Spring Newsletter 2022
website:-acerwhitegates.org.uk
You are invited to a
AGM & SOCIAL EVENING – Earley Home Guard Social Club All Residents Welcome
Tuesday, 29th March, 2022. Doors Open 7.45pm. Start time 8pm.
Meet your neighbours, the committee and your councillors. Express your concerns. Get your questions answered. Relax in an informal setting with complementary tea, coffee and snacks. Bar open.
Details and agenda for the formal part of the evening overleaf.
Speeding – Local action at last!
Speeding is one of the most complained-about issues from residents. Following the introduction of a new IT-based Speedwatch system by Thames Valley Police in October, a Bulmershe and Whitegates Speedwatch group was set up and has started operating in the area with a local Coordinator, Cllr Shirley Boyt. ACER has sponsored the purchase of a new hand-held radar of a type approved by the Police for use by Speedwatch groups. This device will be available on request by the local coordinator primarily for local use. All we need now are more volunteers!
A minimum of three volunteers are needed each time. They have to first pass an on- line test which takes about 40 minutes, after which they will be contacted by the local Coordinator to join a Speedwatch deployment, which will be at a registered and surveyed location. There is a great deal of flexibility on where and when Speedwatch can be deployed. Details of vehicles exceeding a pre- determined speed are recorded and logged on the Police Computer. Speedwatch is designed to be an educational system. Repeat offenders may be visited by the Police.
If you are interested contact chair@acerwhitegates.org.uk and ACER will forward the link and joining instructions. Speedwatch is overseen by the Police and is independent of ACER.
Friends of Bulmershe Open Space (FoBOS)
FoBOS have met WBC Officers project-managing the Council’s climate emergency tree-planting initiative and requested appropriate planting within Bulmershe Field/Bulmershe Park. Following an initial positive response detailed proposals are awaited. FoBOS/ACER Members have also planted well over 100 daffodils within Bulmershe Park. Hopefully they will brighten our lives in the Spring! FoBOS and ACER have responded to WBC’s latest Local Plan consultation expressing strong support for two proposed Local Green Space designations; Following an initiative by ACER and ETC, land at Bulmershe, including Reading Road allotments, Bulmershe school playing fields and Bulmershe Park and Field is the first area proposed. Secondly, land South of the River Thames from Kennet Mouth to near Sonning is proposed. If carried forward with the protection level requested by ACER and FoBOS into the adopted Local Plan, these Local Green Space areas will have protection consistent with Green Belt land.
Other ACER achievements during 2021/2022 include:
- Vegetation clearing and litter picking working parties in Town Lane and Bulmershe Park.
- Contribution to the Earley Town Council consultation on their Climate Emergency Plan
- Requesting replacement of damaged trees in Milton Rd and Erleigh Court Gardens
- Reviewing 60 Planning Applications affecting Whitegates and commenting on 25 of them.
- Regular liaison with Wokingham Borough Council, Earley Town Council, Maiden Erlegh Residents Association, EASI (Earley Adopt a Street Initiative) and the neighbourhood police.
2022 Spring ‘Clean-up, Green-up’
ACER will continue to work with local councillors and EASI to organise litter picks and vegetation clear-ups this spring. Dates of ‘clean-up’ events will be published on the website and the notice boards. Please contact chair@acerwhitegates.org.uk if you are aware of an area that needs attention.
Electric Scooters: Please note that privately owned electric scooters can only be used legally on private land. Use on public roads and pavements is illegal.
ACER: The Whitegates Residents’ Association
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, 29th March 2022. 7.45 for 8pm at Earley Home Guard Social Club, Pitts Lane RG6 1BT
| Welcome / Apologies for absence Acting Chair’s Report Treasurer’s Report Election of Officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer) Election of Other Committee Members Appointment of Scrutineer | Future of ACER. Open Discussion. Agreement of membership fees 2022/23 Any Other Business Including Topics from the Floor and Questions to Councillors Speaker from the Police: Speeding and Speedwatch, E scooters, Deterring thieves, Inconsiderate parking. |
Please come along
All Whitegates residents welcome to attend – Refreshments will be served before the meeting
The Future of ACER
As you see by the list on the previous page, ACER has achieved much this year, as it has over the past six years. As in any voluntary association, success depends on the willingness of members of the public to participate and share the tasks. In particular, ACER cannot function to improve our area as successfully as it has done in the past without new key committee members. We are looking for a new Secretary, Chair and Vice Chair in particular. New members of the committee will be fully supported by current active committee members and by outgoing Officers. Please do come forward to seek more information. A description of ACER Committee roles and the time commitment needed can be found on our website under ABOUT ACER. Tasks, if shared, are very manageable for volunteers and you would gain much from your participation:
- Making real improvements to the environment
- The enhancement of the area we live in
- Promoting a community spirit, community cohesion and the appreciation of our diversity
- Good working relationships with local councillors
- Insights into planning, green initiatives and much more
If we cannot fill these key roles, it will be necessary to significantly scale back ACER’s work. The group would retain a skeleton presence and its basic structures would remain, such as the management of the bank account, correct husbandry of existing members’ funds, an occasional newsletter etc. However, many of the issues that you have told us are important to you would not be followed up as we would wish, and the vital and excellent working links that we have forged over many years would inevitably decline. These include liaison with the police, Earley Town Council, Wokingham Council and other public bodies.
ACER members currently comprise a wide age group plus members of all political and religious beliefs.
PLEASE GIVE WHATEVER HELP YOU CAN!
PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH: Urgent messages and notices are sent to members via e-mail. To be included PLEASE E-MAIL ACER at chair@acerwhitegates.org.uk and ask to be put on to ACER Google Groups. This information is GDPR compliant and will not be passed on to any other organisation. If you do not have an e-mail, we will deliver a note.
ACER CONTACTS – email: chair@acerwhitegates.org.uk Committee: Tim Marsh (Chair), Siôn Williams (Treasurer), Mary Bather, Naomi Cambridge, Jenny Carr, Graham May, Jenny Lissaman.
Local Wokingham Borough Councillors: Shirley Boyt Shirley.boyt@wokingham.gov.uk Carl Doran carl.doran@wokingham.gov.uk; Shahid Younis shahid.younis@wokingham.gov.uk;
Local Earley Town Councillors: Gurdeep Bhangra gurdeep.bhangra@earley-tc.gov.uk; Sheena Matthews sheena.matthews@earley-tc.gov.uk 07766 424098, Marion Shaw marion.shaw@earley-tc.gov.uk;
If you have a local street representative, they are: _______________________________________ at _________________________________
