From the Leader: Change and Continuity

Last week saw a Wokingham Borough Council by-election in the Maiden Erlegh and Whitegates ward.  The campaign was contested vigorously by all three main parties but fought in a respectful and fair way, as befitted a by-election caused by the passing of a much-admired sitting councillor.

The victory of the Lib Dem Mike Smith changes the political balance on the council.  For the last three years, the Lib Dems have led the council, but without an overall majority.  After last week’s by-election, the Lib Dems, for the first time in the history of Wokingham Borough Council, have more than half the councillors.

But though this is in many ways a momentous change, it will not alter the way in which the council functions.  

Over the last three years, decision making has required negotiation and agreement across political divides.  My intention, as leader of the council, is to continue to try to work with the other political groups, bring people together, and build consensus.  I will continue to offer chairs and vice chairs on committees to the Labour and Conservative groups.  I will continue to encourage a constructive and open exchange between the council’s executive and councillors of all parties on the overview and scrutiny committees, giving those committees the opportunity to influence policy development.

In other areas, continuity will also be more striking than change.  

We will continue to prioritize sound council finances.  Many councils are facing insolvency. By taking tough decisions in the long-term public interest, we have kept our council afloat. We will continue to resist those siren voices that put short-term political popularity first, regardless of its longer-term consequences.

Part of our financial success has come from careful husbanding of reserves, to protect us against new risks.   Part has been the result of a willingness to think long term rather than short term and engage in prevention and early intervention measures that will reduce demand for services in the years ahead and therefore control costs. Invest-to-save is a good approach to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the council’s services.  Without sound finances, we can do nothing to help the public we are here to serve.

We will also continue to focus help on those who need it most.  We will protect our adult and children’s social care budgets as much as we can and give help, wherever possible, to the disabled, those with learning difficulties, and the frail elderly.

We will continue to work in partnership.  Internally, we will foster more cross-council approaches to problem solving, and externally we will continue to work closely with other councils, with the voluntary and charitable sector, with businesses, with the University of Reading, and with the Youth Council.  The experience of the last three years has confirmed how much we all gain from working together.

And, despite the great and ongoing financial pressures we are under, we will continue to be ambitious to improve the way we serve our community.  Shortage of money inevitably limits what we can do, but it also encourages creative thinking and innovation.  We will continue to do all we can to make Wokingham borough an even better place to live and work.

Cllr Stephen Conway is the Leader of the Council