Newbury Weekly News 110517

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Newbury Weekly News

Your views POST : Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, RG14 2DW EMAIL editor@newburynews.co.uk talk to us Email letters to editor@newburynews.co.uk with your full name, a terrestrial address and daytime phone number. DEADLINE: MONDAY NOON

Adepressing choice in thisGeneral Election

DONNINGTON resident Carol Forbes took this picture – of a mandarin duck – on the Kennet and Avon Canal recently. The ducks were introduced to the UK from China and this one was spotted by the Wharf in Newbury’s Victoria Park. Why not take some inspiration from this and send the Newbury Weekly News and Newburytoday some of your photographs? If you have a picture that you would like to submit for consideration, please send it to dan.cooper@ newburynews.co.uk. Alternatively, send it to our twitter account @newburytoday using #MyNewbury, but please remember to let us know where the picture was taken and, crucially, by whom. They may then be published online on www.newburytoday.co.uk , or in the Newbury Weekly News , the Newbury and Thatcham Advertiser and our Facebook page. NWN letters pages are among best incountry MRS English (‘ Newbury Weekly News letters pages are biased’, May 4) should switch to the Daily Mail or Daily Express if she wants right-wing propaganda rather than fair and balanced coverage of local issues. Judging by her ill-informed remarks about migrants enjoying “an easy life on benefits”, she might also enjoy the Nigel Farage Show (formerly known as Question Time ) every Thursday night on BBC1. The NWN readers’ letters sections is one of the best in the country precisely because it is open to all points of view, including those of us, such as the Green Party, who are largely ignored by national media. turning our backs on those very institutions best placed to ensure a coordinated global approach. As I said at the outset it is hard not to be depressed. PETER M NORMAN Newbury educational experts and professionals, and in spite of the fact that they were abolished in most parts of the country for a very good reason. Meanwhile, the immense resources being sucked up by the Brexit process mean that public services continue to languish. Our whole approach towards health is in need of urgent reform if the NHS is not to be completely overwhelmed by an insatiable demand for its services. Education will suffer from a lack of funding and the relentless reforms governments feel impelled to introduce on an increasingly demoralised workforce. Government and industry will continue to fail to invest in training, preferring the cheaper option of importing pre-trained labour. And when we should all be working together to tackle the biggest problem of our age, the environment and climate change, instead we are

CHRISTIAN Viewpoint Getting over theoverture

Thecarersituation hasgoneonforyears I READ your article headlined ‘Carers fear for the future’ Thursday,April27,2017 4 NEWBURYNEWS

NewburyWeeklyNews

Carers fear for the future Group criticisesWestBerkshire Council overitsfailure tosecure long-term provision

IT is hard not to get depressed, having read the first two weeks of your election coverage. Unless there is a political tsunami, we will re-elect a party apparatchik as our representative in Parliament. An MP incapable of voting against his party machine even when that vote is against his constituents’ interests. A willingness to obey orders are admirable traits in an army man, less so in a politician. Like it or not this election will be framed around Brexit and yet all the candidates are treating the referendum result as if it is some inviolable holy grail, something that cannot be overturned as the “people have spoken”, forgetting that “the people” in this instance represent only 37 per cent of the electorate. The Tories have chosen “strong and stable” as their byline for this election, apparently without irony, as they rush headlong towards the biggest economic gamble this country has seen since Churchill took us back on to the Gold Standard. We can only hope that the results will not be as catastrophic, but the portents are not encouraging. Meanwhile, our opposition parties cannot even contemplate the notion of working together for the greater good – it does not bode well for a future coalition of whatever political hue. It is hard to see how this opportunistic election will not result in more Conservative MPs, because no-one is standing to stop Brexit. The Lib Dems’ position of “no to a hard Brexit” implicitly accepts the referendum result with all its flaws, the Labour Party explicitly so. It is not a position that is going to have pro-Europeans rushing to the ballot box. And yet if May is successful then she will have slipped under the carpet a mandate to do so much more, such as the reintroduction of grammar schools against the advice of most

Points of contact - Newbury News Ltd Address: Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbur y, Berks, RG14 2DW CHIEF EXECUTIVE: James Gurney (01635) 564502, email: james.gurney@newburynews.co.uk EDITOR: Andy Murrill (01635) 564525, email: editor@newbur ynews.co.uk NEWS EDITOR: Dan Cooper (01635) 564527, email newsdesk@newbur ynews.co.uk CHIEF REPORTER: John Garvey (01635) 564528, email: john.garvey@newburynews.co.uk LIBRARY & ARCHIVE: Jackie Markham (01635) 564554, email: jackie.markham@newbur ynews.co.uk HEAD OF ADVERTISING SALES: Andrew Harding However, if Paul is right then we can be utterly happy that the overture is once and for all fully over. REV HEDLEY CLEMO The Community Church, Thatcham email: andrew.harding@newburynews.co.uk OFFICE MANAGER: Lisa Francis (01635) 564572, email: lisa.francis@newbur ynews.co.uk RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING: email: recruitment@newburynews.co.uk CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (01635) 564573, email: adver t@newburynews.co.uk NEWSPAPER HOUSE RECEPTION: (01635) 524111, email: reception@newburynews.co.uk HEAD OF PRINT: James Harris 07775 956012, email: james.har ris@newburynews.co.uk PRESS & MAILROOM MANAGER: Andr ew Willis (01635) 564519, email: andrew.willis@newburynews.co.uk ADMINISTRATION & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Paul Woodley (01635) 564519; email: paul.woodley@newbur ynews.co.uk NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION: Lesley Marriott (01635) 564513, email: cirulation@newburynews.co.uk PHOTOGRAPHY: Phil Cannings (01635) 564542, email: picturedesk@newburynews.co.uk Many of the photographs in the Newbur y Weekly News have been taken by NWN photographers. These images, and many mor e, are available to order online at newburytoday.co.uk/picturegallery HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT: Newbury News Limited publications ar e regulated by IPSO - the Independent P ress Standards Organisation. If you have a complaint about a Newbur y News Limited publication, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concer n d. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www . pso.co.uk. Members of the public ar welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on h ow to frame a complaint. COPYING THIS NEWSPA ER: To enquire about permission to copy cuttings for inter nal management and information purposes, please contact the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA media access), Wellington Gate,7 & 9 Chur ch Road, Tunbridge Wlls, TN1 1NL, telep hon (01892) 525273, email: copy@nla.co.uk Inquiries concer ing the rpublication (either in print or online) of content fr om this newspaper should be addr esse to: the Gr oup Editor . Newbury News Limited, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbur y, Berkshire RG14 2DW, email: editor@newbur ynews.co.uk (01635) 564571, (01635) 564546 HOW would you like to die at the grand old age of 146? Mbah Gotho, a Christian man from Sragen in Central Java, has finally died. His December 31, 1870, birth date was verified last year by the local Indonesian authorities and his earliest memory is the construction of a sugar factory there in 1880. Beyond Mbah’s unbelievable longevity, one curious fact is that he has been preparing for his death for the past 22 years. One news source said “he was ready to die” and his own grandson revealed that he simply wanted his family to “let him go”. A number of years back, I came across a woman who had suffered a crisis in pregnancy and then had a near-death experience. She recounted how she was drifting away, looking down on her own body and then heard Jesus addressing her. When she did come out of the coma, on opening her eyes she suddenly exclaimed: “Oh no! I’m still here!” I wonder how you plan to face your own death? Perhaps you appreciate a little humour to soften the idea: “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” (Woody Allen) The apostle Paul is a little more earthy and concrete: “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1 Verses 22 & 23) I guess if death is termination, a full stop, then we all tend to resist getting over the overture.

( Newbury Weekly New s, April 27) with a sense of depressed déjà vu. I was head of the post-16 department for students at Castle School for several years. I constantly fought, along with colleagues, to raise the issue of supported independent living for when families were ready for their children with learning disabilities to move out of the family home. Some wished for this to happen at 19, but some wanted it to happen later. We always seemed to lurch from one crisis to another as there had been no forward planning. This was in spite of the fact that it had been raised at every annual review of the child’s Statement of Needs from the age of 14 as well as constant reminders to the authority. The authorities were also regularly updated of all our students who would require accommodation at some point in the future. I also know that other special schools and providers were also updating the authority and I am sure that is still the case. I totally agree with Mencap’s comment that this has been a ‘ticking time bomb since 2002. At one point we had a cohort of several students with quite challenging and/or medical needs that were about to leave at the same time. It was only due to the cavalry coming over the hill in the form of Mencap and Greenham Common Trust that led to a property being found and adapted for these individuals. I hate to think what could have happened otherwise. There was a spell when the Phoenix Centre was built when quite a lot was also done to provide supported living in the The NewburyWeeklyNews NEWSDESK (01635)564527 SPORT (01635)886629 Sportseditor MalcolmHowe malcolm.howe@newbur ynews.co.uk HEADOFSALES AndrewHarding andrew.harding@newburynews.co.uk (01635)886643 ADVERTISING DISPLAY (01635)564572 RECRUITMENT (01635)564546 recruitment@newbur ynews.co.uk CLASSIFIED (01635)564572 advert@newbur ynews.co.uk CHIEFEXECUTIVE JamesGurney james.gurney@newbur ynews.co.uk (01635)564502 LEAFLETS (01635)564513 lesley.marriott@newbur ynews.co.uk CIRCULATION (01635)564513 NEWBURYWEEKLYNEWS,NewspaperHouse, FaradayRoad,Newbury,RG142DW (01635)524111 isproud tobethe independent, locally-owned newspaper attheheart ofWestBerkshire andNorthHampshire. Wealways welcome your feedback onhowwecan improve ourservicetothecommunity. EDITOR AndyMurrill andy.murrill@newbur ynews.co.uk @andymurrill (01635)564525

Newtown Road, Newbury, which a decade ago hadbeen earmarked for anassisted-livingdevelopment. However, itnevermaterialised. At the launch, chief officer at Healthwatch West Berkshire, Andrew Sharp, saidhe was pleased with West Berkshire Council’s response to the report andwashope- fulprogresscouldnowbemade. He said:“It hasbeen neglectedas anissuefor decades.Theyknewthe people were here with a need and knew the people caringwere getting older.

Report by CHRISORD email chris.ord@newbur ynews.co.uk twitter @chriso_nwn

“WHATwill happenwhenwe’re no longerhere?" Thatis thequestion beingasked byagroupof frustratedparentsand family carers who have criticised West Berkshire Councilover a fail- ure to planlong-term provisions for those theycare for.

community, which was very successful but wasn’t continued due to a downturn in the economy. I fully realise that the council are under extreme financial pressure, but, as the article stated, some families have been waiting 25 years. Why do they always go to the bottom of the list? For the council spokesman to say that they are grateful for the report is worrying as they shouldn’t need a report for something that they should News, entertainment,advertising News........................................................... 1-19 Fuel............................................................ .....18 Schools....................................................20-2 1 Letters......................................................22- 24 Hungerford& Lambourn Valleynews..............................................26-2 7 Thatcham news......................................28-29 NorthHantsnews...................................30-3 1 Announcements.....................................32-33 Local History.................................................34 What’sOn......................................................40 N2 arts&entertainment stars.................41 Competition& puzzles................................48 Film review....................................................49 Classifed starts............................................56 Motorsstarts.................................................60 Jobs starts.....................................................6 4 Sport starts...................................................67 n Dailynewsupdatesonline at: Thecarers,who arenowentering old age, say a lack of planning and support means they cannot be certainwhatcarewillbeprovided to theirchildrenwhen theyaregone. Thecriticism comesfollowingthe releaseof anew reporthighlighting theissue,whichMencaplabelleda “ticking time bomb”asfar back as 2002. The report from Healthwatch WestBerkshire saysan increasein life expectancy means those with learning disabilities arenow outliv- ing their parents and carers in larger numbers, with little to no support provided as the carers becomeolder. At the launch of the report on Friday, some of those affected said the authorities have “ignored”the problem for too long. Robert and CarolWinter provide care for their45-year-old daughter, Karen,andsaya lackofplanningby theauthorities means theycannot be certain what care will be provided forher whenthey areno longerhere. “We’veraised itat differenttimes since shewas inher 20s,”they said. “There’sbeennothought givento the fact that we aren’t going to be hereforeverand thatthereneedsto be something inplaceafter that. “Wehavewanted toprepareovera longperiodof time tomake itaseasy aspossible,buthereweare 25years later and we’re still no further forward.” The couple, now in their 70s, added: “Wewould like to see hr settledandknow she’s being cared for.” Thepaper,entitled Movingon –the Final Transition , calls forurgent action from theauthorities. However, the new report, which addressed a number of families affected,concludes that theopportu- nity to move those with learning disabilities into ‘independent living’ with the help of their families has now largelybeenmissed. The paper goes on: “It also appearsanewgenerationof families with younger dependents may equally risk missing out on a planned transition from care at home, to amore fulfilling and inde- penden life wih the appropriate careavailable.” Tomarkthe launch ofthe report, HealthwatchWest Berkshiregath- ered the families at a site in Healthwatch WestBerkshire chiefofficer Andrew Sharp (front) withparents andfamily carers involved inthenewreport “It’s been kicked in to the long grassconstantly bydifferentcoun- cils over the years. But we’ve been reallypleasedwith thecouncil –they haven’tstuck theirheadin thesand over this report. “The council has agreed to the recommendations, whichis terrific, andwearegoing to trytoputan action group together, made up of professionals,carers andvoluntary sector workers, to get them all around the table todiscuss it. Headded: “Ifwecansolve it forone groupofpeople itwillhopefullysolve it forothergroupsgoing forward.” West Berkshire Council spokesmanMartinDunscombe said: “We work closelywith Healthwatch West Berkshireand aregrateful to them forproducing this report. “We value feedback from our currentand futureserviceusersand, aswiththis report,willuse ittohelp usdeliver the supporton offer in the comingyears.” He added: “Our priorityisalways withthosewhose needisimmediate because they have nowhereelse to go. “However,we areactivelylooking todevelop thesupportweare ableto offer for allour vulnerable residents andrecent increasesin socialcare fundingwillhelpus toachieve this.” In FebruaryWest BerkshireCoun- cil agreedto increasethe preceptfor adultsocialcareby 1.99percentin 2017/18 inan effortto easefunding pressures. “ There’sbeennothought given tothefactthatwe aren’tgoing tobehere forever andthatthere needs tobesomething in placeafterthat QualityVehicle Servicing andRepairs SuperiorQuality at IndependentRates Servicing&mechanical repairs Diagnostics Air conditioning / climate control PreMOT checks and repairs service SHARP’S AUTOS already be dealing with. Across the country these NewburyNewsLimitedpublicationsare regulatedby IPSO –theIndependent Press Standards Organisation.If you haveaneditorialcomplaintaboutaNewburyNewsLimited publication, you should, in the first instance, contact the families save taxpayers millions of pounds by looking after their children with disabilities for so long. It is not just parents, but siblings and extended family members as well. The strain – physically, financially and emotionally – is immense and they deserve our admiration. They do it out of love, but when they need help it should be instant and not a battle. We have read in the NWN of several planning issues where land has virtually been given away when the authority could use that money for so many things. Could a clause be put in to provide sheltered housing as part of a planning agreement? I hope Mr Sharp’s (Healthwatch) faith in the council to now do something is well founded, but I am a bit more cynical – but I will be amongst the first to praise them if it materialises and continues. MRS CHRISTINE DALTON Gore End Road Ball Hill publicationconcerned. If it isnot resolved toyour satisfaction,you shouldcontact IPSO bytelephone: 0300123 2220,or visit itswebsite:www.ipso.co.uk. RegisteredMOT testing station FleetmanagementCarsorVans Carbodywork arranged www.sharpsautos.co.uk Sharp’sAutos,Unit2,BoneLane, Newbury,Berkshire,RG145SH Book your nextVehicle Service,MOT orAircon Service today by calling us now on 01635 551661 or visit ourwebsite at

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