Keeping the area tidy

The Thames Water land containing the underground reservoir just off Elm Lane is a lovely recreational facility for walking with wonderful views across the Loddon Valley. Hillside Councillors Al Neal and Caroline Smith, with campaigner Ryan Browne recently did a quick litter pick. Caroline said "This is just one of the many lovely green spaces we have across Earley. It is nice to see it is well looked after."

Subsidence in Ryhill Way

For some years there have been some considerable subsidence in Ryhill Way near Chippenham Close. This has made driving down the road a bit like a ride on the big dipper. Councillor Caroline Smith says "The Highways department has been busy looking at this problem and several trial excavations fortunately have not revealed any major issues". The road has now been repaired and resurfaced making the ride much better.

Improvements to footpaths

Work to improve the old footpaths at the end of Beconsfield Way running down towards Somerton Gardens has been compleated. Lib Dem campaigner Ryan Browne says "These improvements will make walking in the area much more pleasant, especially in wet weather".

Listening to you and taking action

Here are some of the many things that your Lib Dem councillors in Earley have taken action on because we listened to you:
• Councillor Caroline Smith raised your concerns about the illegal use of e-scooters, and the Local Police Area Commander has since announced a crackdown on them.

• We listened to your concerns about the need for roads to be maintained. You may have seen some of our new preventative maintenance measures and the very efficient “jetpatcher” at work, plus recent repairs at the SADA roundabout.

• Besides our actions already taken to improve road safety outside schools, your Earley Lib Dem councillors are working with residents on further measures.

School safety

Your local Lib Dem councillors have successfully improved road safety in the area around Hillside School, and some enhanced parking restrictions are now in place.

Councillor Caroline Smith says "In these busy roads, particularly Hilmanton, it is really important that we do all we can to keep children safe from traffic."

Defibrillator

Many iconic but now redundant old red telephone boxes are now being put to new use. 

Earley Town Council has bought one in Wychwood Crescent from BT and has installed a defibrillator, ready for community use. This is straightforward to use, and a free course for the public has just been run to make people away of how to use them in an emergency.

New ward boundaries

When Hillside next votes for a Borough Councillor, there will be a few changes. Boundary changes mean the whole of Laurel Park is now in Hillside, with adjoining roads, which will make planning easier. In addition, the whole of Ryhill is how in Hillside, giving the whole ward a clear identity.

Redhatch Copse update

Many years ago, the University had a Hall of Residence just off Redhatch Drive. This was sold off for development to Persimmon who went on the build 80 flats and homes.

Part of the deal was that when the site was finished, the ownership of common grounds of the estate and the woods would pass to Earley Town Council to look after with funds to do so. After a very arduous journey dealing with a major developer, Earley Town Council has now taken over the care and maintenance of Redhatch Copse and surroundings. The first task is to do a Tree Survey to ensure we have a lasting record of the species and conditions, and then begin the task of tidying up the overgrown vegetation. This needs a lot of work, but will be a fantastic addition to the green spaces of Earley.

Road safety around our schools

Whilst talking to local residents, an issue that is often discussed is road safety around our schools. The safety of our school children is of utmost importance, but we also need
to balance the needs of parking by parents with the needs of residents who live near schools. During the summer, there has been a consultation on what changes the council could make to improve the situation around Hillside School to improve the road safety and parking. We will keep you informed of the results and let you know what action the council decides to take.