Windsor Liberal Democrats

SCHOOL expansion funds have been slashed by more than half by the Government as council officers warn a 'substantial' number of new school places will be required.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed the Royal Borough's basic need funding - Department For Education money issued to local authorities to provide additional school places to cope with predicted demand - will fall to £2.6m in 2013/14 and 2014/15, down from £6.1m in 2012/13.

ONLY one councillor has claimed travel expenses in the last year, new figures show.

Slough Borough Council published a list of councillors' allowances from April 2012, to April 2013, last week.

The only councillor who claimed travel expenses was cllr Bharat Mittal, who claimed £27.

Slough councillors can only claim for travel outside the borough - with their basic allowance of £7,100 expected to be used to meet costs of travelling to council duties inside the borough.

Record claim for ICT payments

THE total allowances claimed by Royal Borough councillors rose last year to a total of £582,362.05 - up £12,000 from last year.

The figures include the second highest total mileage allowance claimed by councillors - £8,686.25 - since mileage payments were bought in in 2003/04 and the highest ever ICT payments.

Claims of unrest by opposition

CLAIMS of 'ruptures' in the Royal Borough Tory Party erupted after a leadership challenge was defeated by just five votes.

The Observer exclusively revealed last week that Bisham and Cookham councillor Richard Kellaway was plotting a challenge to overthrow Cllr David Burbage with a vote due to be held at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Conservative Group annual general meeting on Monday.

A Freedom of Information request to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue reveals how the Royal Borough is being short changed by the Fire Authority.

Despite contributing 20% of council tax revenues to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has just 13% of the frontline Fire Service based within its area. Over the past few years the strength of the Fire Service within the Royal Borough has been severely cut with the Fire Station at Cookham closed and the Fire Station in Windsor scheduled to close within the next few months, having been previously cut to an established daytime only service.

A trial pedestrianisation of the bottom of Peascod Street looks like becoming permanent despite strong opposition from the West Windsor Residents' Association (WWRA). The 12-month-trial was reviewed by the Royal Borough's Conservative dominated Highways, Transport and Environment Scrutiny Panel on the 13th May.

A CONTROVERSIAL decision to split up a neighbourhood plan has been labelled 'undemocratic and non-transparent'.

Councillor George Fussey has slammed the decision-making process which culminated last month in the splitting up of the Windsor and Eton Neighbourhood Plan group into three new sections - Central Windsor, West Windsor and Eton and Eton Wick.

A SENIOR Conservative councillor is plotting a party leadership challenge in the Royal Borough, according to Observer sources.

Bisham and Cookham ward councillor Richard Kellaway is sounding out support for a potential leadership bid to overthrow Royal Borough council leader Cllr David Burbage, according to sources.

A freedom of information request, submitted by Windsor Liberal Democrats' has revealed the lack of facilities at the Royal Borough's proposed new fire station at the council's Tinkers Lane Depot. The building, which will cost around £400,000, (2) will be a modular structure, served by a fire engine based in Slough and will be missing many of the essentials required to operate as a proper fire station.

ONE in five school children are being turned away from their first-choice secondary school according to shock figures.

Just 79.4% of Royal Borough children were offered a place at their preferred school on last month's national offer day - the sixth-worst figure in the country outside London.

The Royal Borough also failed to find places for one in 20 children at any one of their six choices, with the borough's figure of 94.8% the third-worst percentage nationally outside the capital.