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WOKINGHAM.TODAY
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Town council ‘did not discuss 3G pitch plans’ By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokingham.today EARLEY Town Council has issued a statement refuting allegations that it had supported plans to build a 3G football pitch in Laurel Park.
At a meeting of Wokingham Borough Council last month, council leader John Halsall shared an email from Lib Dem opposition leader which purports to show his support for such a scheme, something he strongly denies. It was sent in December 2020, after plans to build a 3G pitch in Cantley Park were announced. “It would be great to have something similar (in Laurel Park),” he wrote. Cllr Jones told Wokingham Today that he was referring to plans to improve general facilities, and not requesting a 3G pitch. Plans for such a venture were pulled last month, following resident opposition. Now, Earley Town Council has made its position clear. “The Town Council is aware of recent media reports suggesting that Earley Town Council had supported plans to build a 3G sports pitch at Laurel Park, next to Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve,” the statement says. “We would like to confirm that neither Earley Town Council nor its committees have discussed the proposal and the Town Council has never adopted a view on the matter. “Were a planning application be submitted, this would be discussed at a meeting of the planning committee. “At no time did the officers of Earley Town Council have any information about the proposed 3G pitch, apart from what was in the public domain.”
THE VOICE OF THE BOROUGH
Thursday, April 7, 2022
No. 358 90p
Now that’s a PE lesson! Rugby world cup winner visits Wokingham school • P6
A FRIEND ON THE PHONE P9
LATE-NIGHT LOUTS: POLICE TAKE ACTION
Spot checks on pubs and bars to ensure town is safe on nights out
EXCLUSIVE
By DANIEL BLACKAM news@wokingham.today AN OPERATION to ensure pubs and bars were adhering to licensing conditions took place last week.
Wokingham.Today was exclusively invited by Thames Valley Police to join its force on Friday, April 1. The operation was hosted by the police’s Wokingham Geographical Neighbourhood
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team in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council, special constabulary and licensed premises in the town. At the Gig House, the police worked with security to carry out additional checks for knives and also to detect drugs with the help of a £30,000 piece of equipment. The machine requires a small swab from the palm of your hand and, once placed in the machine, can return a result in seconds for any traces of illegal substances. n Continued on page 11
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