Arborfield and Newland Parish Council is the lowest tier of local government covering the political wards of Arborfield and Arborfield Green (not to be mistaken with the marketing name given to housing at the old garrison site) within Wokingham Borough. Formed of elected councillors the Council is responsible for managing and maintaining the Parish Council owned assets, representing the interests of the parish and its residents in matters decided at Borough or national level and keeping the local residents informed of developments. The council raises money to pay for these activities by setting an annual precept which is collected as part of the council tax. The details below give more information on the Council’s activities in Arborfield.
The Parish Clerk liaises with the Borough Council, other Parish Councils and the Borough Councillor, Gary Cowan on behalf of Arborfield & Newland regarding many matters and issues.
The Parish Council cannot be everywhere all the time so if you spot something which needs attention please contact the Parish Clerk on 0118 976 1489 or email parishclerk@arborfield.org.uk and Alison will try to assist you, if she can’t help you directly she will most likely know who can.
The Parish Council
There are 10 Councillors in total, 9 for Arborfield Ward and 1 for Arborfield Green Ward. The latter is an old name for a ward within Arborfield which has now been adopted as the name for the new development. The majority of the new development is actually in Barkham Parish but Arborfield Councillors are heavily involved in influencing the development and representing the needs of the parish in the planning decisions that are being taken. These 10 Councillors are representatives on any 2 of the 3 Committees: Planning, Parks and F&GP (Finance and General Purpose). The Parish Chairman and the Committee Chairs are all members of the Executive Committee.
Parish Office
The Parish Office is located at Arborfield Green Community Centre.
Open 10am – 12, Monday to Wednesday. At all other times strictly by appointment only. 24 hr answer phone on 0118 976 1489.
Meetings
Committee Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of the month and full Council meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month except August and December. All meetings are open to the press and public except for the confidential section i.e. discussion of salaries and commercially confidential prices in tenders. The agenda for the meetings is published 3 working days in advance of the meeting date and displayed on this website and on the parish noticeboards.
Working Group meetings are held as and when required.
- Planning Working Group – to review and comment on all planning applications made in the Parish and adjoining parishes and to make representation to Wokingham Borough on behalf of the community.
- F&GP Committee – to set and manage the budget for the Parish ensuring that the Parish has sufficient funds to cover all required expenses during the financial year.
- Parks Committee – to manage the maintenance and development of the parks and open spaces owned and maintained by the Council.
- Executive Committee – to manage staffing, risk management and,
Annual Parish Forum – held annually between 1st March and 1st June, this is a meeting for the Parish, which is organised by the Council. This is held in an informal market stall type format in Arborfield Village Hall. For dates of the next APF please see this website or look for notices in the noticeboards.
Councillors are representatives on the following committees:
- BALC (Berkshire Association of Local Councils)
- Arborfield Village Hall
- Rights of Way Representative
- Old Churchyard
- Police/Parish Liaison & Rural Crimes
- Fields Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG)
- Roads, Traffic, Transport
- School Liaison
- SpeedWatch
- Wokingham Borough Parish Liaison Group
- WBC Standards Committee
- Crest Nicholson Liaison
Services
The council provides some services for the residents of Arborfield and Newland, these are set out below:
Arborfield News
Quarterly newsletter delivered free by volunteer street wardens to every household in the Parish of Arborfield & Newland. If you would like to deliver the Arborfield News to your area then please e-mail the Parish Clerk.
Village Christmas Tree
Organising the Village Christmas Tree with the aid of sponsors and donators
Grants
The Parish budgets each year for a small amount of money to be donated to local organisations who submit a grant application. You can access the grant application form here and it should be completed and returned to the Parish Clerk no later than 31st January each year; successful applicants will receive a grant by the end of March.
Pavilion Caretaker
Jackie is employed by the Council for 7 hours per week managing the park gate security.
Parish Owned Assets
Unlike many Parish Councils, Arborfield is fortunate in owning a number of assets which are available for the use of the community; we have set out more details of these below.
Pound Copse
Owned by the Parish Council, this is an area of ancient woodland in Greensward Lane with permitted access to a footpath leading across Farley Farms Estate
Arborfield Park, Swallowfield Road
One of the major amenities for the community, the Arborfield Park is owned and managed by the Parish Council including provision of the playground, pavilion, SportsActiv electronic game, shelter, benches and commemorative trees. The park is used for football during the season and is the home ground for the Arborfield Football Club
The Park is open between 8am and 6pm between November and March and 8am and 8pm between April and October.
Arborfield Pavilion
The Pavilion is owned and managed by the Parish Council and contains a large meeting room, kitchen, and WC facilities.
Playground
An enclosed area at Arborfield Park with numerous items to play on including several new items installed during 2019 as part of the Parks 5 Year Plan. An aerial runway, cantilever swing, jungle climber, spinner, SportActiv court and youth shelter are just outside the enclosed area. We carry out regular risk assessments of the playground but if you notice any items that need urgent maintenance please contact the Parish Clerk.
4 ½ bus shelters
2 x on the Reading Road near Church Lane
1 x on the Reading Road near Walden Avenue
1 x Arborfield Stores
Langley Common Road – half ownership with Barkham Parish Council
5 notice boards sited at
- Arborfield Stores, Eversley Road
- Arborfield Pavilion, Swallowfield Road
- Reading Road/Church Road junction
- Bus lay-by in Langley Common Road opposite Rickman Close
- Arbery Way, Bushell Way junction
Salt bins
The council provides salt bins Harts Close, Melrose Gardens, Church Lane, Poperinghe Way and Tyler Drive, which are provided only for residents to use for salting public roads and paths in icy weather.
Some street lighting
Some of the streetlights in Arborfield belong to the Parish Council. All streetlights have a column number. If you notice that a light is not working please call the Parish Office with the location and Column number.
Veteran Tree Project
The Parish Council supports a project recording Wokingham Districts historic trees (1 metre diameter or more) with the aim of protecting them.
History
Active researchers carry out work on behalf of the Parish Council to record the history of Arborfield, its families, properties and landmarks. There is an ongoing display is in the Village Hall.
