Local news from Councillor Nick Carter

Site of 350 proposed homes at Mortimer West End

Welcome

In this update:

• Proposed homes at Mortimer West End
• Pharmacy consolidation
• Community Projects

also in this edition:

• EV charging plans
• Ridgeway Council
• Bin day alert choice

Council backs motion on proposed 350 homes at Mortimer West End

Following West Berkshire Council’s detailed officer-led response to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council’s Regulation 18 consultation in January, and discussions between the political leaderships of the two councils, we wanted to place a corresponding council-wide political position formally on record. The motion debated at July’s Full Council meeting was the latest stage in that work. It allowed all elected councillors to debate the issue and formally adopt that position.

This followed my face-to-face representation to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet in November 2025, our public meeting in Mortimer on 8 December at the start of the Regulation 18 consultation, and the Council’s comprehensive response submitted before the January deadline.

The motion restated the principal concerns already raised in West Berkshire Council's January officer-led response, but went further by making clear that West Berkshire Council opposes any housing allocation bordering this district unless effective and deliverable mitigation is demonstrated and secured. It also confirmed the Council’s continued support for residents and parish councils seeking proper consideration of the proposal’s cross-boundary effects.

The motion was supported unanimously.

  Watch debate on YouTube
https://youtu.be/jbqqe1SPUMQ?t=8353

 Read the motion — pages 2–3
https://stratfieldmortimer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Notices-of-Motion-2-3.pdf

Two become one

Resident-led projects

Each year, district councillors have a limited fund available to support community projects led by parish councils, schools and local organisations. This year, I was pleased to support projects involving 1st Mortimer Scouts and Mortimer Federation of Schools.

Scout Cookhouse

1st Mortimer Scouts currently supports around 80 children from the age of five upwards. Following the recent fire at the scout hut, I looked at whether the Council could assist. I’m pleased that funding has been approved for the estimated cost of materials for a new cookhouse. The Scouts have explained how important this space will be for children and volunteers to learn practical skills and take part in activities outdoors.

Smart Speed Indicator for Mortimer St Mary’s

A new speed indicator device is expected to be installed in The Street to encourage motorists to slow down when approaching and passing St Mary’s School.  It will also collect traffic and speed data to support monitoring, traffic management and any future speed-management proposals, including a possible change in the speed limit.

This follows discussions between me, the school governors and the Council’s traffic and road safety team. We are now working to agree an installation date for this and other similar schemes being managed by the team.

Exploring a school-time 20mph limit

I am supporting Mortimer Federation of Schools in exploring local support for a 20mph speed limit around the school. Current thinking is that any reduced limit might apply only during term-time drop-off and collection periods. Please have your say, whether or not you support the proposal.

Electric Vehicle Charging 

Plans are progressing to provide electric vehicle charging for residents without off-street parking, helping make EV ownership a practical option for more households. Chargers may also benefit visitors using nearby community facilities and attending local events.

The installations are funded through a combination of government support and private investment. I continue to work with Council officers to identify suitable sites across Burghfield and Mortimer ward.

Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, as tenant of the West End Road car park, did not support installing chargers there. I am therefore pursuing alternative locations and remain hopeful that suitable provision can still be secured for the village.

I have also been discussing Mortimer Methodist Church’s plans with officers; the church has recently installed a charging bay of its own. 

👉 More information 

On 16 July, the Government confirmed that West Berkshire will join most of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse to form a new Ridgeway Council from April 2028.

The wider reorganisation will replace seven existing councils with three new unitary authorities. Ridgeway was the option that West Berkshire councillors collectively considered the strongest available means of protecting local services while creating a council with a workable scale and a coherent identity.

It has also been confirmed that the boundary between West Berkshire and Reading will remain unchanged, meaning Calcot and Tilehurst will remain within West Berkshire rather than transferring to Reading.

Elections to a shadow authority are expected in May 2027. Significant decisions remain to be made about services, representation and the transition to the new council.

I think the change creates opportunities for stronger local involvement, but also presents a challenge in ensuring that West Berkshire—and communities such as ours—retain a distinct voice within a much larger authority.

 More about the new Ridgeway Council

Mobile Bin Reminder

My mobile bin-day reminders tell subscribers which bin or bins to put out at 6pm on the evening before collection. A resident has also created a separate mobile app providing a similar service across a wider area.

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Email and phone/WhatsApp

• Email Nick here or call/WhatsApp 07447 557557
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• Email Geoff here or call 0118 9332536

Drop-In/Surgery

Raise local issues with us at our monthly surgeries, usually held on the first Saturday of each month:

• Nick at The Baobab, West End Road, Mortimer from 10.00–11.00 (please prebook by calling or emailing) 
• Vic at Burghfield Library in School Lane, from 10.00–11.30. 

Residents are welcome to raise any local council matter.

A Personal View

This newsletter aims to remain mainly factual and non-political. This section allows me to add a personal perspective.

Mortimer West End 350 home proposal

The recent Full Council debate gave councillors representing other parts of West Berkshire the opportunity to consider the proposal and its potential cross-boundary effects. Two contributions particularly caught my attention. 

Cllr Kander (Con, Tilehurst & Purley) questioned whether West Berkshire should already have been doing more and suggested there was a risk of the debate appearing "Passport to Pimlico" and “a bit NIMBY-ish”.  

I do not think that reflects the history of the issue. West Berkshire Council had already engaged with Basingstoke & Deane, held a public meeting at the opening of the Regulation 18 consultation, supported residents in responding and submitted a detailed officer-led response covering the technical and infrastructure issues. The July motion was not the beginning of that work. It followed the officer-led response and allowed the Council formally to place its political position on record.

Cllr Somner (Con, Tilehurst South & Holybrook) drew a comparison with the relationship between Reading and communities such as Calcot, where residents may live in one council area but rely heavily on services in another, suggesting that the Mortimer West End case is similar — essentially suggesting there was relatively little distinction between the situations. Such cross-boundary relationships are real, but I don't think the comparison applies to the Mortimer West End case. As I said in the debate, there is no bus service of note in Mortimer West End — and no shops. The concern here is more that a substantial new settlement would be physically attached to Mortimer while lying within another authority, but relying on West Berkshire's services and infrastructure.

I was pleased that the Council ultimately supported the motion unanimously and that the debate secured wider press coverage.

“Passport to Pimlico” — the comparison raised during the Full Council debate

Bus Fare Cap

I welcome the support that the Government's planned £2 cap on participating single bus journeys will bring Lime 2 users in January next year.  The wider issue locally perhaps is that, despite talk that rural areas would be supported, many of our residents are unserved by a bus.  This includes the long-standing lack of a bus link to Mortimer station, for which Cllr Gourlay (Lib Dem, Newbury Clay Hill), the Council’s Environment and Highways portfolio holder, and I continue to seek solutions.

Helping Preserve A Broadcasting Icon

Radio Caroline North returns aboard Ross Revenge from 7–9 August for its annual fundraiser, helping raise money to get the historic ship into dry dock for essential structural repairs.

I'll be joining colleagues on board for part of the weekend. Listeners can tune in via smart speaker ("Play Manx Radio AM"), via the Radio Caroline app, online and on 648 kHz AM. Guided tours of the ship are also available.

 Event details (will appear w/c August 3)