In the past, the council produced strategies and then consulted on them. The idea of the Communities Vision is to bring in the public at the beginning, rather than the end.
A number of Wokingham Town and Borough councillors attended and contributed to the Lib Dem spring party conference in Harrogate at the weekend (21-23 March).
Liberal Democrats joined councillors of other parties in supporting the principle of not charging for car parking at sports facilities, but made clear that pressure on the council’s finances would need to be considered in future consideration.
A motion proposed by Liberal Democrat Councillor, Andy NG Siu-hong, calling for the council to write to the Deputy Prime Minister opposing the plans for a “super-embassy” of the Chinese Communist Party in London, was passed at its meeting last night.
We could all do with some good news, so I thought it might help if I listed just a few of the borough council’s recent successes.
Could you help in your local library? Recent years have seen severe and increasing pressure on all local authority budgets, including Wokingham’s. The help of volunteers in our libraries is now essential.
Most of the day-to-day contacts we get as Councillors relate to potholes, streetlights and grass cutting, which in financial terms are actually quite a small part of the services we provide.
Everyone deserves the chance to contribute. Individuals feel happier and more fulfilled, and we all benefit from tapping the talent available in our community. This has shaped the administration’s thinking on initiatives such as the Community Vision.
Last Friday, Wokingham Borough Council submitted its new Local Plan for inspector’s examination, a vital stage in the journey towards its use in determining planning applications.