Rural Issues Community Forum

The evening kicked off with a warm welcome from Cllr Tony Vickers, Executive Member for Planning and Community Engagement, welcoming residents to the forum and introducing the panel and other officers in attendance. The panel included, Cllr Denise Gaines, Executive Member for Highways, Housing and Sustainable Travel, Martin Colston, Executive Member for Regeneration, Growth and Strategy Development, Eric Owens, Service Director for Development and Regulation and Jon Winstanley Service Director for Environment.

Cllr Colston took centre stage, weaving a narrative around the Council Strategy 2023-27. He delved into its connection with rural matters, discussing two pivotal strategies: "A Prosperous and Resilient West Berkshire" and "Thriving Communities with a Strong Local Voice." Cllr Colston continued to explain how these strategies link to rural concerns such as employment, housing, transportation, the youth demographic, and the essence of community within quaint villages.

The spotlight then shifted to Cllr Vickers, who opened the floor to a lively discussion on Rural Communities. Residents shared their perspectives on what these communities meant to them, not just in terms of villages but about the smaller communities within them, whether that be the church community, parents and the school community or the volunteer community. It became clear that there needed to be a way to cascade information to these communities as they often aren't considered. It was also noted that young people are notably absent from the forum and that issues they might face are not going to be reflected.

Discussions then turned to transport and housing issues that rural communities face. Cllr Gaines began speaking about how we need to make our villages and rural areas vibrant to attract communities to grow and get residents to stay within the area, how we can work with developers and large country estates to develop properties linked to working area, with the current plan to pilot on one estate before moving it out further. Transport it a key issue for rural communities and Cllr Gaines began the discussion by explaining what schemes we have in place to help rural communities get about before opening it up for discussion on what else these communities need. This led to an enriched conversation with attendees discussing their concerns and the panel listening to suggestions and issues that residents face including affordable housing.

The forum ended with Cllr Martin Colston touching on the Rural Business Forum, hosted by the Council which brought together landowners and estate managers to discuss the rural economy. This saw our essential rural businesses come together with the council to discuss issues around land development, employment, and sustainable practices. It was an excellent opportunity to hear from our rural businesses and see how we can work together to build more rural employment, help the environment, and keep our villages vibrant.