From the Leader - REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

As the local elections draw near, it is a good time to reflect on some of the good things that the council has achieved over the last two years under Lib Dem leadership.

Despite the serious challenges of inflation and rising demand for services, and even though we receive the lowest level of core revenue support from central government of any council that provides adult and children’s social care, a great deal has been done to secure a better future for us all.

We have purchased a new care home to help the frail elderly have more reasonably priced support.

We have won (in a competitive process) funding from central government to build two new schools for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

We have secured all the necessary permissions for a new solar farm in Barkham, which, when fully operational, will not only help to decarbonize the grid but also generate about £3 million a year in revenue that the council can use to support services for our residents.

We have negotiated successfully with the academy trusts that run most of our schools to ensure that a record 97% of young people have a place at one of their preferred senior schools, and an amazing 99% have a place at one of their preferred junior schools.

We have formed a new strategic partnership with the University of Reading, which will enable us to call on their research expertise to help with our climate emergency work, our town centre strategy, our jobs and skills ambitions, and our plans for arts and culture in the borough.

We have led the way in the establishment of the Berkshire Prosperity Board, which brings together the six Berkshire councils – Wokingham, Bracknell, Reading, Slough, West Berks, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead – in a partnership that enables us to bid for infrastructure projects with a greater chance of success.

We have built on our partnerships with the voluntary sector, business, faith groups, the emergency services, health providers, and the Youth Council to produce the first draft of a jointly authored Community Vision, which seeks to capture the aspirations of the people of the borough in a document that will shape the way the council sets its priorities in the years to come.

We have been given White Ribbon Accreditation, in recognition of our commitment to tackling violence against women and girls.

We are planting a new Covid Memorial Wood on land the previous administration allocated for housing development.

We have identified more than 100 green spaces, protected from development, in the new local plan, which we will be bringing to council for approval in July.

In these and many other areas, we have brought energy and enthusiasm to working for the better Wokingham that we all want.

Please support your Liberal Democrat candidates in the local elections on 2 May and help us to continue our positive work for the people and businesses of Wokingham Borough.