From the Leader: Setting out our stall

An independent review recently rated the council as the second most efficient in the country in terms of outcomes achieved per pounds spent.

These accolades reflect the work undertaken by the Lib Dem-led council over the last four years. Here are some of the achievements and projects in the pipeline.

In a bold exercise of community empowerment, we have supported residents to produce a Communities Vision 2035, setting out the broad strategic ambitions for the council and our borough for the next decade. As part of the Communities Vision work, we have launched a successful Community Lottery to help local clubs and societies raise money.

We have learned from residents who use our services through the Social Care Futures initiative, bringing in transformative improvements, such as extending the hours of operation of bus passes for the disabled and their carers to help disabled residents take up employment opportunities.

We have developed or created partnerships with business, the voluntary and charitable sector, other councils, the academy trusts that run our schools, and the University of Reading, enabling us to pool knowledge, data, and resources to help tackle some of the borough’s challenges.

New community hubs are coming to Arborfield and Woodley, allowing residents easier access to services offered by the council and our voluntary and charitable sector partners.

Our road network is receiving an extra £5.5 million of investment. We have improved bus services in the north and the south of the borough. We have introduced new policies to improve road safety. We are working with GWR and other interested parties to improve car-parking capacity, bus connections, and cycle and pedestrian access to Twyford station.

We have ensured that a record number of our young people received a place at their preferred school.  We are building new sixth-form buildings at Emmbrook and Bohunt and have delivered extra capacity at the Piggott senior school. We have increased the number of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) places available in the borough. We are establishing a new post-sixteen SEND hub. We have opened a new library and extended the opening hours of our main library in Wokingham.

We have opened our own new children’s homes and new care homes for the elderly. We have increased specialist housing for young people leaving care and with disabilities.

The council’s new local plan increases the proportion of affordable homes required on new developments. We have already secured more Homes England grants to deliver much-needed affordable housing than any other Berkshire council.

A Covid Memorial Wood is being planted to honour the victims of the pandemic and to help meet our Climate Emergency ambitions. The new local plan seeks to protect green spaces and areas of landscape value and has cutting-edge policies on energy efficiency in new homes. We have boosted recycling rates, reducing landfill and saving money.

Linking nearly all these achievements and ambitions is an overarching objective. We want Wokingham Borough to be a place where everyone, whoever they are, has the chance to thrive. If everyone can live their best possible life and contribute to our community, we all benefit.

Please use your vote on 7 May to help us continue our work to make Wokingham an even more wonderful place to live and work.