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Royal Borough in tier 2: high alert from 2 December

The Government has announced that once the national restrictions come to an end on Wednesday 2 December, the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead will be placed in tier 2: high alert.

The main points for tier 2: high alert are:

  1. You must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
  2. You must not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a garden or a public space – this is called the ‘rule of 6'.
  3. Everyone who can work from home should do so.

To see the full list of restrictions for tier 2: high alert, click here.
Free Christmas parking
 
Free Christmas parking will be offered on certain days in most of our town centre council run car parks in the run-up to Christmas, to help support local businesses and rejuvenate the high street.
 
Free parking will be on Wednesdays from 3pm in both Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough town centre council car parks on 9, 16 and 23 December. It will also be free on Sundays in Windsor on 6, 13 and 20 December. Maidenhead is already free on Sundays.

For more information, visit our website.
National Lockdown Grant available for businesses

Businesses can now apply for a National Lockdown Grant to cover the four-week national lockdown period that ends on the 2 December. The scheme covers businesses occupying properties subject to business rates, that have been mandated to close.

For more details and to apply, click here. This is where you’ll also find information on all the support available to businesses in the form of the Additional Restrictions Grant Discretionary Scheme (as soon as this is available); Expanded Retail Discount; Nursey Discount and information on state aid.

We are not currently aware of any additional grants as a result of the Royal Borough being placed in tier 2 from Wednesday 2 December. Should this change, we will put the information on our website and let you know in this newsletter and on our social media channels.
Flu vaccination extended to 50-64 year olds from 1 December

From Tuesday 1 December, people aged between 50 and 64 will be invited to have a free flu vaccine as part of the national flu campaign.
 
The flu vaccination programme is carried out in phases throughout the winter season and GPs and pharmacies across the Royal Borough will arrange appointments to coincide with delivery of new vaccine stock.

Find out more by clicking here or visit your GP practice website for information. 
What to do if your child misses their flu vaccination at school

If your child is aged between 4 and 12 and is not at school when flu vaccinations take place, please do not contact your GP. You can arrange an alternative appointment with the Berkshire School Aged Immunisation team.

Telephone: 0300 365 0077

You can read more about this on the East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group website.
 
As we couldn’t do our normal town centre Christmas lights switch-on events, we are asking everyone to join us and light up the borough.

Decorate your gardens, front windows or create a festive display in your home and share your photos with us on social media, and you could be in with the chance of winning a £250 voucher to shop locally in the borough.
We will share the photos for everyone to enjoy on our @MyRoyalBorough social media accounts.

How to enter:
Post your pictures on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (or all three!) by Sunday 6 December. Make sure to tag our @MyRoyalBorough account and use the hashtag #LightUpMyRBWM

The winner will be announced on Friday 11 December.

Best independent business Christmas display competition 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been working hard to support businesses in the Royal Borough and encouraging residents to shop local and support local via our social media channels @MyRoyalBorough, @VisitWindsor and @MakeMaidenhead.
 
This year, we are running a competition to encourage as many independent businesses as possible to join residents and #LightUpMyRBWM with their Christmas windows and displays. There will be a prize for the best display as voted for by residents.
 
To be in with a chance of winning, email us photos of your festive display by Sunday 6 December to [email protected]. Entries will be uploaded to the My Royal Borough website and residents will be able to vote for the favourite between 11 and 18 December.
 
The winning business will be announced on the website on Monday 21 December.
 
For more information and opportunities to promote your business visit www.myroyalborough.com.
Watch the webinar - Updated proposals for the Nicholson Quarter
 
The developers behind the planned new Nicholson Quarter in Maidenhead are holding a public webinar via Zoom at 6pm on Tuesday 1 December.
 
Rob Tincknell from Areli and the design team will run through the updated proposals for The Nicholson Quarter followed by a question and answer session.
 
If you would like to receive an invitation to the webinar please register by emailing: [email protected].
 
Sign our support local pledge this Christmas

We’ve been asking you to sign our support local pledge ready for Christmas and we’ve had lots of you sign up.
 
We are asking you to shop local and spend local.
 
Visit www.myroyalborough.com to sign up. 
Have your say

We regularly hold consultations to get
your views on proposals within the
Royal Borough.

Responding to our consultations and giving your feedback is the best way to ensure your views are heard.

Current consultations:
Citizen Advice Maidenhead & Windsor merger

Citizens Advice Bracknell & District and Citizens Advice Maidenhead & Windsor are merging to become Citizens Advice East Berkshire. The merger will complete in April 2021.

The merger proposal aims to offer better services, meet the needs of more clients and improve financial resilience.

Click here to visit the website for Citizens Advice Maidenhead & Windsor.
Charity auction for Thames Hospice

The Mayor, Councillor Sayonara Luxton, is inviting people to take part in a special charity auction in support of local charity, Thames Hospice.

The auction takes place online from 9am on Saturday 28 November to 9pm on Saturday 5 December, and you will have the opportunity to bid for a range of prizes to raise money for the local hospice.
 
You can access the live auction via this link from 9am on Saturday 28 November. 
Maidenhead Heritage Centre – 30% off Spitfire Experience

The Maidenhead Heritage Centre is offering a 30% discount on their 60-minute Spitfire Simulator Experience voucher.

The centre has been closed for five months due to COVID-19, but will be reopening their doors on the 3 December.

Described as 'the best fun in town', aspiring pilots can race up the River Thames through London, loop-the-loop over Windsor Castle or fly around Paris or New York.

Vouchers have no expiry date and can be purchased through their online shop.

The Heritage Centre is also offering online lectures on a range of interesting subjects, every three weeks until Easter 2021. The next lecture is on Wednesday 2 December and full details can be found on their website.
 
The M4 will be closed in both directions between junctions 8/9 (Maidenhead) and 10 (Winnersh) from 8pm on Friday 27 November to 6am on Monday 30 November 2020. This is for smart motorway work.

See the Highways England web page here.
Council meetings this month

Council meetings can be viewed online on our YouTube channel.

Upcoming meetings include:

  • Local Access Forum Monday 30 November

See the full diary of meetings on our meetings and agendas page.
Keep in touch

Keep up to date with news and information from the council by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

Other accounts you may be interested in: