The Wokingham Paper February 23, 2017

Page 1

Recruitment day for care and support workers Monday 6 March, Bradbury Centre, Wokingham 10am to 3pm Join us and make a difference!

www.optalis.org/jobs

COVERING WOKINGHAM, FINCHAMPSTEAD, WINNERSH, SHINFIELD, WOODLEY, TWYFORD & SURROUNDING AREAS

THE WOKINGHAMPAPER

www.wokingham.today

Lib Dems win byelection THE Wokingham Liberal Democrats were literally jumping for joy as they won an historic landslide victory in the Wokingham Borough Council Emmbrook by-election last week. Candidate Imogen ShepherdDuBey, who has stood for election on four previous occasions, picked up 59.7% of the votes at the election on Friday (16) following the resignation of Conservative councillor Chris Singleton. Cllr Shepherd-DuBey, who also holds a position representing Emmbrook on Wokingham Town Council, vowed to push for resources and infrastructure for any new developments in the area, improvements in transport links, and appropriate funding for Wokingham’s schools.  Full story page 5

Hare Hatch loses high court case A GARDEN centre in an ongoing dispute with the council over the use of its land lost a high court hearing earlier this week. Hare Hatch Sheeplands learnt that it can only carry on with with a plant growing nursery, a butchers, a coffee shop and a farm shop. But the centre’s owners have said they are considering their options as a result of the verdict, arguing that the judge ordered the council to re-draft the document saying “the injunction must be understandable.”  Full story at wokingham.today

N E WS W I T H A H E A R T F O R T H E B O R O U G H

Race is on to find young Formula 1 dancer

Thursday, February 23, 2017 No. 96

60p

PACKED WITH NEWS

BRIDE’S AMAZING EIGHT STONE WEIGHT LOSS P7 Children are being invited to audition for a very special dance day – at Silverstone during the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. The search is on for one child to join Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow in July. Find out how to audition on page 26

Praise for head who quit school EXCLUSIVE

By GEMMA DAVIDSON gdavidson@wokinghampaper.co.uk A WINNERSH headteacher, who this week resigned over mounting funding pressures, has been praised for her bold move. Mary Sandell, who became head at The Forest School, in Robinhood Lane, in September 2014, announced on Monday that she would be stepping down due to the sheer amount of cuts her school was facing.

In a statement released to parents and students on Monday, Ms Sandell said that, at 59, she felt she was “far too old for the high levels of stress involved in running a school in today’s economic climate.” She said: “The situation with regard to schools funding, both nationally and locally, is bleak; in common with other head teachers, I did not enter the teaching profession to make cuts that narrow the curriculum, or to reduce the number of teachers and increase class sizes, and yet  Continued on page 9

COUNCIL TAX TO RISE 4.94% P12 & 13 MUSIC FESTIVAL PLANS TO GET BIGGER & BETTER P3

THE BIG GAME: SUMAS V WOODLEY P38


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