At the full council meeting on September 13, we unanimously declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. We will involve all our residents to try and get to net zero as close to 2030 as possible.

Recycling is a key part of this, and we could save significant money if we simply put the right things in the right bins.

Unfortunately, a lot of items that could be recycled are still being put in the green bins. The contents of the green bins either go to land fill, which costs the most amount of money, or to incineration to generate energy, which costs slightly less.

The contents of the blue bins are recycled to make new products and some items can also be resold. Like most councils, our budget will be very, very tight. I urge you to please do your bit to help save money and check what you are putting in the different bins.

Also, at this meeting, a motion criticised the council for not listening to residents. The new administration is working hard to change this and will organise face to face and online consultations.

There are regular councillor surgeries you can attend, or please get in touch with us if you have any issues or concerns. We are here to listen and to act. 

Saturday, September 16 saw the council’s first Great Wellness Exchange event at Bracknell Leisure Centre.

It was a day filled with activities and was a chance for local services to promote the health and wellness support options in our community.

We have three more events lined up this weekend, which will be held at the Bracknell Open Learning Centre and The Lexicon.

I encourage all of you to visit health.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/gwe/ for full details. These are free community events.