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City Deal for Thames Valley Berkshire Confirmed

Margot Tomkinson-Smith
Communications Manager for Thames Valley Berkshire LEP

City Deal for Thames Valley Berkshire Confirmed

On Monday 28 October 2013, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP welcomed the news that the Thames Valley Berkshire City Region has been successful in its City Deal bid.

The announcement was made by Greg Clark, Minister for Cities, at a special event held at Reading Town Hall, which was attended by Council Leaders and representatives from across Berkshire.

So-called ‘City Deals’ are special arrangements negotiated between Central Government and areas/cities, where they are given the powers and tools they need to drive local economic growth. Reading Borough Council was the lead authority in the region, driving forward the successful City Deal bid on behalf of Thames Valley Berkshire ‘City Region’.

The Thames Valley Berkshire City Deal centres around giving Berkshire’s young people the skills they need to access local job opportunities and helping local businesses to get the workforce they need to support growth. This includes both driving down the skills gap that exists which in some cases can mean young people are not accessing employment opportunities that may be available and working with businesses to increase the range of opportunities available.

A key part of the ‘Deal’ will be developing better pathways into work for young people through agencies working better and more collaboratively underpinned by an innovative new mobile web platform ‘ElevateMe’ that has been funded by O2 and developed with young people themselves.

Steve Lamb, Chair for Thames Valley Berkshire LEP added, “The Thames Valley Berkshire City Deal is a positive and exciting opportunity, not just for the local area, but also the sub region as it enhances ability to compete on a global level. It offers an unprecedented shift in control from Whitehall over the way in which our skills system works, so that we can make sure we have a highly skilled workforce which corresponds with business needs in Thames Valley Berkshire, for future growth and economic success.”

via Announcement from Thames Valley Berkshire LEP | LinkedIn.

CCCRdg response; “Consider Climate Change in every action”~Climate Change Centre Reading

Journalism and Climate Change: A conversation about this bad…faunkime.com

There are some big changes happening on the ol’ “Brace For Impact” blog and I thought I’d introduce them myself in my first ever “vlog!” It’s a bit long, for which I apologize, but as they say: “If I’d had more time, I would have…

Tipping Point from Faun Kime on Vimeo.

Science and Engineering for Sustainability: New One World Trade Center

Panoramic view of new OWTC

Source: Architecturaldigest

Green building

OWTC incorporates not only new architectural and safety standards, but new environmental standards as well, setting a new level of social responsibility in urban design. According to the New York Port Authority, the OWTC has already been certified to LEED Gold and will set the global standard for sustainability. Once the building is fully operation, it’s expected to draw as much as 70 percent of its power from green energy. Some other green facts are:

Fuel cells, waste steam recycling, harvest rainwater, landscaping with more than 400 trees, waste material recycling, use of green cement, renewable wind and hydro power energy, indoor air quality, daylighting, low water bathrooms, green port a potties

References and Further Reading

Green facts about New York’s new one world trade center

via Science and Engineering for Sustainability: New One World Trade Center.

Letter from the Chairman of Balcombe Parish Council | Balcombe Parish Council

Letter from the Chairman of Balcombe Parish Council

Posted on August 12, 2013 by balcombe1

Over next weekend, from 16th to 21st August, the No Dash for Gas protest group is planning to hold their Reclaim the Power action camp somewhere in Balcombe. As yet the location for the camp has not been disclosed and remains a mystery.

There have been reports in the media and on the group’s website that they will be here in response to a call from Balcombe to protect our interests. I have yet to establish who, if anybody, issued this invitation. It most certainly was not the Parish Council, and the local anti-fracking group, NoFibs, has confirmed it was not them.

For perhaps too long I have been sitting on the fence balancing the opinions in our village and tolerating extreme views, but the time has come to speak up.

Whilst villagers have voted that we oppose any future fracking and whilst having respect for those who wish to protest peacefully, there are three issues that arise from the intentions of the No Dash for Gas group.

Firstly will the camp itself be a trespass?

Secondly, and making the first pale into insignificance by comparison, is the promise of direct action on Monday 19th August to stop the drilling by acts of civil disobedience. It is likely that this will include an attempt to enter the site and physically stop the operations, an action that could result in injury to people on either side of the fence and /or to the police.

At a public meeting held last Friday evening the group sought to justify such actions on the grounds that the company that is drilling is acting illegally and that in consequence illegal actions to stop it are justified. This is quite simply not the case. Like it or not, the drilling operation is entirely legal. All the necessary permissions and permits have been sought and are in place.

Thirdly the group seeks to legitimize such actions by saying that whatever is done is in response to Balcombe residents’ call for help. This is just not true.

So here it is. Balcombe strongly opposes any actions which may be taken which involve civil trespass and/or illegal acts. And I further state this, if the No Dash for Gas group is coming here in the full knowledge that it intends to break the law then it should stay away. It is not wanted in Balcombe! It is duly uninvited.

Alison Stevenson

Chairman

Balcombe Parish Council

via Letter from the Chairman of Balcombe Parish Council | Balcombe Parish Council.