Latest news from Barkham and Arborfield - May 2026

My best moment was immediately recycling a heavy-duty traffic cone from the ditch on Biggs Lane to a builder who stopped and asked if he could have it.

Whilst the litter pick is a great demonstration of care for our local environment, I think
everyone agrees that it is a shame that it is necessary. The biggest issue seems to be along
main roads, with drivers passing through the area tossing rubbish from their window. Main
roads, such as Eversley Road and Observer Way, can also be the hardest to clear due to
the need for traffic management to keep people safe. With council funding so stretched it
has been difficult to prioritise this, but I am hopeful that we will see some progress on it this
year.

Of course, our challenges are not just alongside the roads but the roads themselves.
Decades of under-investment and delayed resurfacing means that the roads are at the
mercy of the weather. January's freeze followed by incessant rain led to more potholes
being reported in one month than the preceding 7 months combined. A lot of temporary
repairs were made to keep the roads safe and, where necessary, these are being replaced
with permanent repairs.

The Barkham Road to Wokingham is suffering and has been identified to be resurfaced.
With the Thames Water trunk main replacement closing Bearwood Road and then Barkham
Road for some time, resurfacing will need to wait until there are diversion routes available.
In the meantime, please continue to report any issues with the road which you find so that
they can be inspected and repaired. It takes only a couple of minutes to report a problem.
Search online for “Wokingham report a pothole” to find the reporting page.

This year Wokingham has local elections, and you will be able to vote for one of your 3 local
borough councillors. I expect there will be candidates from all the significant parties in our
area, including the Liberal Democrat candidate Mohima Bose. However you chose to vote, I
hope you will take the trouble to do so on 7 May, to get another councillor for our area who
will work hard for you.