Latest news with #Theale
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Jobs still at risk after John Lewis depot in Theale closes
Several John Lewis workers at a delivery site are still facing uncertainty after it closed last company confirmed in March the hub in Theale, Berkshire, would shut.A spokesperson said more than half of the site's 75 workers - who are employed through a trust and known as partners - had found new roles or chosen to retire, but the others were "still going through internal interview processes"."Regardless of their next steps, all partners have been given our full support throughout," the spokesperson said. They said the Theale site had closed because it no longer met the company's needs."This wasn't a decision we took lightly, and we've since worked hard to find new roles for those impacted," they repeated requests from the BBC, John Lewis would not confirm how many people were being made redundant as a result of the company said there would be no noticeable impact for the start of 2024, John Lewis said it was planning workforce cuts over the next five years to save money. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
John Lewis flats scheme in Reading will overwhelm GPs, NHS warns
Plans to build hundreds of flats in a town centre risk overwhelming GP surgeries, NHS officials have Lewis Partnership is awaiting planning permission to turn a former warehouse in Theale, Berkshire, into 215 rental homes, which will house up to 614 people, in a mix of one, two and three-bed health service said local doctors were already too stretched to cope with an influx of new patients.A spokesperson for John Lewis Partnership said: "Our priority is ensuring our proposals directly support the local community." The NHS's opposition was laid out in a letter to local planning officials, which said: "None of the GP practices in the local area would have the capacity to accommodate new patients generated from the proposed development."The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), which is the NHS body responsible for running local hospital trusts, said nearby GP practices were already over BOB ICB said it had secured a site for a new healthcare facility near to the it said it needed an extra £185,000 to help open the are ongoing between John Lewis and officials to potentially plug this Lewis Partnership said: "Having been a committed part of the Reading community for 50 years, our priority is ensuring our proposals directly support the local community."As part of our discussions with Reading council we will agree the payment which councils normally receive from developments to fund local services and infrastructure."A spokesperson for Reading council said: "We are aware of the request from the NHS and are working with the applicant to achieve the right outcome for Reading and its residents, which may include additional funding to help meet identified public health needs in the area."If approved, construction could start in early 2026. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
