Teachers on the march as they strike, while Dennis gets on his bike
TEACHERS swapped classrooms for picket lines across Wokingham as part of national strike action. The National Education Union said the Department of Education has been unwilling to “seriously engage with the causes of strike action”.
In Wokingham Borough, teachers held picket lines at their own schools before gathering in Market Place for a rally.
They heard speeches from local campaigners, and from Emma Cantrell, the CEO of
First Days Children’s Charity. Afterwards, they went on a march through Wokingham.
On the picket line at Bulmershe School was Kelly, who said: “The government has failed to meet recruitment and retention targets for the past 10 years, so less people are coming into teaching which means class sizes are going up.”
Among those attending the rally in Wokingham was Bulmershe and Whitegates Labour Cllr Shirley Boyt, who said: “I want to show solidarity with teachers. They’ve not been shown any respect by this government for the last 12 years – enough is enough. It’s not just about pay, it’s about respecting the profession.”
Plans to revamp California Crossroads were delayed again. The scheme, originally proposed in 2015, will see a redesign of the crossroads at the junction of Finchampstead Road and Nine Mile Ride Road.
The council launched a consultation in late 2018 on the project and hoped to start the project soon after, but a number of issues caused delays to starting the work.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “We’d hoped to start a few years ago, during summer months, but it has fallen behind for reasons beyond our control.”
Wokingham residents were asked to pay an additional 4.99% on their council tax, with the bulk of the increase going on social care for adults and children.
While the increase is around half the rate of inflation, local authorities across the country were forced to tighten belts and look for savings.
Wokingham Borough Council said it was the lowest funded in the country, and added it had saved almost £12 million in service efficiencies, of which more than £10 million cane from cost reductions.
It approved an additional £100,000 to help those who may experience financial difficulties in paying their council tax.
The council had also set aside £250,000 to help those struggling to afford the basics as the long winter draws on during this cost-of-living crisis.
The leader of the council, Cllr Clive Jones, said his party had been working on the budget since they took over the council.
Plans were approved to convert the former Wokingham headquarters of a digital marketing firm into a school for children with additional needs.
The Oddysey Education Group, a private school for those with special educational needs and disabilities, received permission to convert Buckhurst Court, a single-storey office building off London Road, into a new learning establishment. It was also noted that a majority of the pupils going to the school would come from Reading Borough, as a letter of intent submitted by the application outlines Oddysey Education Group’s contract with Reading children’s services company Brighter Futures for Children to provide SEND education.
A cyclist was raising money and awareness for an organisation that supports living organ donation.
Dennis Carver’s cycle ride event in aid of charity, Give A Kidney, was looking for capable cyclists to join him.
Called The Transplant Tour, the route saw riders travelling from Edinburgh to Oxford, covering almost 500 miles in six days.
And despite having only one kidney himself, Transplant Tour organiser Dennis was among them.