r/realbracknell

The director of a luxury hotel has warned a steep rise in business rates will put pressure on his business and could force others in the hospitality sector to close.

Jason McKelvie said Stirrups Hotel could see its annual rates rise by almost £150,000 over the next three years, following the changes announced in October's Budget.

The independent hotel in Maiden's Green, Bracknell, Berkshire, is appealing the rise but McKelvie expects the process to take about six months due to a backlog in the system.

The Treasury said it was "backing the high street by reforming business rates" with a £4.3bn support package and was capping bills for businesses that's rates have risen.

McKelvie said: "It's a huge jump for us. We employ 29 full time, six part time and then plenty of casual workers – students – hospitality is a huge employer in the UK but our industry has seemed to be unduly targeted on taxes at the moment."

Stirrups is a small independent hotel, that has been family-run for 36 years. McKelvie explained it doesn't have the resources larger chain hotels have and that smaller players that will be hit hardest.

He added the rate increases "will sink a lot of people" if there is no change.

The plight of the hotel was highlighted by Cllr Gareth Barnard during his state of the borough address to Bracknell Forest Council on 13 May.

It is currently receiving transitional relief but McKelvie said that when relief ends in 2029/30, the business could face an additional £7,000 per month in business rates over a 10-month period compared to what it paid last year.

He described the increase as a "huge hit".

"It is sitting over our heads and completely curtails our investment plans and, as with most others in hospitality, we are reducing staffing where we can and are chasing other efficiencies," he said.

"We have had multiple hits in a short period of time post Covid, from national insurance, living wage, energy costs and now business rates and its causing a huge negative impact on our industry as a whole.

"What we desperately need is a VAT cut in hospitality to 10-12% like the European average.

"We could then afford all of these extra costs and it would give us the confidence to continue investing and growing as a business (and as an industry)."

Cllr Tony Virgo, a regular customer of Stirrups, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was "absolutely astonished" at the increases.

"We should be helping businesses, not lumbering them with a huge tax bill.

"I know this is a decision made in central government, but it will affect the local community because they won't be spending the money on investment or staff."

A HM Treasury spokesperson said: "We have the right economic plan - we're backing the high street by reforming business rates, with a £4.3bn support package to limit bills rises, capping Corporation Tax at 25%, cutting red tape and taking action on the cost of living to boost the sector."

Most businesses that have seen increases in their valuations, following the independent assessment by the Valuation Office, will see bills capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

As a result warehouses used by online giants pay a 33% higher tax rate than small high street properties.

Everyone walking NPC and one girl dressed like Morpheus

A woman who had a large part of her stomach removed after a negligent GP failed to see her in person spoke of her 'rage' at seeing the doctor had fled to India afterwards.

Oriana McDonald had found a lump on her stomach and discovered her temperature was 36.6C, so she went to see a local GP, Dr Nupur Mittal.

The 57-year-old told how Dr Mittal was stood at a sink in her room at the Waterfield Practice in Bracknell, Berkshire, for the entire 'two minute' consultation on July 6 2018.

Oriana told the Daily Mail: 'I would have been in the room for two minutes, less than two minutes. She was able to diagnose me from the other end of the room, with her back to me and said 'antibiotics', 'cellulitis'.

'I was like, 'you didn't even touch me, take my temperature', she recalled. 'She was not interested in the least.'

Dr Mittal should have been supervised during the appointment, because there were previous patients who had complained, but she was not, Oriana said.

Despite taking the antibiotics, three days later Oriana had begun to feel worse and called the practice again, where she spoke to Dr Mittal on the phone.

'She said, 'I will give you another antibiotic, if it gets any worse you might have to phone the hospital'. She didn't really care, she was definitely not interested at all.'

Oriana had reported the redness on her stomach had spread, she was sweating and she could not move. Her partner, Ian Gale, became increasingly concerned and called for an ambulance on July 11 2018.

Mr Gale, who is a wheelchair user, said he was unable to get to the hospital, but that he spoke to a doctor, who informed him Oriana was facing 'life or death surgery'.

Oriana was diagnosed with a very large abscess or cyst on the abdominal wall with signs of sepsis.

Medics suspected necrotising fasciitis, known as the 'flesh-eating disease', which is a rare and life-threatening infection that starts in a wound. She had radical surgery which removed a large amount of tissue from her stomach.

'I have got a scar going from my hip bone to my hip bone, from left to right to left, it took over a year to heal completely', she said, adding she often feels conscious of the scar and it makes wearing clothes difficult.

Oriana told how she only began to think of pursuing compensation against Dr Mittal two years after the event.

'I was just happy to be alive and coping and then I was talking with Ian and I was like, 'I'm not happy unless she is struck off', because I did not want it to happen to anybody else.

'We wanted to save anyone else from what I have gone through, the next one might have been dead.'

The couple instructed BLV Law solicitors and launched a civil claim in medical negligence against Dr Mittal, but the doctor failed to respond to any of their correspondence and did not attend court.

In Dr Mittal's absence, they were awarded a total of £128,204.30 including damages, legal costs and interest.

The court found her liable for medical negligence as she failed to diagnose Oriana, which caused her injuries.

They only learned Dr Mittal had left the UK to go to India when they sought to secure the debt against her home in Reading and Dr Mittal's husband, who is also a GP, responded to object.

On learning Dr Mittal had gone to India, Oriana said: 'I did feel a bit of rage towards her.

'If she had just diagnosed this in the first place I would have had a two-inch scar.'

Ian added: 'She was just burying her head in the sand, she was just hiding from everything and running away from it.

'A doctor doing their job, I know they are very busy, they haven't always got the time, but when they do get to see a patient, they need to see that patient.'

Dr Mittal, who now runs a practice in India, was contacted for comment and said she was appealing the case against her.

She had interim restrictions placed on her practice by the General Medical Council since February 2016, but these were replaced with an interim suspension following an interim orders tribunal (IOT) at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in June 2024, preventing her from practising and treating patients.

At a further IOT hearing on November 21 last year, the interim suspension was ordered to remain in place, subject to review.

A GMC spokesman said: 'The GMC is investigating Dr Nupur Mittal. While this is ongoing Dr Mittal is interim suspended, which means she cannot treat patients.'

With one year to go until the May 2027 elections, Bracknell Forest party leaders used the council meeting to defend their records and preview their pitches to voters.

Conservative leader Cllr Gareth Barnard declared "bring on May 2027" as he challenged the Labour administration and set out a Conservative vision of "Hope, Opportunity and Integrity".

He said the borough has seen "a significant deterioration in the look and feel of our Borough" under Labour, citing unkept verges, overflowing bins, cuts to bus services, rising graffiti and fly-tipping in rural parishes.

Barnard also raised cost‑of‑living pressures and soaring business rates hitting local firms such as Stirrups Hotel and Sibit and Doodles, warned Bracknell Forest has received "the lowest amount in Government funding of any unitary authority" and faces real‑terms cuts. He pledged to use AI and assistive tech to cut social care costs, finish town‑centre regeneration including the Deck, deliver the Buckler's Park special school, replace the sports and leisure centre, improve planning consultation and run a borough "spring‑clean".

The Conservatives said they would speed up pothole repairs, hold utility companies to account for road damage and live within budgets while focusing on front‑line services and cutting red tape.

Labour hit back, saying the party had already delivered more homes, outstanding children's services, a SEND school and invested millions in roads. A Labour spokesperson said: "Bracknell Conservatives had 26 years in charge to deliver on these promises - and they failed completely. That's why residents rewarded them with a wholehearted defeat in 2023. Perhaps Mr Barnard hopes we had all forgotten: we haven't."

They added: "In 2027 Bracknell Labour will be fighting on our record: investing millions in fixing our roads, building more social homes for local people, delivering outstanding children's services and actually funding a SEND school. Bring it on."

Cllr Barnard also criticised the council's handling of the former mayor's conviction, saying Labour showed "no apology, no sense of owning the issue or taking responsibility". He called for an independent audit of partner organisations protecting women and girls and demanded "action not a charter".

Lib Dem leader Mike Forster stressed protecting services like healthcare, attracting high‑skill tech jobs and safeguarding the environment, and warned that fear of crime remains high. He said: "A major survey found that two‑thirds of teenagers worry about becoming victims of violence." He added: "Violence against women and girls remains a national emergency, and one that demands constant action."

Cllr Barnard ended by restating his call for voters to decide between Labour's direction and the Conservative blueprint at the May 2027 elections.

3. Bracknell - 13.9%

This commuter town has still seen a drop in prices. According to data analysed for the Telegraph by property firm TwentyCi, there has been a decrease of approximately 13.9 per cent, or £67,181, making the average approximately £386,000.

As a growing number of Labour MPs are coming out against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with some calling for him to resign and others urging him to set out a timetable for his departure some 109 Labour MPs including Bracknell MP Peter Swallow have signed a statement that reads: "Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

"That job needs to start today - with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs. We must focus on that.

"This is no time for a leadership contest."

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They seem to be letting go of a lot of family-sized properties to auction for unknown reasons! Is there some hidden agenda? First, it started out with that family in Aysgarth, and they are selling so many of their places. The state of the housing list, they should be working on improving them to reduce the list, investing in the little stock they already have rather than just removing it altogether.

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Several areas are said to be affected, including Larks Hill Park in
Warfield, Watersplash Lane, Mill Pond, Martins Heron, North Lake and
South Hill Park. 

People have also spotted the rodents coming out of the hedges at the former Homebase site in Wokingham Road.

It is believed the rats are breeding here because of milder winters
and rich food sources, however a single source of the problem has not
been identified.

Villagers have reported seeing rats as big as 30cm in length,
including in broad daylight, with one resident claiming she saw 20
during one outing when she took her dog for a walk.

People have also raised fears about letting their children play or cycle in the area because of the increasing population.

David Perez, 40, of the Orchids estate, said: "Twenty neighbours have reported it to the council.

"There [are many] coming from Lark Hill and they are in Watersplash Lane.

"That road is infested with rats. They are huge.

"The issue is in Warfield Primary School and it’s used on a daily basis for the school run.

"It has been going on for a few months."

Mr Perez, who has two children, said he is worried the rat population will reach his estate.

He has reported the issued using the council's online form on their website.

He said: "They must be multiplying because it has become a real problem.

"I'm worried they are going to go to the estate looking for food.

"Our kids cycle in that area but we are not letting them now because it is a big problem. 

"I used to walk my dog there but I am not taking that path anymore. They might have rabies."

Concerns have also been raised about rats breeding in Mill Pond, which has caused worry among residents.

Isabella Lloyd, who lives in Wildridings, said: "There are so many rats in Mill Pond especially near the McDonald's.

"I've seen massive grey rats with their large tails running across the
park into the water and they gross me out when I am walking my dog.

"It just makes me worried about all of the germs they carry especially as so many children play at the park there."

Another resident, who wished to be anonymous, said the rats in Mill
Pond 'run in front' of people's feet and that she sees them in large
groups.

She said: "I walk down Moor Pond and there are a lot of them. They are not even bothered. 

"It's every single day [I see them].

"I am now worried about taking the dog out there.

"I have walked around there for years and I have lived in the same house for 16 years.

"This year they are unbelievable.

"I never used to see rats but now there are 20 at a time, maybe even more.

"The problem has exploded.

"One side of the Mill Pond is marsh and they have all been hiding in there.

"That was my first assumption. But even on the other side the rats are
everywhere. I do not know how the council would tackle that. These
things do carry diseases."

The mum, who lives in Fountains Garth, added that is makes her feel
'uncomfortable' and has become more wary about letting her son visit the
nearby skatepark.

She added: "It’s awful. It seems bizarre (how many there are)."

Another resident said the rats chewed through the wooden supports of her windows and through the base of her brick wall.

She said: "We needed to fill the hole with poison and cement to stop them.

"They are also in Braybrooke Park around the pond.

"We think that keeping chickens also attracts them on Garth."

Stephen Chown, head of natural estates at Bracknell Forest Council, said they are investigating concerns 'where appropriate'.

He said: “We are aware of reports of rat sightings in several
locations across Bracknell Forest in recent months, including parks and
open spaces.

“Rats are common in both urban and semi-rural areas.

"They are usually attracted to places where food and shelter are available.

"This can include areas with accessible waste, dense vegetation, or outbuildings.

"They are more likely to nest in sheltered locations than in open parkland.

“The council manages pest issues on land it owns or maintains.

"Where rat activity is identified, action can be taken. In some areas,
particularly newer developments, land remains the responsibility of
developers or management companies.

"In those cases, they are responsible for pest control.

“We will continue to monitor the situation at our sites, and carry out checks in areas where concerns have been raised.

"We also encourage residents to reduce potential food sources, such as unsecured waste or bird feeders.”

The Public Protection Partnership has said they have noticed a 'high
number of queries' regarding the rat issue and advise residents to
report it to the council using their online form.

The TV presenter, 50, who lives in a £1.5million rural home on the outskirts of Bracknell in Berkshire, raged at those responsible for the large piles of overflowing bin bags which have remained on the road for at least five days.

The "Gail's effect" is a phenomenon where the opening of a Gail's Bakery branch signals rapid gentrification and increasing property values in a UK neighborhood. It acts as an indicator of growing affluence, much like the "Waitrose effect", a similar, older term coined for attracting higher-income residents and wealthier, corporate tenants to an area.

Gail's opened five years ago. Waitrose has been there for fifteen. The Lexicon opened nearly ten years ago. The town centre may seem a more pleasant stroll on a Saturday afternoon but it has been a failure of an investment by every social and economic measure.

I spend ten minutes searching and could not find any critical remarks from the MP on his party or council. Can you find any?