Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Save Money on your Energy Bills this Winter
CCB's Project Co-ordinator, Helen Dean, has been very busy zipping all over Berkshire offering energy savings advice to low income households, people at risk of fuel poverty and practitioners that work with vulnerable people. Here she shares some top tips on how we can all help to reduce our energy bills this winter....
1. Understand your bill
The information on a typical energy bill can be confusing. But understanding it can go a long way to helping you get to grips with your energy use.
2. Switch off standby
You can save around £30 a year just by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode.
Almost all electrical and electronic appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming. You may want to think about getting a standby saver which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.
Check the instructions for any appliances you aren’t sure about. Some satellite and digital TV recorders may need to be left plugged in so they can keep track of any programmes you want to record.
3. Careful in your kitchen
You can save nearly £50 a year just by using your kitchen appliances more carefully:
Use a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and save £30 a year in energy bills.
Only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you need and save around £7 a year.
Cutback your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £5 a year on energy, and a further £7 a year on metered water bills.
4. Get a head
If you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), fit a water efficient shower head. This will reduce your hot water usage while retaining the sensation of a powerful shower.
A water efficient shower head could save a four person household (eg a family of four or even a shared student flat) around £80 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £120 on water bills if they have a water meter.
Calculation is based on the assumption that the family takes 20 showers a week and replaces a 13 litre/minute power-shower head with a 7.7 litre / min water efficient shower head, and the family are charged £2.82 per cubic meter of water used (includes sewage charge).
5. Spend less time in the shower
Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save around £8 off your energy bills each year, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £12 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four person family did this it would lead to a total saving of £80 a year.
6. Draught proofing
Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney.
Professional draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £200, but can save up to £25 to £35 a year on energy bills. DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper. Installing a chimney draught excluder could save between £20 and £25 a year as well.
7. Take control of your heating
More than half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water. Installing a room thermostat, a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves and using these controls efficiently could save you between £75 and £155 a year. If you already have a full set of controls, down your room thermostat by just one degree can save between £80 and £85 a year.
Whatever the age of your boiler the right controls will let you set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them heat only the areas of your home that need heating set the temperature for each area of your home.
8. Get savvy with smart controls
Smart heating controls are the latest innovation to help you control your heating and understand your energy use.
They allow you to control your heating remotely via a mobile app, meaning that you can manage the temperature of your home from wherever you are, at whatever time of day. For further information please click here
9. Switch to LEDs
You can now get LED spotlights that are bright enough to replace halogens, as well as regular energy saving bulbs (‘compact fluorescent lamps’ or CFLs). They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and fittings.
If the average household replaced all of their remaining old-fashioned bulbs with CFLs, and all of their halogens with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £35 a year on bills.
10. Turn off lights
Turn your lights off when you’re not using them. If you switch a l light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light. This will save you around £13 on your annual energy bills.
Top tips courtesy of Energy Saving Trust
Christmas is an expensive time of year - Smart Energy Meters can help you save money in the future
Can smart meters save you money on your bills?
Smart meters are the new generation of gas and electricity meters. They are being installed in homes across Great Britain at no extra cost, to replace the traditional meters. There are plenty of gadgets that can help control energy use, but smart meters are different because:
• they an only be installed by an energy supplier
• they show exactly how much energy you’re using and what it’s costing, in near-real time in pounds and pence
• they send accurate meter readings to your energy supplier, so no more estimated bills or manual meter readings
With your smart meter, you’ll always be able to keep track of exactly how much gas and electricity you’re using in near real time, and what it costs in pounds and pence. This means you can be confident that you're only paying for what you have actually used and you'll always know what to expect in your next bill, so no more nasty surprises.
How will a smart meter save me money?
Smart meters make it easier for us to identify the situations where we're using a lot of energy and might want to make changes to reduce it.
If you use the information shown on your in-home display to help reduce your energy use, you should be able to cut your energy costs. You will be able to work out which appliances in your home are using the most energy and make changes to save money. Smart meters also mean accurate bills, so you can be confident that you're only paying for what you've actually used, rather than overpaying, as you sometimes do with estimates.
When can I get a smart meter?
Everyone in Britain will be offered a smart meter by their energy supplier by 2020 as part of a national upgrade to our energy system. Contact your supplier to find out more or visit Smart Energy GB.
Festive Cheer and Happy 2017 from all at CCB
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| From L-R Gemma Pearce, Sara Charlesworth, Peter Sampson, Jayne Kirk, Arlene Kersley, Helen Dean, Tim Parry, Helen Lambert, Grenville Annetts, Keith Lamberts & Lawrence Spillar |
More than this though it was a celebration of the Community Council for Berkshire supporting and advising rural communities in Berkshire for 43 years!
The Trustees and Staff team would like to take this opportunity to wish all our visitors a VERY merry Christmas and a successful and joyous New Year.
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Free Training: Affordable Housing in 2017 - What is it? Who is for? How is it developed?
Free Training: Affordable Housing in 2017
What is it? Who is for? How is it developed?
Tuesday, 21st February 201718.30 - 21.00
Calcot Community Centre
Changes in legislation and policy over the past few years have resulted in significant changes in ‘affordable’ housing tenures and how it is funded, developed and allocated.
This session will help you to understand:
• Understand the different affordable housing tenures
• Who qualifies for affordable housing
• How is affordable housing developed?
• Funding for development
• What is different about ‘rural’ housing and rural exception sites
• What are the development tools available to communities to get the development they want? (Community Led Development, Self-build options; Neighbourhood Planning)
Join us for a better understanding of the different approaches that can be taken to get the right housing for your community.
Register for your place by completing the electronic form at: https://ccberks.wufoo.com/forms/z1qkdv961q3ndus/
For more information contact Arlene Kersley, Rural Housing Enabler for Berkshire at CCB on: 0118 961 2000 or by email at: arlene.kersley@ccberks.org.uk
This training is supported and funded by West Berkshire Council Adult Community Learning
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Berkshire Community Foundation's -SURVIVING WINTER
The choice between eating or heating that no one should have to make.
Surviving Winter is raising money to help the elderly, isolated or disadvantaged this winter who are having to choose between eating or heating. An estimated 9,000 people died last winter in England and Wales as a result of living in a cold home and in Berkshire there are an estimated 28,000 households that are fuel poor.
Berkshire Community Foundation (BCF) are asking local people who do not need their winter fuel allowance to donate it. Even if you don’t receive a winter fuel payment, you can still make a donation of any size. It is a simple, compassionate, generous gift that really does transform people’s lives, enabling them to stay warm and healthy over Christmas and throughout winter.
Donations will be used to fund projects in Berkshire to support adults and children most in need of help, making sure they can afford to stay warm, eat well, and stay healthy throughout the winter. Last year one of BCF's grants helped fund a CCB project supporting 141 families with young children in fuel poverty and levered in £6,300 of income to low income families that they would not have otherwise received.
Donate today
You can visit BCF's dedicated online giving page to make a simple, easy and safe donation. You can also create your own fundraising page here to raise money Surviving Winter. Or you can donate by posting a cheque (please make cheques payable to “Berkshire Community Foundation” but mark that your donation is for Surviving Winter) to: Berkshire Community Foundation, 100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading, RG2 6GP. If you are a UK Taxpayer, please also use this gift aid form to add 25% to your donation. Thank you!
NHS Berkshire Health Network Update - Taking care yourself this winter
Below are some tips from NHS Berkshire Health Network on how to take care of yourself and others this winter.
There are many ways you can keep yourself well during winter. You can
• Get immunised against flu, to protect you or to reduce its severity
• Stock up on over the counter cold and flu remedies
• Make sure you keep at least one room in your home at 18 degrees centigrade
• Get minor symptoms checked by your local pharmacist, who can give you advice on the spot
• Call NHS 111 for advice if you’re concerned
• Only go to A&E if your symptoms are serious or life-threatening.
The campaign to encourage take-up of free flu immunisations by people who are 'at risk' from the complications of flu has been active for about a month, but there is still time to get yours if you haven’t already. Those in the risk groups include people aged 65 and over, patients with underlying health conditions (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease), pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.
Children aged two, three and four years can have a free nasal spray vaccination from a GP. School-aged children aged five, six and seven years will have been invited by school health nursing teams to be immunised with the nasal spray in schools.
Watch a video of West Berkshire's Dr Andy Ciecierski describing who is eligible for a free NHS flu vaccination
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
FREE Defibrillator Training - 19th January 2017
Does your community have a defibrillator? Would you know how to use it in an emergency?
If you don’t have one in your village, have you considered having one – either by fundraising as a community to buy one or obtaining a grant from the British Heart Foundation?All these questions will be answered at the Community Council for Berkshire (CCB) training event to be held on Thursday 19th January 2017 at Woolhampton village hall, near Thatcham 7pm -9.30pm. The training event will be run by Heartstart Thatcham and will include a practical demonstration of how to use defibrillators. This training is FREE to attend and light refreshments will be provided.
The Heartstart Thatcham Training will cover what to do in the following medical emergencies:
Priorities/the conscious casualty
The unconscious casualty
Cardiac arrest (including CPR & AED)
Suspected heart attack
Choking
Serious bleeding
The course is delivered as a mixture of practical and theory.
Access to rural areas can be time consuming for community first responders and emergency services, particularly if the weather is bad, so the knowledge of local people could save a life!
The meeting is being funded with a grant from Southern Electric Power Distribution Resilient Communities Fund and Adult Community Learning West Berkshire Council.
If you would like to attend, please book a place by emailing wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk or phone 0118 9612000. If you are unable to attend this date but would like to register your interest in attending future defibrillator training please also e-mail wendy.dacey@ccberks.org.uk with your details and the village you live in.
Electricity Smart Meters - how do they work?
Smart meters in off mains gas areas
Last month on this news blog I
told you about our partnership with our colleagues in the ACRE Network and
Smart Energy GB and what we are doing to raise awareness about the benefits of
smart meters. This month we’re focusing on the how smart meters work as
some people have asked us about coverage in rural areas.
Smart meters and the wireless system
Smart meters
are the new generation of gas and electricity meters. They are being installed
in homes across Great Britain at no extra cost, to replace the traditional
meters. Inside your home, smart meters use their own secure, wireless network
using radio waves, just like mobile phones or TVs do. (It won’t use your wifi
and you don’t need wifi in your home for it to work). Your smart meter will
link to a similar wireless network outside your home. This network is run by
the new Data and Communications Company, which is overseen by the energy
regulator Ofgem. You don’t need a broadband connection for the smart meter to
work, but your meter will need to connect to the smart meter network. Some
areas currently don’t have coverage, but as the network rolls out more areas
will get connected and 99.25 per cent of Great Britain will be covered by
2020.
Smart meter will enable you to see exactly how much energy you’re using, as you use it,
and what it is costing in pounds and pence.
Once you have a smart meter, you’ll only get accurate bills from your energy
supplier, just as you do with your phone bill. This means the end of estimated
bills. No more strangers coming into your home for meter readings. No more
having to read the meter or trying to work out your bill.
Everyone
in Britain will be offered a smart meter by their energy supplier by 2020 as
part of a national upgrade to our energy system. You can call your energy
supplier to find out when you will be able to get one. If your supplier is not
installing immediately in your area, you will be put on a waiting list.
Please visit Smart Energy GB for further information.
Thursday, 10 November 2016
CCB Family Home Energy Education and Advice Project
In 2015 the Berkshire Community Foundation funded CCB’s Family Home Energy Education & Advice project to support 141 families with young children in fuel poverty. Helen Dean, CCB’s Energy Advice Project Co-ordinator, advised vulnerable and low income families of ways in which they can reduce their home energy costs and be more energy efficient. This project provided drop-in advice sessions, across 15 Children's Centres across Berkshire, on how to reduce home energy costs. Training was provided to 23 family support workers and 45 families were supported in claiming the Warm Home Discount of £140, which levered in £6,300 of income to low income families that they would not have otherwise received.
There are pockets of considerable deprivation in areas across Berkshire, and this project targets low income families in those areas attending Children's Centres. Ten of the sessions were in the Slough area, which has the highest index of multiple deprivation in Berkshire. A report published 2015, echoed the government statistic that over 1 million families were in fuel poverty, 45% of those in fuel poverty in the UK. In their survey 78% of families said they struggled with their energy bills last year, 75% struggled to heat their homes so no-one felt cold, 75% of families said cold homes were harming their children's health, and 53% said cold homes were impacting their children's school work.
The Berkshire Community Foundation announced in September that they will provide some more funding for six sessions targeted at low income families, and other vulnerable groups. Helen will be using the funding to form new partnerships with organisations who support vulnerable individuals, such as the Carers Project in Slough, and Homestart West Berkshire. This Tuesday, Helen visited a mother and baby group run by Homestart and was able to give 1:1 consultations on reducing home energy costs to the families that Homestart support at the group.
This winter Helen will be busily zipping through Berkshire to provide families and practitioners with energy saving advice. CCB also has funding from the Big Energy Saving Network to give talks and consultations on reducing home energy costs, targeting low income families and frontline workers. The next session coming up is a drop in advice session at Romsey Close Children’s Centre Health Visitor Clinic on 22nd November 9.30 am-11.30 am. That afternoon Helen is doing a talk to the volunteers at Slough food bank so that they can advise their clients on ways to reduce their home energy costs. On December 7th Helen is going to talk to the Health Visitor and Nursery Nurses team for Windsor and Maidenhead. If you would like to get in contact with Helen e-mail helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk
The hidden camera video above highlights how estimating our energy bills could be costing us more money
Every home in Great Britain will be offered a smart meter, at no additional cost, by 2020. Smart meters bring an end to estimated bills and show people how much energy they are using in pounds and pence, in near real time.
ACRE is the national body for the 38 Rural Community Councils (RCC) who make up the ACRE Network, CCB is the RCC for Berkshire. Together RCC's reach 11,000 rural communities and support 80,000 community volunteers across rural England.
CCB is working specifically to promote smart meter to those off the gas grid in Berkshire to make people aware that they can still apply for an electricity smart energy meter. For further information on Smart Meter's please click here.
Monday, 7 November 2016
2016 – What is ‘Affordable Housing’ and how did we get here?
2016 – What is ‘Affordable Housing’
and how did we get here?
It is clear to me that most people do not understand what is meant
by the term 'affordable housing' if you are one of them, you are not
alone. Affordable Housing is a misnomer
applied back in the noughties when 'social’ housing became socially unacceptable,
pure council housing became redundant as it was no longer being built and more
and more of it was sold off in Right to Buy. Public opinion on housing became
increasingly favourable to home-ownership.
Council Housing became social housing, developed by Registered Providers
and social housing has now morphed into ‘affordable housing’ a collection of
tenures that are increasingly less and less affordable.
History of
Social Housing
Once upon a time you either owned your house, or you rented
generally from a private landlord. Prior
to the Industrial revolution, land ownership was limited to the very wealthy
and housing needs were met by the great estates in the form of tied
accommodation for estate labourers and domestic servants or on tied farms. Even the middle classes rented their homes in
the main. Common land existed for the
use of everyone, but with a series of Enclosures Acts, this land was
partitioned off and gradually rural poverty began to grow and urbanisation of
our economy during the Industrial Revolution led to mass migration to cities.
Work houses sprang–up to accommodate the destitute in both rural and urban
areas.
 |
| Parnell House, London built 1850 by the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes. Purchased by Peabody Trust in 1994 |
The 1890 Housing for the
Working Classes Act heralded the development of the first Council houses.
It was the most important of a number of legislative initiatives aimed at
addressing the worst areas of housing unfit for human habitation and regulating
private lodgings.
Philanthropic associations formed and developed lodging houses for
the low-paid, organisations such as Peabody and Guinness, still in operation today. These were the forerunners of modern day
Housing Associations.
The aftermath of World War 1 was a turning point for the
legislative, funding and social acceptance of social housing. During the war there was a hiatus in housing
development and following the war there was a lack of funds, labour and
materials for any significant development programme. However a key piece of legislation, the Housing
and Town Planning Act of 1919 (the Addison Act) created the foundation
legislation for the development of what we now know of as Council Housing. Subsidies
for the first time were introduced to help build new housing as well as
issuance of housing bonds to raise money for development.
The concept of ‘general needs housing’ came into use, aimed at
meeting the needs of the working poor in quality developments with indoor
toilets and gardens. But as funding became more restricted in the 20’s and 30’s
the houses were built to higher densities with lower standards and were
increasingly being identified with the very poor. By the1930’s the focus of
council housing was centred on slum clearance and urban renewal. Most new council housing was built on new
estates on the city fringes. Allocations
policies began to emerge in this period and need became a factor above ability
to pay.
During the WWII all house building again came to a standstill due
to the war effort. Significant bomb damage led to mass loss of housing and
displacement of people from cities to the countryside. A severe housing crisis
and urgent need for the development of around 750,000 new homes resulted in a renewed
programme of slum clearance and New Town development.
Once again housing was forced to new settlements on the peripheries
of towns and cities. Modern high rise
blocks and planned estates became prevalent and attracted higher subsidies than
lower density houses. The modern council estates were very positively received
at the time with tenants thrilled to have modern amenities, but rapidly the use
of poor quality building materials and lack of sound town planning and social
principles took its toll and the new estates became undesirable places to live.
Right–to-Buy had almost always been permitted, but the 1980 Housing Act was the first to
enshrine it in legislation and to offer significant discounts and mortgage
incentives. Within ten years about 1
million council houses were sold under right to buy. Councils were not permitted to use receipts
to build new houses.
In 1979 42% of the British public were living in Council housing;
Council housing was viewed as an entirely acceptable tenure given the
displacement during the war. That figure
is now only 8%. The Right-to Buy movement shepherded in a rapid shift in public
opinion of social housing; housing that had been a norm was suddenly viewed as a
symptom of a welfare state catering to scroungers, single mums and
immigrants.
By the 1980’s Council stock was aging and in need of costly
maintenance and regeneration. The Housing
and Planning Act 1986 encouraged Councils to give up the management and
maintenance of housing stock and sell off to Housing Associations in Local
Stock Value Transfers (LSVTs). Councils were not allowed to use the receipts of
these sales to build new houses.
Social Housing
in the 21st century
The age of austerity defines housing policy thus far in the 21st
century. The 2008 financial crisis put
an end to private sector development and easy access to finance disappeared overnight. Previously ‘affordable housing’ was delivered
primarily through conditions on planning called Section 106. Usually in the region of 30% of a development
is meant to be ‘affordable housing’ but following the financial crash and as
part of the Localism Act 2011, Developers were able to renegotiate these
conditions on viability grounds.
The Government had less money to offer in the form of subsidies
for development and The Localism Act in
2011 introduced ‘affordable rents’
as a new tenure – designed to fill a gap between ‘social rents’ for poorer
people, and working people that had more disposable income and can afford to
pay more, but were still unable to affordable market rents. Affordable rents are rents that are 80% of open
market rents (including service charges).
However over time social rents have given way to ‘affordable’
rents, and there is no longer development grant available for social rented
tenures. Housing Benefit has had to fill
the gap in rental costs for families that cannot afford ‘affordable rent’
tenure.
By 2015 there was no longer grant for affordable rent tenures either–
such was the ambition of the Government towards home ownership. Housing
Associations wishing to develop homes for rented tenures must fund the
development from their own resources entirely.
This means more cross-subsidy with open market and shared ownership
development. In practice far fewer
rented homes are being developed.
Welfare Reform and the Housing and Planning Act of 2015 have
resulted in a number of initiatives that have reduced the provision of, and
access to affordable housing. These include: pay to stay, where people on above average
salaries will have to pay higher rents to stay in their homes, the ending of
secured tenancies, the introduction of the Voluntary Right to Buy for people renting
from Housing Associations (this was previously restricted to people in Council
houses).
So what is
affordable housing?
Affordable
Rents:
Homes to rent at 80% of open market rents (typically the cost to rent a 2
bedroom property in Windsor and Maidenhead is in the region of £1200 pcm)
Social rent: If you are lucky, you may
still be on an secure tenancy with an old social rent that is linked to Local
Council Housing Allowance Rates (In Berkshire in the region of£193.92 pw or around £840pcm). There is no longer Government grant to
build new properties for social rent, though some councils may use S106 monies
for this purpose.
Affordable
ownership tenures:
Rent to Buy – homes for working people
let at intermediate rent in order to provide the occupants time to save for a
deposit to purchase the home. Properties
will be let on an assured tenancy of less than 2 years, after 5 years the tenants have the option to purchase
the property. If the tenants chose not
purchase after 5 years the landlord has the option to continue to rent the
property or to sell it on the open market.
Help to Buy - Shared
ownership –
where a purchaser can buy as little as 25% of a property and pay rent on the
outstanding equity to the Housing Association.
Any uplift in the value of the property is shared in proportion to the %
of equity owned. The owner can
‘staircase’ upwards and buy additional shares in the property at any time. The
purchaser is responsible for mall maintenance and repair on the property.
Starter Homes – this is a new tenure
introduced in the Housing and Planning Act 2015. New homes will be developed specifically to
meet the need of first time buyers (at least one partner must be under the age
of 40). The houses will be for sale at
80% of market value but value is capped at £250,000 outside of London or
£450,000 in London. Additional
regulations are still to be determined.
Tenures and Rural
Exception Sites
Rural exception sites are special development sites identified to
meet exceptional circumstances (the affordable housing needs of local people) This is a special planning term for a site
that would not normally get planning permission (probably because it is outside
the development envelope or in an area of constraint) to meet exceptional
needs.
The majority of the housing must be affordable tenure on a rural
exception site (shared ownership or affordable rent) with some limited open
market houses allowable just to help make the development of the affordable
homes viable.
Starter Homes are a very new tenure and are not yet being
developed, however Local Authorities can refuse to allow Starter Homes on rural
exception sites as they are not ‘affordable’ in perpetuity. Likewise Rent to
Buy is not a suitable tenure on exception sites.
Contact us:
If you would like more information on how to get affordable homes
for local people in your Village, contact Arlene Kersley, the Rural Housing
Enabler for Berkshire on 0118 961 2000 or by email at arlene.kersley@ccberks.org.uk
Bibliography
BBC – A History of Social Housing April 14 2015; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14380936The History of Council Housing; 2008 University of the West of England, Bristol http://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/print.htm
Public Housing in the United Kingdom;
Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housing_in_the_United_Kingdom
Housing Associations, Professor David
Mullins, Third Sector Research Centre, Working Paper 16, August 2010,
Birmingham University http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/tsrc/documents/tsrc/working-papers/working-paper-16.pdf
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Help CCB and Smart Energy GB measure the impact of the national smart meter awareness campaign by completing our short survey
CCB and ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) has been working with Smart Energy GB since September 2016 to help promote the roll out of smart meters to households off mains gas. Smart meters are the new generation of electricity meters, replacing traditional meters in homes across the country.
They send automatic readings directly and securely to the energy supplier, and have a display that shows exactly how much energy is being used and how much it costs, in near to real time.
By 2020 the Government wants every household in Britain to be offered a smart meter, and by the end of 2020 it’s estimated that 53 million will be fitted on more than 30 million premises. ACRE and CCB as the Rural Community Council for Berkshire is working in partnership with Smart Energy GB’s national campaign to rural households off mains gas are aware of Smart Meters and how to obtain one.
Smart Energy GB will work with ACRE to provide information on smart meters through:• promotional events to enable rural communities to learn more about the rollout of smart meters • creating materials to provide information about the rollout of smart meters to off gas grid residents • providing training for community volunteers about how they can inform their communities, particularly those who are not on the gas mains supply, about the benefits of smart meters
As part of the rollout both CCB and Smart Energy GB are keen to measure the impact of the campaign and see how it can be improved. If you have a few minutes to complete the survey: please click here.
Arts in Village Halls
On 14th October 36 people attended a village hall training session entitled Arts in Village halls at Chieveley village hall in West Berkshire.
Speakers from the Watermill Theatre and Chieveley cinema club spoke about arts productions in halls and how to organise them. Rosie from the Watermill Theatre explained about the touring production which is taken out halls during a 3 week period next summer, a play which will have been performed at the Watermill Theatre itself. Attendees were invited to register interest to host a performance next year.
Organisers of Chieveley Cinema club explained how the club was established, how it’s membership scheme works and the types of films that they show. They offered to help any group which wants to establish its own cinema club.
About half of the delegates were from Oxfordshire as the topics were as relevant to them as people from Berkshire.
The event was well received: comments included lovely atmosphere, great presenters, very interactive and lots of opportunities to ask questions.
The event was supported by Adult Community Learning West Berkshire Council.
Thursday, 27 October 2016
CCB Looks to Rural Future at Wasing Park
CCB chose to focus our 2016 AGM on the future of rural policy in the wake of Brexit, whilst using the event to highlight and celebrate the work achieved over the year and how to build solid foundations for the communities we work with in the future.
Held in the beautiful surroundings of Wasing Park Estate on the 26th October, Tim Parry, Chief Operating Officer gave highlights of the work the organisation has achieved which included:
• Providing a specialised advice service to 61 village halls and community buildings in Berkshire whilst delivering 8 training sessions on topics ranging from fundraising to using a hall as emergency accommodation.
• The breath of CCB’s funders was highlighted in its fuel poverty work which has enabled the charity to provide energy advise to hundreds of families throughout the county, particularly focusing on areas of deprivation. In Slough CCB worked to train and advice Children’s Centre frontline workers enabling 395 families to receive advice to reduce their home energy bills.
• Celebrating 10 years of the Berkshire Rural Housing Partnership which has funded CCB to provide housing need surveys, and enabled the development of rural affording housing for local people throughout Berkshire whilst recognising the Rural Housing Enabler as a Locality Neighbourhood Planning Champion.
Guests included CCB members – many representing parish councils and village halls from across the county - , an array of Mayors and Deputy Mayors including the Mayor of Slough Cllr Arvind Dhaliwal and Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Bob Pits and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Richard Griffith-Jones.
Tim Parry’s presentation on the ‘Future of Rural Policy’ described our work within the context of Defra’s* current priorities and discussed the implications of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The presentation generated discussion amongst attendees, identifying the most important issues currently facing people in rural Berkshire and suggesting priorities for CCB’s future work. In addition to continuing with our current programme of work that includes rural services, community energy, affordable housing, neighbourhood planning and rural community buildings, the meeting identified the need to address declining rural transport, the impact of the future development of Heathrow on surrounding communities and the pressures caused by devolving power to local areas.
*Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Thursday, 29 September 2016
CCB's Annual Review - a look back and summary of our achievement in 2015-16
CCB has recently published our 2015-2016 Annual Review
Highlights include. . . .• Our fantastic Home Energy Advice outreach work that has been delivered throughout Berkshire – helping hundreds of individuals save money on their energy bills
• Delivering a variety of community learning training topics to adults
• Providing invaluable and expert advice to Berkshire’s Community Buildings volunteers
• Overcoming challenges in Rural Housing and providing advice and training on Neighbourhood Planning. . .and much more so please spare a couple of minutes to have a read. To read a copy please click here.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with one of the team. You can find contact details within the document.
Compton Housing Need Survey Underway
All residents should have received a copy of the survey form in the latest edition of the Compton News along with a Freepost envelope to return the completed survey to CCB. If you did not receive the survey or live outside of Compton but have a connection to Compton and would like to respond to the survey contact Arlene Kersley at CCB on 0118 961 2000 or by email: arlene.kersley@ccberks.org.uk
The survey is open until the 24th October 2016. Your response is important to us!
The results of the survey will be reported to Compton Parish Council December.
Engaging Communities in Network Innovation Oxford
The way we generate, use, and supply power is changing.
Engaging Communities in Network Innovation Oxford, 26 October, 2016 at 10:00am - 3.30pm. Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate's, Oxford, OX1 1BX
To enable the electricity network to adapt to more distributed generation connecting to the grid and to constraints on the network, network operators are trialling new approaches.Regen SW, in partnership with Energy Networks Association, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, UK Power Networks, Western Power Distribution and Community Energy England, are running an engaging event for communities who are interested in this area.
This event will look at how to positively engage local communities in this innovation. It will hear about the exciting network innovation projects already taking place with communities, look at lessons learnt and discuss opportunities for further collaboration.
To book please click here.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about Regen SW’s work in this area, please contact Rachel rhayes@regensw.co.uk or call 01392 494 399.
Book
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
CCB joins with Smart Energy GB to help communities in the countryside benefit from smart meters
Smart Energy GB, the voice of Britain’s smart meter rollout, has announced a partnership with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). The partnership will allow people living in rural communities across England to learn more about the benefits of smart meters.
Every home in Great Britain will be offered a smart meter, at no additional cost, by 2020. Smart meters bring an end to estimated bills and show people how much energy they are using in pounds and pence, in near real time.ACRE is the national body for the 38 Rural Community Councils (RCC's) who make up the ACRE Network, of which the Community Council for Berkshire (CCB) is one. Together we reach 11,000 rural communities and support 80,000 community volunteers across rural England.
Smart Energy GB will work with ACRE to provide information on smart meters through:
• promotional events to enable rural communities to learn more about the rollout of smart meters
• creating materials to provide information about the rollout of smart meters to off gas grid residents
• providing training for community volunteers about how they can inform their communities, particularly those who are not on the gas mains supply, about the benefits of smart meters
Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Smart Energy GB, said:
“This partnership with ACRE and the RCC's will help get the smart meter message out to rural communities across England. We particularly want to reach those who aren’t connected to the gas mains and may not be aware of how they can benefit from smart meters to get their electricity use under control.”
Tim Parry, Chief Operating Officer or CCB said:
“CCB welcomes this partnership with Smart Energy GB, through ACRE, which will enable us to promote smart meters and inform residents in rural areas about the benefits of installing a smart meter to manage their energy consumption. We are the trusted local voice to deliver information and guidance to help people to manage and reduce their energy consumption.”
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Food lover? Hate creating waste? Come along to this FREE Love Food Hate Waste Workshop to learn more
Love Food Hate Waste is a national initiative to try and address the issue of food waste. Not only is it a waste of money, it is also an unnecessary waste of energy and natural resources.
This training is for everyone and anyone, who wishes to take an active role in reducing food waste in their families, homes, organizations and communities. Suitable for individuals, local authorities, businesses, schools and community groups.
Come and join Emma Barnett from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) for a very informative evening on Thursday 20th October from 17:00 - 20:00 at Beansheaf Community Centre. Sandwiches and refreshments will be provided (but we don't want any waste so please ensure they've all gone by the end of the evening! ;-)
If you would like to book a place on this FREE workshop, please click on the link below.
https://ccberks.wufoo.com/forms/k1kjfot708ar2sg/
The training covers the background and issues around food waste; the key behaviours to help reduce food waste; and support on engaging with others/passing the messages on. There will also be plenty of practical tips on a range of food-saving measures, from planning to food portioning, and from better food storage to using up leftovers.
Previous attendees of one of our workshops had this to say about them:
‘The information provided to us on how we can reduce food waste at home was very useful indeed’.
‘I enjoyed the Interaction with like-minded people and the practical exercises.’
This training is supported by West Berkshire Council Adult Community Learning.
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