GET set for a busy week as councils in Bracknell and Wokingham discuss several important issues in the coming days.

The last couple of weeks have been fairly quiet affairs for Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) and Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) but with a meeting every night bar one this week between the authorities, there’s plenty you won’t want to miss.

Here’s a summary of what’s going at your council, where public meetings are being held and what time they are getting underway.

Monday, July 15

Health bosses from across Wokingham borough will come together tonight to discuss efforts being made to reduce social isolation and loneliness locally.

Social care chief Cllr Parry Batth launched a WBC scheme to reach out to elderly members of the community earlier this month and councillors are set to hear what actions are being taken to combat loneliness.

Members of the health overview and scrutiny committee are also set to hear an update from Healthwatch Wokingham, the organisation scrutinising social care in the borough.

The public is free to attend this meeting, which starts at 7pm and is held at WBC’s Shute End offices, Wokingham RG40 1BN.

Tuesday, July 16

More social care on Tuesday evening – but this time it’s in Bracknell.

BFC’s social care, health and housing chiefs are going to be talking about proposals for an integrated care system and the authority’s housing strategy development.

Councillors will be asked what their vision for housing in Bracknell Forest is, what the housing strategy should focus on and what the key challenges for housing in the borough are.

Members of the public are free to come along to this meeting, which is held at the council’s Time Square offices on Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD, and gets underway at 7.30pm.

Wednesday, July 17

There are three meetings for Bracknell and Wokingham residents on Wednesday, with the first starting at 10am.

BFC’s licensing panel will decide whether to grant permission to a BP petrol station in Crowthorne to open 24 hours a day and to sell alcohol until midnight.

These plans are upsetting neighbours, who fear a surge in anti-social behaviour if they go ahead.

This meeting will be held at BFC’s offices (address above).

Later on, Extinction Rebellion activists will gather outside Time Square from 6.45pm to call on councillors to commence action on climate change.

Conservative and Labour members are set to bring forward their own individual plans to combat the issue before councillors vote on the ideas.

Labour Cllr Mary Temperton is also set to ask the council to undertake a full review of its LED lighting programme, which has seen some issues since its rollout.

This meeting is also free for the public to attend and starts at 7.30pm at Time Square (address above).

Half an hour earlier in Wokingham, management bosses will meet to discuss what is expected from the council’s top team and scrutiny members, whether to set up a working group to review issues relating to new roads and open spaces, and more.

The public is free to attend this meeting from 7.30pm at WBC’s Shute End offices (address above).

Thursday, July 18

Like on Wednesday, there are meetings in Bracknell and Wokingham on Thursday evening.

In the former, a range of controversial planning decisions are set to be made by Bracknell Forest councillors – including plans to replace a popular gym with 13 new homes.

One resident who regularly goes to the gym told the News scrapping the fitness centre would be a “real loss” to the community.

This meeting starts at 7.30pm and is being held at Time Square (address above).

At the same time in Wokingham, members of the public will be in it for the long-run as councillors address a number of issues.

Special educational needs (SEND) campaigners are set to gather outside Shute End before the meeting gets underway, protesting the council’s spending on its housing consultation as they believe this money should be spent on SEND provisions instead.

These campaigners will venture into the council chamber for 7.30pm in order to ask Cllr UllaKarin Clark, WBC’s children’s services chief, a range of questions about SEND support.

Councillors will vote on some changes to the constitution shortly after public question time, including changing the time period between reviews of how much elected members should be paid from one year to two years.

Member question time follows these decisions, and if there is still time at the end of the meeting, councillors will vote on motions brought forward by their colleagues.

Lib Dem Cllr Sarah Kerr is asking peers to support her motion to demand the council ensures it does ‘all it can’ to be inclusive in its projects before Conservative Cllr and WBC leader John Halsall asks councillors to vote with him in kickstarting the authority’s climate change plans.

Tory councillor Wayne Smith will ask members to join him in supporting the executive taking ‘whatever means’ necessary to oppose imposed housing numbers, followed by Conservative Cllr Keith Baker’s call for councillors to get behind his motion to ‘abhor’ anti-Semitism.

As ever, you can find full details about all of these meetings on Bracknell and Wokingham’s websites via the links.