Council consults over transport concessions
Borough: Fares for Eton Wick passengers among those being reconsidered
The Royal Borough is considering removing or changing a range of transport concessions for pupils from September 2021.
It has launched a consultation, open until April 12, to ask residents for their feedback on a number of proposals.
The council wants to withdraw the concession for Eton Wick residents for September 2021. Under current rates, Eton Wick residents pay £351 for a season ticket on a school coach. All other Royal Borough residents pay a minimum of £651.
Eton Wick fare payers travelling on public bus services also receive discounts. The Royal Borough’s preferred option is to remove this discount as well.
Another option is to retain the Eton Wick concession but increase fares annually by a minimum of 10 per cent until Eton Wick residents pay the same fare as other residents using school coaches.
Under this option, Eton Wick residents will again no longer receive discounts on public bus services.
Another potential change arising from the consultation is to alter the prices for SEND (special education needs) pupils over the age of 16.
Currently, these students can buy a season ticket on a school route for a flat rate of £651 per academic year.
The average cost of this transport to the Borough is more than £6,700 a year, a cost partly due to some pupils travelling longer distances.
One possibility is to change the contribution in line with the distanced travelled, charging £851 for 5-10 miles, £1,051 for 10-15 miles and £1,251 for 15 miles or more.
William Crossley of Autism Berkshire said that this would unfairly penalise those who must travel further afield, and place more burden on already financially stretched families.
“There are only a limited number of specialist units for autistic pupils,” he said. “If a school in the local area doesn’t have that, they will inevitably have to travel further. It’s about finding the best fit.
“We appreciate that the council is in a difficult financial position, but we would be very concerned if families find themselves staring down the barrel of a big hike.”
Included in the consultation is the option to begin charging low-income families rather than waiving their fees, but this is not the council’s preferred option.
There are also other proposed changes for primary and nursery school students.
As well as the options laid out by the Royal Borough, residents can also say if they believe any of the concessions should not be changed.
Lead member for transport
Cllr Gerry Clark said: “We want to review what services need to be supported – and what services are not needed because usage is so low and costs are so high.
“If there are two people on a bus, it would be cheaper to get them a taxi.
“We have been extremely consultative because it’s really important that instead of having plans and then conversations, we shape what we’re doing by residents’ responses.”
He added that impacts on vulnerable groups was high on the council’s criteria for assessing need and coming up with sustainable alternatives.
To give a response to the consultation, complete the Home to School Transport Consultation survey at https://tinyurl.com/pkcpmzmc
Demolition of the Windsor Garden Centre to make way for a new Aldi store has been described as a ‘war zone’ by an angry bed and breakfast owner.
In October 2020, councillors on the Royal Borough Development and Management panel approved plans to demolish the garden centre on Dedworth Road and redevelop it into a discount supermarket with 113 car parking spaces.
Demolition works started a few weeks ago, prompting concerns from Pat Morrish, owner of the Old Farmhouse, which is a 14th-century Grade II listed B&B building and adjacent to the Aldi site, who said the noise, dust, and vibrations has been ‘horrendous’ since it began.
Mrs Morrish described the site as a ‘war zone’, adding: “It’s just awful. You stand on the drive and you can feel it, and you can see the fence vibrate.
“So, what it’s doing to the farmhouse I just do not know.”
Mrs Morrish is also the co-founder of the Cardinal Clinic psychiatric hospital on Oakley Green Road, which is not far from the
site and has been providing mental health services for more than 40 years, adding the noise and vibration disturbance from the demolition and future construction will impact their patients' mental health as they need peace and quiet.
Ward councillor Wisdom Da Costa (Clewer & Dedworth West, West Windsor Residents’ Association) has petitioned senior councillors and officers to investigate and intervene at the site after receiving messages from ‘distressed’ residents and businesses
He said: “The high levels of disturbance are having a profound impact on their hearing, their mental health, their lungs, their property, and has caused harm to their businesses as they have had to stop offering services.”
A council spokesman said the Royal Borough’s environmental protection team have received complaints about the demolition works and sent out two officers to visit the site.
They found the works to be in accordance with industry practice including working hours and will continue to monitor the site as the development progresses.
Councillor David Coppinger (Con, Bray), lead member for planning, added: “The owners of the site have now demolished the existing garden centre.
“Obviously when a demolition takes place, there is a degree of noise and disturbance which cannot be avoided.
“The site has been visited on a number of occasions by officers and the officers’ view is the level of noise is what you would expect from a demolition and the contractor is taking all necessary steps to avoid unnecessary dust and noise and are working the hours that you would expect.”
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We have measures in place to limit noise and have been working closely with our partners to minimise the impact of the works on those nearby.
“All demolition and construction work is being delivered in line with the construction management plan submitted to the council.”
The e-scooter trial in Slough has now been expanded to cover Langley, Britwell and Wexham.
Operator Neuron Mobility will be increasing its fleet with 200 extra bright orange vehicles available to hop on and use which will ‘enhance connectivity’ to the town centre.
More than 10,000 riders have signed up to the scheme since it was launched in October travelling a combined distance of 10,000km.
Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, said: “After a successful five-month trial period, we are delighted to be expanding our riding area in and around Slough, to provide more residents with a safe and socially-distanced transport option. We have been proud to support Slough with their COVID-response effort, and by expanding our fleet and riding area, we hope to continue our support to the community.”
The e-scooters are GPS enabled which allows Slough Borough Council and Neuron to use geofencing technology which controls where they are ridden and parked and how fast they can travel between certain
areas.
The expansion will include 30 new parking stations and users will have to scan QR code to end their trip.
Councillor Rob Anderson, cabinet member for sustainable transport and the environment at Slough Borough Council, said: “We are delighted so many people have taken the opportunity to use this zero emission form of transport. So much so it is viable for the scheme to expand into more communities, giving more residents another way to get around.
“As the country takes steps to come out of lockdown there is a chance to do things differently – maybe using an e-scooter instead of a car could be one of them.”
Riders must be over 18 and hold a full or provisional driving licence to use the e-scooters and can use them by downloading Neuron’s app from the App Store or Google Play.
Neuron Passes are also available where people can buy a three-day pass for £15, a weekly pass for £22 or a monthly pass for £36.
This entitles the user to 90 minutes of riding per day.