FOR THE past 12 months, the Liberal Democrats have been running Wokingham Borough Council, thanks to a partnership agreement with Labour and the two independents. For council leader Clive Jones, it has been quite the journey.
“It has been an enormous thing for us to take over running the council,” he said. “A few years ago we had less than 10 councillors. When I was elected in 2016, we only have five, so to take over running the council was a massive achievement for us,” he says.
“We were really pleased to be able to work with other political parties to form an administration. We did offer chairs to committees to the Conservatives, but they rejected those offers – they didn’t want to make a positive contribution to the council. They actually prefer to disrupt council meetings.
“It was disappointing to read last June how they were going to interrupt speeches, and challenge the mayor’s authority. That’s not really a responsible thing to do.”
Clive feels the Lib Dems have made an impact. “We have given the council strong financial credibility, something recognised by the Local Government Association. They did a peer review before we took it over and six months after. They said there has been a palpable improvement in the way councillors and officers are working together six months into the new Lib Dem administration.”
He was also proud of the way the council had improved relationships with town and parish councils, schools, local businesses, the voluntary sector, the university, and health providers.
One of his first acts as leader was to write to the government calling on them to take action over housing numbers, while they have also approved a new library for Twyford, secured funding for two additional SEND (special needs) schools, begun work on a covid memorial wood in Rooks Nest, supported families on low incomes, among other initiatives.
“It’s been a pretty busy year for us,” he says.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Just before the election period, the two independent councillors quit the partnership accusing the Lib Dems of bullying one of them.
“We worked very well together for 11 months, and then the independents wanted us to do a few things, such as changes to the local plan, which we had been telling them for months that we weren’t able to do,” Clive explains. “So, they said it was time for us to leave as they hadn’t got what they had wanted.
“I don’t think there was any bullying whatsoever, definitely not.”
In this election, the Lib Dems will be looking to make gains, possibly enough to gain full control of the council. Why should residents trust them?
Clive says it’s because they have provided stability to the council and offered a new way of working.
“We realise we do not have a monopoly on all the good ideas, which is why we have been happy to work with other groups on the council. We will be happy to work with them after May, whatever the result,” he says.
On housing numbers, he says there are signs the government is listening and that campaign will continue, while pushing for getting more affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes built.
“Financial stability is very, very important to Liberal Democrats,” he adds. “We have balanced the books in very difficult times, we’ve prioritised need, rather than political popularity.
“When we took over the running of the council, within a couple of hours, we were told that there was a £4 million hole in the council’s budget – so much for being left a very well run financially sound council. We weren’t, we had to clear up the mess that had been left by the Conservatives.”
He adds: “There’s still much to do to continue improvements here. Liberal Democrats, if we’re elected, will continue to offer financial competence and compassion to our residents.”
The local plan, and its delayed appearance, is an election issue. Cllr Jones says the existing one runs until 2026, and they are working on the new one which they inherited. Their plans come against indications from the government that there will be changes to the way housing numbers are allocated to councils.
“It looks like we’re going to be able to take into account previous over delivery and the 5% buffer that has been imposed on councils is going to disappear,” he says. “If these two things happen – and we should know within a few weeks – then we will be able to take 2,000 homes out of the local plan. That will make a big difference.”
On increasing car parking charges, he says no one wants to make the rises, but “we were faced with a big hole in the council’s budget, with the last Conservative administration just far too optimistic about the revenue they were going to get. We had to find this extra £600,000-£800,000 to plug the hole.
“We can’t approach finances like the Conservatives did last year, just burying their heads in the sand and hope something will turn up next year and it’ll be alright. That’s not the way to be running a council.
“If the Conservatives had put modest increases in car park charges over the last five years there would not be the need to put them up as we have done.”
He said the decision had been taken after “listening very carefully” and some of the proposed increases had been reduced. Evening charges are now just £1.
Is it fair to say the Lib Dems have been listening when they ignored a petition over changes to waste collection, signed by 4,000 people? And why make changes to blue bags when the government might be forcing a different system on councils?
Clive says he can’t see the government proposals of up to seven bins per home becoming a reality, but the Lib Dems’ plans would save £1m a year and were only being introduced following a consultation which gave approval for the plans.
“Lots of residents will have read in Conservative Leaflets that Liberal Democrats are scrapping weekly waste collections. That’s just another example of the Conservatives’ very casual relationship with the truth,” he says. “There will be weekly collections of food waste, and alternate week collections of generate waste and recycling. That system is used by 85% of councils in the country and it improves recycling rates.”
What is his big vision for Wokingham? Unsurprisingly, it starts with the Lib Dems continuing to run the council.
“I don’t want to see the Conservatives coming back into power in Wokingham and it’s my belief that the vast majority of the residents of Wokingham do not want to see the Conservatives coming back into power,” he says.
“Local Conservatives are becoming just like the national Conservatives. They can’t be trusted to be honest and truthful with the electorate.
“I want to see political parties continuing to work together for the collective good for all our residents.
“I want a council that listens and consults properly with residents and improved resident services making it easier for them to access services from both digital and non-digital channels.
“We need a council leadership with a proven record of financial competency and the leadership that will not shy away from taking difficult and unpopular decisions to ensure the financial stability and viability of the council.”
He feels that after a year in power, Wokingham is now in a much better financial situation, something achieved despite inflation being over 10%, and Wokingham being the lowest funded unitary authority in the UK.
“The average local authority gets an extra £30 million a year more than Wokingham. Imagine what we could spend that on – schools, adult social care, more cycleways, potholes and resurfacing of roads.”
And the budget is an issue. He says the Conservatives took £2.3 million out of general reserves to plug a hole in their revenue budget, which meant there wasn’t enough in reserves for this to be done again.
“We had to make savings and change the way the council was working to plug that gap,” he says. “We didn’t have the luxury of being able to carry on with the deficit they had. We have put the finances right.
“Liberal Democrats believe very, very strongly in sound finances, and I would say we are much, much better at running the council’s finances than the Conservatives have been in the last couple of years.”
He continues: “Residents should vote Liberal Democrat because we will continue to suggest ways that the government can reduce housing numbers, and we can have more affordable housing.
“Hopefully we will continue to make some progress here.
“Liberal Democrats can be trusted to ensure that the council has a balanced budget and sound financial management. We have demonstrated this over the last year.
“Liberal Democrats care about the least well off, and those who, through no fault of their own, are struggling in the current cost of living crisis.
“We will work with others to create conditions in which everyone in our community, regardless of their background, has an opportunity to realise their full potential and lead happy and fulfilled lives.”
