From the Chamber: May's Local Elections

From the media you would think that following the local elections at the beginning of May, Reform have taken over local government and are about to change the world.   All the talk is of how badly the Conservatives and Labour did, and how Nigel Farage could be the next PM.   Reform itself is making a lot of noise, saying they will roll back diversity and equality, stop work to combat climate change, prevent staff working from home, keep immigrants out of their area, get rid of council officers earning over £100,000, reduce council tax, fill all the potholes, and even collect the bins more often.

People voted for Reform out of despair or out of longing for hope, having given up on Labour and the Tories.  Both those parties have let them down.  For 50 years people have been told, falsely, that they can have both low taxes and good public services.  And that the public sector is bloated and inefficient.  Both Labour and the Tories have over-promised and under-delivered nationally and locally.  Things have got worse, rather than better.  It is no surprise then that people have a negative view of councils and a low opinion of councillors.  The world is not in a good place.  People are finding life hard.  Simple messages like those from Reform, which promise easy solutions, are alluring.

I fear people are going to be sadly disappointed when it turns out that Reform’s promises are completely unworkable, unrealistic and undeliverable, leaving aside that many of them are uncaring, unpleasant and undesirable.  In fact, their pledges are already beginning to unravel.   It turns out Lincolnshire had no Diversity Officers who could be sacked.  Durham doesn’t have enough office space for all its staff.  National planning policy and planning rules will ultimately scupper their attempts to stop wind and solar farms.  Several Reform councillors have already resigned – or been found to be ineligible to stand to be councillors….

Meanwhile, behind those headlines, there is the party who came second in the local elections, quietly getting on with gaining councillors and gaining councils, beating both Labour and the Conservatives, despite getting next to no coverage in the media.  Yes, the Liberal Democrats.   

While Labour and the Conservatives both seem to be moving to the right to compete with Reform, the Liberal Democrats have stayed true to our liberal values.  We fought hard and people across the country supported us.  While Reform have 10 councils we are now running 40, and are in ruling coalitions in a further 30.  We understand local government – I don’t think it is any coincidence that of the 7 councils up for the Municipal Journal’s “Council of the Year” award this year, 6 are either run by the Lib Dems or by the Lib Dems in coalition with others.  

Above all we understand that there are no easy answers, no magic wands and no magic money trees.  We know that honesty and hard work, with and for our communities, are what’s required to run councils successfully.  That’s what we have been trying to do in Wokingham.   And that’s what we are going to continue to do.

Cllr Prue Bray is Deputy Leader of the Council, Executive Member for Children's Services and Ward member for Winnersh