West Berkshire Council

The provisional outturn showed a £5.5m overspend after mitigations, with major pressure in adult social care and children’s social care. Drivers included delayed disposal of council care homes, higher costs for placements, and legal fees, while savings delivery was broadly on track overall.

The council approved a refreshed planning enforcement plan for 2026 that introduces a new category four for low-priority cases and tightens service standards for serious breaches. The portfolio holder said this is intended to improve consistency, transparency and prioritisation in a service that can receive up to 60 suspected breaches a month.

The committee reviewed a rewritten operational approach to fireworks, originally adopted in 2021, and agreed to recommend it for adoption by the Joint Public Protection Committee subject to any changes made at the meeting. The update covers restricted sales periods, test purchasing, storage checks, nuisance reporting, and communications around fireworks safety.

The portfolio holder and officers confirmed that the section 19 statement and educational neglect policy had been amended after feedback and would be taken back through the executive process. The policy is intended to create a clear statutory framework for schools, families and staff, and to replace inconsistency with a defined threshold and process for educational neglect and section 19 decisions.

Officers are developing a district-wide strategy to manage falling primary rolls and surplus places, aiming to reduce district surplus capacity to around 10% over time. The strategy is being shaped through consultation with school stakeholders and is intended to keep schools educationally and financially viable while meeting genuine community need.

The council is preparing a SEND reform plan for submission to the DfE on 2026-06-19, following an initial draft submitted on 2026-05-15. The plan is being updated daily, and officers said it must meet department requirements or West Berkshire risks a resubmission window and possible service risk during the anticipated SEND inspection period.

The forum focused on physical accessibility across West Berkshire, with repeated concerns about disabled housing adaptations, planning standards for accessible homes, town-centre parking and pedestrian access, and the accessibility of leisure centres and community services. Several speakers highlighted practical barriers that affect procurement and service design, including the need for adaptations, accessible toilets/changing rooms, better signage, transport links, and communication support such as BSL and video relay services. The council also discussed how planning policy, landlord consent, and community provision shape future demand and investment.

The committee considered two planning applications. The first, for a new dwelling at Appletree Cottage, centred on highway access, visibility, agricultural access rights, speeding concerns and tree protection; members approved it subject to conditions despite objections. The second, for a new dwelling at Churn Lodge, focused on overdevelopment, access, landscaping, overlooking, excavation and possible judicial review risk; officers advised deferral and the committee agreed to defer it.