October

AFTER more than six months of inactivity it appeared that the traffic group set up in January appeared to have quietly disappeared up its own exhaust pipe.

Residents and visitors ‘going for a trip’ (sic) in Wokingham’s regenerated market place were promised a safety audit as WBC Cllr Philip Mirfin, executive member for Regeneration, explained.

Three months later, we’ve not heard anything more about the safety audit, although there has been a meeting of the traffic group.

I’d love to tell you what was discussed, but the new rules of engagement of that group had made discussions confidential, so I’d chosen not to attend.

However as December ended with yet another executive member for Highways in charge (four in one year), perhaps the public might be allowed to learn about matters that the public have been discussing with the council. Honestly – even I couldn’t make this stuff up.

On a sad note, a civic service was held in the memory of Ann Davis, a former town mayor and highly respected councillor of many years standing.

Meanwhile, problems with rats continued to be reported on WBC’s Gorse Ride estate as a ‘colourful’ letter to the paper prompted the chair of the joint Bracknell-Wokingham-West Berks Public Protection Partnership (PPP) to respond. We learnt that the PPP “doesn’t carry out … work for rats … responsibility rests with the occupier … work[ing] closely with colleagues … on Council owned properties”.

Sounds like somebody’s taking the PPP.

The middle of the month brought the shock news that Wokingham’s Crown Post Office was due to be closed and that in future, post office services would be provided from a kiosk in WH Smith.

Wokingham’s residents have been promised a consultation, unlike Twyford’s, where the post office counter in Booze Bargain simply closed without notice.

Road closures continued as a very sorry looking minibus was pictured nose down in a sink-hole on Nine Mile Ride after a burst water main.

At Shute End, WBC’s interim CEO Manjeet Gill departed suddenly “to pursue other opportunities”.

Opposition councillors were unsparing in their criticism of the ruling Conservative group for this sudden departure. I feel there’s a LOT more to this little sequence of events.