageways of a section on the M4 will be closed this weekend, Highways England has announced.
The closure – to facilitate smart motorway works – will impact the stretch of road between junction six (for Slough) and eight/nine (for Maidenhead).
The motorway will be shut from 8pm today (Friday), until 6am on Monday.
Highways England is encouraging drivers to plan ahead and use signed diversions.
ROYAL BOROUGH: The council made the decision to ‘back down’ on parking charges in rural car parks in a budget meeting last Thursday – following a negative response from residents.
When the Royal Borough put the idea out for public consultation, it received ‘very strong pushback’ from residents and ‘flurries of emails’.
Councillor Stuart Carroll (Con, Boyn Hill) said that he had ‘profound and deep concerns’ about the proposal and that it made him ‘deeply uneasy’.
He said that during COVID-19 particularly, it was important to consider physical and mental health and the impact these charges could have on the people from low-income backgrounds and their ability to access outdoor public spaces for taking daily exercise.
Cllr Samantha Rayner (Con, Eton and Castle) was concerned about the effect on volunteers involved in litter picks and clearing of the waterways.
“Free parking really enables that, and I’m really worried that removing it will inhibit people and maybe stop
these activities,” she said.
Cllr Gerry Clark (Con, Bisham and Cookham) expressed concern about a ‘one size fits all’ approach to parking charges in rural car parks, describing it as ‘a blunt instrument’.
The cabinet agreed that it would not take forward the suggestion to charge for rural car parks this year and could instead use one-off COVID reserve money to fund the saving.
Leader of the Lib Dems Cllr Simon Werner (Pinkneys Green) congratulated the lead member for finance, Cllr David Hilton (Con, Ascot & Sunninghill), for ‘backing down’.
However, tempers began to flare when he described the budget as ‘a catalogue of disasters’.
His comments were poorly received by several members of the cabinet who accused him of making a ‘party political broadcast’ rather than contributing anything to the discussion.
At this point the meeting unravelled into a row between councillors that got out of hand, forcing the monitoring officer to step in.
The UK Government has, during recent months, helped millions of people continue to provide for their families as part of its Plan for Jobs support scheme. The initiative is at the heart of our recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic, continuing to help people of all ages work.
THE UK Government has provided £280 billion to safeguard jobs.
Its Plan for Jobs builds on the nine million jobs protected, with initiatives that include…
KICKSTART SCHEME
Six-month paid job with local employer, paid for by the UK Government, providing fully funded opportunity for 16 to 24 yearolds
to gain experience of working among many varied companies.
SECTOR-BASED WORK ACADEMY PROGRAMMES (SWAPs)
Offer opportunities for jobseekers claiming Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance to build their confidence in a new line of work, enhance
their CVs and gain invaluable work experience and training. Such schemes have so far supported more than 40,000 people across the UK.
NEW ENTERPRISE ALLOWANCE
This scheme provides money and support to help those receiving certain benefits to start their own enterprises. For the self-employed, it helps to develop businesses.
SLOUGH: Budget supermarket giant Lidl is planning to build a new store at Slough Retail Park.
The German discount chain is hoping to move into a vacant unit next to Smyths Toys.
The company said the store will provide improved shopping choice for people in Cippenham and provide 40 jobs for people in the area.
It plans to use shared parking on the site, near Bath Road, with dedicated accessible spaces close to the store entrance.
A planning application for the 1,353 sq m venue is yet to be submitted to Slough Borough Council.
A Lidl spokesman said: “We can confirm
that we are looking to bring a new Lidl store to Slough and serve our high quality and affordable produce to the local community.
“If granted this would mark a multi-million pound investment in the area, and the creation of around 40 new full and part-time jobs for the local economy once opened.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their support so far and we look forward to further sharing and discussing our plans with them.”
Residents can give their feedback by filling out a survey by visiting the website: www.slough.expansion.lidl.co.uk.