Page 1180 - Reading Mercury

the De Vitre Hall were far in excess of the budget. The hall had to be redesigned with
many of its best features taken out.
Town councillor Tina Marinos laid the blame for the situation at the door of the
district. It was its job to keep track of the tenders but it failed to do so. The town
council had done the people of Wokingham and Norreys a service by not spending
money on a hall that was below specification.
It was also reported to last week’s education meeting that no legal agreement was
believed to exist between the town and district councils with regard to fees.

st
Thur 1 April
CASH BOOST FOR SCHOOL REPAIRS
Dilapidated Wokingham schools are set to benefit from an injection of nearly
£750,000 towards vital building work. The money announced by the Government on
Tuesday under the New Deal for Schools package will further boost the £8M
Wokingham District Council has already committed to patching up its school
buildings.
Secondary schools to benefit from the £744,000 windfall include Forest
Comprehensive School, Winnersh, which s to receive £110,000 towards refurbishing
toilets and changing areas.
St. Crispin’s, Wokingham will receive £26,000 towards window repairs.
Waingels Copse and Bulmershe Comprehensives, Woodley will receive £115,000
each for replacement alarm systems.
Waingels Copse will get a further £115,000 towards revamping changing rooms.
Primary schools to be boosted include St. Sebastian’s C.E. Primary, Emmbrook
Junior School. Wokingham, plus St. Dominic Savio R.C. Primary and South Lake
Junior School in Woodley, Sonning C.E. Primary and Colleton Primary will also
receive money for refurbishment

POLICE BOUNDARIES CHANGE
The long-awaited merger between Wokingham and Reading police is set to
“streamline the service,” according to chiefs. The new police area covering both the
Reading Borough and Wokingham district areas including Woodley, Earley, Twyford
and Wargrave came into, operation today (Thursday).
Previously Wokingham district was split between the Reading and Bracknell Police
areas, but now it all comes under one sector. According to Mick Hart of Wokingham
Police the public won’t actually see much operational difference but the greater
partnership between the local authorities and the police area will mean a better
service. The theme is problem-solving. There will now be one point of contact instead
of two. Improving the communication between service and authorities has got to be of
paramount importance.
The merger follows a Thames Valley Police initiative to align police area
boundaries with those of local authorities in accordance with the recent Crime and
Disorder Act.
Wokingham Police also has new telephone numbers. If you want to contact the duty
officer at the station call (0118) 953 6000 and ask for Wokingham police Station. To
report a crime where police attendance is not required, contact the Reading Crime
Desk on (1118) 953 6372.
If you want advice and would like to leave a message for officers out of hours
contact Reading Help Desk on (118) 953 6180. In the event of an emergency the
number to call is still 999.

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