Councillor Kathy Newbound said “It’s very worrying. They haven’t specified which services could go. Lib Dems have supported Maidenhead residents for years and years in their fight to maintain NHS hospital services in Maidenhead”. Worst of all the NHS is considering selling land and buildings at St Marks. Kathy said “Once it’s gone, it’s gone, if they sell off the land then that will never come back. The Council must fight this all the way.”

The petitioners pointed out how highly valued the centre was and challenged the Council’s assertion that the same level of service could be provided at Lady Elizabeth House. They also complained that the declining attendance had been caused by the Council massively increasing charges for self funders and refusing requests for new users.

Lib Dem councillors asked that the proposal be modified to include an option to keep Gardner House open. The Council refused to modify its position and the closure now seems inevitable.

At the last election we promised to protect the Green Belt. We do not support building at Spencers Farm, which is part of the Green Belt area that forms a valuable break between Maidenhead and Cookham. Also we must not increase the built-up area at risk of flooding. Parts of this site are in the flood plain and climate change may threaten a bigger area in future.

 Selling off the Green Belt to developers is not the way to fund school buildings.

The money will be put towards a range of projects and events, including:
■a training and networking event for organisations whose work brings them into contact with vulnerable residents/families
■advice and a goody bag containing tips on keeping warm, how to get a home energy check and other practical ways of ensuring winter wellbeing
■electric blanket testing/replacement with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
■working with Open Kitchen’s Foodshare project focusing on residents who rely on their help
■promoting the importance of warm slippers which links with the sloppy slipper swop campaigns and falls prevention
■a store cupboard leaflet and promotion and how to eat well on a budget
■practical help and advice on switching energy suppliers, setting up direct debits or changing from a key meter
■thermometers to help monitor internal room temperatures and know when to take action.

During this period of exceptionally cold weather it is vital that we look out for our more vulnerable residents. It is shocking in this day and age that families and older people have to make decisions about whether to ‘eat or heat.

This is the Lib Dems in action – helping our vulnerable residents.

When the pay and display was first introduced residents were outraged and a long campaign was started involving the Lib Dems, the Chamber of Commerce and the Maidenhead Advertiser to get the decision reversed.

The £120,000 system – scheduled to be up and running in early March – will use car registration numbers to check how long cars have been parked so that drivers can then pay for the time they have used:
• car registration numbers are scanned and registered on the way into and out of the car park
• before leaving, motorists enter their registration number in the parking machine then choose how to pay – by cash or card
• drivers can register to pay online or can also pay in advance if they know how long they will be in the town centre
• the scheme also covers season ticket and permit parking.

Number plates are scanned as cars arrive and leave and motorists can pay in the way that suits them best. It will remove the need for drivers to have to rush back to put more money in a ticket machine if they stay longer than planned in the town.

The new system will be trialled by staff in the coming weeks to ensure that it is up and running in time for the launch on Monday 5 March. Further details will be available in the coming weeks.

These Day Centres provide a lifeline for elderly people both physically, in ensuring they get the occasional freshly-cooked and well-balanced meal, and mentally, in providing a place for social interaction. Their family also feel supported by the help and advice and by having a break every so often.

This closure follows on from the increase in charges of nearly £1000% for users of the Day Centres who have to fund themselves back in 2009. The price for these ‘self-funders’ has risen from £6 to a massive £58 a day.

A local resident whose mother attends the day centre has started a petition against the closure. who can sign the e-petition here.

The vital 8am service between Maidenhead and Paddington, ran with only three carriages today rather than the usual 7.

More chaos in predicted with First Great Western telling passengers that there will only be three carriages tomorrow morning as well.

The move to Reading was proposed by Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 as one of three options to enable it to save more than £20m over three years.

Lib Dems opposed the move because Charles Ward at St Marks Hospital was the only option that continued a locally-based service to borough residents. At present residents have access to these services locally but, with the changes, they will have to trek up to 25 miles for that care.

It is moving from its base at 4 Marlow Road to the Town Hall from Thursday 26 January.

The Credit Union came to the Borough following an initiative from the Liberal Democrats at Windsor and Maidenhead council.

The credit Union:
offers ethical and personal financial services to help put people back in control of their finances and steer them away from loan sharks, doorstep lenders and payday loan providers who can charge very high interest rates
provides ethical savings opportunities for those who want their money to be used to help those in the local community who need financial support.

Growing numbers of people are being hit hard by the very difficult global economic situation and there are those who, for various reasons, can’t get loans at all or can’t afford the interest rates.

This is a breeding ground for unscrupulous loan sharks and organisations that charge extortionate interest rates which can lead to even more misery.

Thankfully the credit union can often provide a lifeline and, through a personal financial service, offer loans at affordable rates, even to people with a poor credit rating, and can provide help on money management.

The credit union also offers a savings opportunity for people who want to put their money into an ethical investment that helps their local community.

Jim Coghill, chairman of the Credit Union, said: “Across Berkshire and in the Royal Borough people normally manage their money satisfactorily but if the washing machine or the car breaks down – those unexpected moments – they can cause problems. They can drive people to taking out loans at very high rates of interest and paying back a great deal more than they borrowed.

“We encourage people to start saving what they can with us and then we are normally able to offer loans at affordable rates. We sit down and explain how we work, look at a person’s income and expenditure and then decide if we can offer a loan – but only if they can afford it. We want to help give people long-term financial control and peace of mind.

The credit union will be open every Thursday in the Town Hall from 10am to 4pm. No appointment is necessary – just drop in. However, appointments can be obtained by calling 01189 585803 (10am – 4pm Monday to Friday).

Volunteer recruitment for the credit union is always open. No previous financial services experience is necessary but volunteers should be good communicators, computer literate and keen to be involved in a worthwhile community organisation. Anyone interested in learning more about the volunteering opportunities should call Jayne Parsons on 0118 958 5803 or email enquiries@cslberks.org

CSL has grown from the former Reading Credit Union which was set up four years ago and has now extended across Berkshire to provide quality, low cost financial services, accessible to all those who live and work in the county.

The Express story published on their website today, Friday 13th January 2012 quotes Fire Authority chief Mr Southern as saying:
“This goes to show that consultation does work.
“The consultation responses showed that people wanted a larger appliance. This must not mean a budget change that would impact on services in the rest of the county, so we are working on an action plan for a larger appliance that will meet all requirements.”

The article gives no indication as to the future of the St Mark’s Road Fire Station, so local Liberal Democrats have laid down an FOI request with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to clarify their plans for the Fire Station.

Just before Christmas local Lib Dems distributed the best part of 10,000 leaflets to residents in Windsor to let them know the consultation was going on and outlining the proposals to move from the daytime only full sized Fire Engine which Windsor has had since October to the Royal Borough and Fire Authority’s joint proposal for a 24 hour mini Fire Engine based in Slough, but forward deployed to Windsor most of the time.

“We’d just like to say thank you to everyone who replied to the consultation in defence of the Fire Station,”
says Lib Dem Campaigner Moray Barclay, “clearly together we have had some impact with the Fire Authority.”

Liberal Democrats in Windsor remain committed to securing our 3 goals for Windsor’s fire services:

A Full Size Fire Appliance
24 hour cover
A Proper Fire Station in Windsor

It is clear that many details remain to be finalised – particularly given the caveat that no extra funds will be committed that adversely affect the rest of Berkshire.