Hello to everyone across Bracknell Forest, I hope you have all now recovered from Easter.

I wanted to start this week by saying congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen for celebrating her 96th birthday last week, and it leads me on to mention some of the exciting events we have planned for the extended Jubilee weekend in June.

Some housekeeping first though. If you want to host a street party between 2 – 5 June, and need to close your road for it, applying for a road closure is a must. You can download the application form from the council’s website with instructions on how to return it to us. You only have until the end of Friday, 29 April to return your form, so please do not hesitate.

Bracknell Library will soon be hosting an exhibition of photographs and articles celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. If you have any digital images of Jubilee celebrations or royal visits to Bracknell over the years, I know that they would love to see them.

Suitable images can be emailed to: bracknell.library@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. Though, if you are unable to use email, physical photographs can be taken into Bracknell Library, where they can be scanned whilst you wait. Every image tells a story, and it’s always good to look back on the celebrations of the past.

As for the event itself, The Lexicon will be kicking off their celebratory weekend with a special version of The Lexicon Proms in Bond Square on Wednesday, 1 June. The celebration will feature a range of performers offering a glimpse of the diverse nature of talent in the area and offering something for everyone.

This is just a snapshot of what is coming up, but you will be hearing more about The Platinum Jubilee in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, residents who would like to have their say on the Bracknell Forest Community Governance Review will need to act quickly, as the first stage closes next week. The review determines if the current parish and town council wards are meeting the needs of the local community. As it has been nearly 20 years since parish and town council boundaries were last reviewed, there has been a lot of change in some areas of the borough. This stage will be residents’ first opportunity to have their say, with a further consultation following in the summer. This first stage will close on Sunday, 8 May 2022.

The goal of the review is to ensure parish and town councils are working as effectively as they should be. It also ensures they reflect the identity and interests respective of their local communities. Residents, businesses, community groups and town and parish councils can take part in the consultation via the council’s website. To those of you who are not online, paper copies are available in all libraries across the borough, as well as Time Square, the council’s office. We want to hear from as wide a range of people as possible because, ultimately, it is your borough.

Agreed changes will come into effect following the May 2023 election. If you have any questions, please email: electoral.reviews@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

As I close off, I wish everyone a fruitful week ahead.