Latest news with #Thatcham
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
E-scooter plan for Newbury and Thatcham
Council e-scooters could be coming to two towns as part of the authority's plans to increase travel options for Berkshire Council said on-street e-scooter hire schemes in Newbury and Thatcham, Berkshire, would give residents a "cost-effective alternative to car ownership", along with shared proposal is part of the council's draft local transport strategy, which aims for 50% of trips within Newbury and Thatcham to be made by walking and plans also include enhancing bus services, increasing car clubs and walking and cycling routes. According to the plans, electric vehicle (EV) uptake in the district is above the national average and there are several publicly available EV chargers across Newbury and Thatcham."There are, however, locations with limited offroad parking where on-street provision is likely to be needed to support increased EV uptake," it concedes."This could be aligned with the provision of shared electric vehicles."The council also said it wanted to create a high-quality "active travel" link between Sandleford Park, Newbury town centre, Thatcham town centre, north east Thatcham and railway plans also include a trial minibus service from northeast Thatcham to the railway station, expanding the car club network, zero-emissions buses to Reading, and a reduction in HGV and freight e-scooter plan is subject to legislation and an operator, the council consultation into the transport paper closed in will go before the council on 17 July, with the results due on 22 July. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Firefighters battle Thatcham house fire for five hours
Firefighters battled for nearly five hours after a property caught Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) said it was called to Hartmead Road in Thatcham, Berkshire, at 17:53 BST on from RBFRS and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (HIWFRS) put out the fire, which had also affected part of the neighbouring were no reports of any injuries, RBFRS said. The fire service said crews from Newbury, Theale, Hungerford, Mortimer and Whitley Wood were sent to the scene."Eight firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets, two hose reels, the Aerial Ladder Platform and the Water Carrier to put out the fire," the spokesperson said crews left the scene after four hours and 57 minutes, then returned for a reinspection found "a small amount of carpet smouldering" and dampened it down. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Berkshire performing arts centre for autistic students opens
A residential school for young people with autism has opened what it believes to be the UK's first performing arts centre designed to meet the needs of autistic Court, near Thatcham in Berkshire, said the new facility would support more autistic people to access the arts - with many finding traditional venues school, which provides year-round residential care and education for children with complex needs, fundraised £1.1m to build the new Robinson, who is a performing arts teacher at the school, said her students were "the most creative people I have ever worked with". Speaking following the new centre's first performances, Ms Robinson explained that there were "a lot of overwhelming sensory experiences" at traditional arts said the venues required those with autism to "supress the need to express themselves", which they "need to do that in order to emotionally regulate"."It's a whole set of these social rules that need to be adjusted for our young people," she school said the new centre would provide a space for students to "express themselves creatively in a dedicated, bespoke space". It added that the space would also be used to research how to provide greater access to the arts, as well as to prepare students to visit more traditional new space officially opened on Thursday, with special performances from students. Ms Robinson told the BBC: "This is a building where we want them to walk in and to be respected as artists, because their difference is what every artist strives to be."They are original, they are unique, they don't think outside the box - they completely reshape the box entirely."Alan Lawrence, whose son Jamie attends the school, said he was "very proud" seeing him perform. "Prior's Court has been our saviour," he said. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- The Independent
Chef wins £20,000 payout after boss ranted about ‘unreliable Mexicans' and threatened to get him deported
A chef has received a £20,000 payout for racial and sexual oriented harassment after his boss ranted that people from his home country of Mexico were 'not reliable' and threatened to get him deported. An employment tribunal heard the claims after Cesar Omar Perez Vargas, former head chef of five star restaurant Pot Kiln in Thatcham, West Berkshire, walked out of the restaurant during a busy Sunday shift in which he ended up serving around 60 customers, when he originally agreed to cover no more than 45 on a Sunday. The chef claimed that he felt he was being imposed upon and given an 'unreasonable workload'; when Mr Rockcliff was confronted with this, he denied it and asked the chef to carry on working, which led him to walk out. Mr Perez Vargas alleged that Mr Rockcliff followed him on his way home as he walked out and said: 'I knew that you Mexicans were not reliable people. I will call the Home Office and make sure that they send you back to the country that you belong. I will also tell them that you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' The chef, who started his career at Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Quintana Roo, Mexico, said he was left feeling 'shocked, threatened, insecure and that his body was shaking' following the confrontation. He also said Mr Rockcliff warned he would 'make sure that no one will give you a job anymore' and approached the claimant at his home. Mr Rockcliff not only denied making these statements to Mr Perez Vargas, but refuted claims that a social media post he made about Michelin trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos who have lost their mojo for the love of cooking and who have overcooked their wallets for fame over food' was about the chef. The tribunal found that these comments may have led Mr Perez Vargas, or anyone who knew him as an employee of the Pot Kiln, to believe they were about the chef. Mr Perez Vargas first brought claims against the business in November 2022, three months after he left the Pot Kiln's employment. He made complaints about unfair dismissal, direct discrimination on the grounds of race and sexual orientation, and harassment related to race and sexual orientation. He also made complaints about notice pay and other money claims. The court found that Mr Perez Vargas's complaint about harassment related to race and related to sexual orientation was well-founded and succeeded, as was his claim of being unfairly dismissed. Judge Gumbiti-Zimuto said that Mr Rockcliff's conduct was 'unwanted' and violated ' the claimant's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating and offensive environment for the claimant'. They added: 'because those comments were clearly related to his race, we are satisfied that it related to the protected characteristic of race. And because the comments made reference to the claimant's sexually harassing all male staff, that it also made reference to his sexual orientation and therefore, in our view, was related to sexual orientation.' Mr Rockcliff has been ordered to pay a sum of £20,444.24 to Mr Perez Vargas. This accounts for a basic award of £1,142, a compensatory award of £500 as well as £2,073.28 for a loss of earnings post notice period of four weeks. He received six weeks notice pay of £3,109.92 for the breach of contact, as well as £663.32 for accrued holiday not taken, £821.36 for unpaid wages between 2020 and 2022, as well as £11,000 for injury to feelings and £1,134.36 in interest to that.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Michelin chef wins £20,000 payout after boss ranted about 'unreliable Mexicans' and 'threatened to call the Home Office'
A head chef has won £20,000 for racial and sexual orientation harassment after his boss ranted that 'Mexicans were not reliable people'. A tribunal heard the comments came after head chef Cesar Omar Perez Vargas walked out of a busy Sunday shift because he had been given an 'unreasonable' 60 customers to cook for - more than he was contracted to serve. Musician and then owner of the business Francis Rockcliff said that he would call the Home Office to make sure he was 'sent back to the country that you belong'. He also said he would tell officials that 'you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' Mr Perez Vargas took the upmarket Pot Kiln gastropub in Thatcham, West Berkshire, to a tribunal. During the proceedings, Mr Rockcliff denied that a social media post referring to Michelin trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos' was 'directed' at the chef. But a panel found that anyone who was aware of the circumstances around the end of the chef's employment may consider that this is 'exactly who they were referring to'. The judge upheld Mr Perez Vargas' complaints of unfair dismissal and race and sexual orientation harassment and awarded him £20,444.24 in compensation. The tribunal, held in Reading, heard that Mr Perez Vargas starting working as a chef for the Pot Kiln in November 2019. But in April 2022 an 'extra burden' was placed on kitchen staff when the Pot Kiln went from having four chefs to two. Mr Perez Vargas said things 'came to a head' on a busy shift that August. The tribunal panel heard that after walking out, Mr Rockcliff followed the chef outside and the pair ended up having a heated conversation on the street which left Mr Perez Vargas feeling 'shocked, threatened, insecure'. The chef claimed his boss told him: 'I knew that you Mexicans were not reliable people. I will call the Home Office and make sure that they send you back to the country that you belong. I will also tell them that you have been sexually harassing all the male staff.' He also alleged Mr Rockcliff told him that he will 'make sure that no one will give you a job anymore'. Mr Rockcliff - a musician who goes by the professional name of 'Rocky Rockcliff' - denied making those comments. That evening, Mr Rockliff went to the chef's home and collected his keys. Reading employment tribunal, where a panel upheld Mr Perez Vargas' complaints of unfair dismissal and race and sexual orientation harassment and awarded him £20,444.24 in compensation The following day, Mr Perez Vargas - who felt as if staff were being 'overworked' - handed in a letter of resignation. It was heard that Mr Rockcliff sent a text message to staff the following day on how he was 'changing the kitchen culture'. 'I finally lost all the dinosaurs/old brigade chefs to my great relief,' he wrote. The director also wrote that he was 'not sure that Eastern Europeans or Latin Americans have an innate understanding of English regional cookery and/or Mediterranean classic cuisine'. It was heard that Mr Rockliff also made a social media post referring Michelin trained chefs as 'people with sautéed egos who have lost their mojo for the love of cooking and who have overcooked their wallets for fame over food'. During the hearing, Mr Rockcliff was 'emphatic in stating that he is not racist'. The tribunal said that while Mr Rockliff has a 'tendency to talk about people in stereotypical terms', they concluded he did not discriminate against the chef. Employment Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto said that while the way the boss had expressed himself was 'problematic' and 'offensive, he added: 'We are quite satisfied that the reaction that Mr Rockcliff had to the events on 7 August was a sort of reaction that he would have had with anybody regardless of their race or sexual orientation. 'It was, in our view, a natural response on the part of Mr Rockcliff to be offended by the fact that an employee had walked out on the service.' But, they said that his behaviour after Mr Perez Vargas walked out of the shift could amount to harassment and was 'conduct which had the effect of violating' the claimant's dignity. EJ Gumbiti-Zimuto said that because those comments were clearly related to his race, 'we are satisfied that it related to the protected characteristic of race'. He added: 'Because the comments made reference to (Mr Perez Vargas') sexually harassing all male staff, that it also made reference to his sexual orientation and therefore, in our view, was related to sexual orientation.'
