The forum is a body set up by statute Section 94 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to advise Reading Borough Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council on countryside access issues in their areas. The forum is independent of the 3 councils.
Forum members
The forum members are all committed to improving access to the countryside. Membership is carefully balanced in 3 categories: land managers, recreational users of land and others. There are 20 members including 1 councillor from each of the 3 councils.
Making our Parks for People free event
The Mid and West Berks Local Access Forum and the Friends of Linear Park have organised a free event on Wednesday 30 May. This is an opportunity for all members of the community to meet and discuss the importance of our local parks and open spaces and how to make them more accessible for all. The event is to be held at the Beansheaf Community Centre in Linear Park, Charrington Road, Calcot, Reading RG31 7AW from 5pm to 9:30pm. There will be guided walks of the park followed by a cold buffet and group discussions and a session led by the Local Access Forum. For more information call Elaine Cox on 01635 519069 or email: elcox@westberks.gov.uk. All registrations for attendance to be received by 23 May 2012.
Rights of way improvement planning
A major part of the forum's role is to advise the 3 councils on their preparation and implementation of the rights of way improvement plans (ROWIPs). The plans assess how the rights of way network in the council's areas meets, or fails to meet, the needs of current and future users. The plans also set out how the councils intend to improve access to the countryside for everyone. Read about our rights of way improvements.
Meetings
The Forum meets 3 times a year. The public are able to attend the meetings and are able to contribute to discussions. Minutes from the meetings can be downloaded below. For further information about the Mid and West Berkshire Local Access Forum, contact Roger Penfold, Secretary to the Forum.
