1.LATEST ON COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINATIONS



The NHS wants to support you to make an informed choice about vaccinating your child and has provided more information on this.
 
If you are over 75, you’re eligible for the Spring Booster. You don’t need to wait to be contacted by the NHS – if it’s been six months since your first booster, you can come forward for your second. It is safe and effective and should help to reduce your risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID. You can book or manage your vaccines on the NHS website.  
 
For some COVID will be mild, for others it could result in being admitted to hospital and or long COVID. It’s important we look after each other and try our best to avoid transmitting or catching the virus:

• Get vaccinated: it offers the best protection against COVID reduces the risk of spreading it to others and means you’re less likely to get seriously ill
• Let fresh air in if meeting indoors to disperse COVID particles and reduce the risk of spreading the virus, or meet outside
• Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces: especially where you come into contact with people you do not usually meet and when rates of transmission are high
• Wash hands: regularly for 20 seconds or more
• Try to stay at home if unwell. If you have COVID you can pass on the virus to other people for up to 10 days from when your infection starts. Children and young people tend to be infectious for less time than adults. If they’re well and do not have a temperature after 3 days, there’s a much lower risk that they’ll pass on COVID to others. Find out more on the NHS website

2.COULD YOU BE A READING HEALTH CHAMPION?



You can help give a voice to Reading residents disproportionately affected by health inequalities. As a local health champion, you’ll help promote the importance of vaccinations; flu, measles, COVID etc, attend information evenings with health professionals, and bring your local understanding of your community and let us know what health support is needed.

Who can become a champion? 
Anyone passionate and interested in supporting their community. Training will be provided to develop your knowledge and skills, and a support package will be provided. Contact the Council Public Health and Wellbeing Team on 07812462819 or email Wellbeing.Service@reading.gov.uk to find out more.

3.LOCAL ELECTIONS ON THURSDAY 5 MAY:
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW



Where is my polling station, and has it changed?

A recent boundary review means there are some new polling stations this year - click the video above to see where they are. Even if you’ve voted at the same place for years, your local polling station may have changed. You can check your polling station here before you go to vote, and it is also listed on your polling card. 
 
When can I vote, and for how many candidates?

Polling stations are open on Thursday 5 May from 7am to 10pm. Don’t forget, you can vote for up to 3 candidates on your ballot paper because the election is an all-out election, Reading’s first for 18 years. You can view a list of candidates in your ward on our website.

The Council will also continue to accept postal votes up until polling day. If you have a postal vote but have left it too late to post, you can drop it in to any local polling station as long as it is before 10pm on Thursday 5 May.
 
What about COVID-19?

People visiting a polling station are encouraged to keep themselves and others safe by:

• wearing a face covering if possible
• bringing their own pen or pencil
• cleaning their hands when entering and leaving the polling station
• keeping a safe distance 

Residents should not attend the polling station if they have symptoms of Covid-19 or if they are self-isolating. Anyone who develops symptoms before polling day, has up to 5pm on polling day to apply for an emergency proxy vote. This allows them to nominate someone they trust to vote on their behalf.  To arrange it speak to the local Electoral Services team in Reading on: 0118 937 3717 or email elections@reading.gov.uk.
 
What if I need help when I’m there?

On polling day itself, staff will be on hand for any questions about filling out your ballot paper. If you’re not sure what to do, or need any help, just ask the staff at the polling station – they will be happy to assist you. If you have a disability which means you can’t fill in the ballot paper yourself, you can ask the presiding officer – the person in charge of the polling station – to mark the ballot paper for you, or you can take someone along with you to help you. There are also a number of items that will be available at polling stations to help people cast their vote, including large print sample ballot papers and tactile voting devices to help those with a visual impairment.
 
Where will I be able to find the election results?

The counting of votes is taking place the day after voting, on Friday 6 May. You can follow the results as they come in on the Council’s Twitter feed @ReadingCouncil.
We will also promote the results on our Facebook page once they are all in.
You will also be able to find the full results on our dedicated results page.
 
For more information about the elections, go to our website.

4.COUNCIL TAX REBATE PAYMENTS LATEST



Reading residents who live in Band A – D properties and pay their Council Tax by direct debit are due to begin receiving their £150 ‘rebate’ payments later this week. Please bear with us as payments will go to 50,000 residents in total and the process will take up to two weeks to be completed.

73% of all Band A to D Council Tax payers in Reading pay by direct debit, and the Council will use residents’ existing direct debit details to pay the money direct into people’s bank accounts.  
 
Eligible residents who do not pay their council tax by direct debit will then be invited to apply for their payments via a dedicated link which will be added to the Council’s website at Council Tax rebate - Reading Borough Council. The online application will be added to the site when this process begins, currently expected to be in two weeks. It will be widely publicised at the time and over the following weeks and months.
 
You can check your council tax band on the Government website, and find out more, including how to get help with energy bills if you are not eligible for the £150 rebate, on our website.
 
For residents who need help with energy bills but are not eligible for the £150 rebate, such as households on income support in higher bands (E-H), local authorities have also received discretionary funding from Government to help. These residents will also be invited to apply for discretionary payments of £150. This application process is expected to begin following approval of the discretionary application criteria later this month.
 
More information on the Council Tax rebate scheme, as well as the discretionary scheme, can be found at Council Tax rebate - Reading Borough Council. This webpage will be updated regularly throughout the process.

5.JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS REVEALED



Reading is set to host a four-day extravaganza of events, parties and activities this June, in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
 
Events on offer include a beacon lighting ceremony and Jubilee beacon trail, a tribute concert in the Abbey Ruins, Water Fest and Children’s Concert in the Forbury Gardens, as well as a whole host of other events and activities across the borough.
 
Join the festivities as Reading marks the occasion with a series of unmissable events across the town, including a four-day bank holiday weekend. Highlights to look out for include:

The Jubilee Beacon Trail
Running from Saturday 14 May – Sunday 5 June, take part in our royal themed augmented reality trail in Reading. Find seven magical characters on a day trip from Buckingham Palace. To learn more or start the trail, go to the trail's website.

Beacon Lighting Ceremony
On Thursday 2 June, 9.15pm in the Abbey Ruins, with music from the Reading Scottish Pipe Band and Reading Male Voice Choir. Part of a country-wide celebration in which 1,500 beacons will be lit in recognition of the Queen’s service, bringing communities across the globe together to pay tribute. Free event but ticketed due to the limited spaces available. To book please go to the What's On Reading website. Also available to watch virtually.

The Jubilee Tribute Concert
On Friday 3 June, 4.30pm in the Abbey Ruins. The top UK tribute bands, including Queen, The Beatles and George Michael, come together for a night under the stars to celebrate the Jubilee in one of Reading's most prestigious heritage sites. You can book tickets online. 

Reading Water Fest
On Saturday 4 June, 11am – 5pm in the Forbury Gardens, Abbey Ruins and along the Kennet between Chestnut Walk and the Riverside Museum.  This is Reading’s flagship Jubilee event, so come along to this free festival and enjoy live entertainment, children’s activities and refreshments, Blue Collar street food, water activities, narrow boats, craft and charity stalls and lots more! You can find out more here. 

Trinity Concert Band Jubilee Children's Concert
On Sunday 5 June, 3pm – 4.30pm in the Forbury Gardens. As the concluding event as part of this year’s Reading Children’s Festival and Jubilee celebrations, Trinity Concert Band will be performing a free children’s concert at the Forbury Bandstand. Bring a picnic and make an afternoon of it.

Jubilee Street Parties
A bumper 57 streets across Reading will be celebrating the Platinum Jubilee with their very own street party between Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 June.

You can find more details on Jubilee events, including those being laid on by our libraries and museum, on our website.