• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    The specialist school was meant to be funded through the government?s Safety Valve scheme.

    Clarity sought for Crowthorne school

    TRIPPS Removals is launching a new Moving Stories campaign, which will recognise and celebrate individuals across Berkshire who make a difference in their communities. Picture: Tripps Removals

    Berkshire heroes to be celebrated with Moving Stories awards

    The annual summer garden party.

    Blandy & Blandy celebrates successful year

    Arborfield garden centre Henry Street will celebrate 40 years of growing in July. Picture: Henry Street Garden Centre

    Henry Street Garden Centre celebrates 40 years

    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    Hurst

    Hurst residents fight against plans to build homes on green field

    Lucky Saint

    How Dads can get a free Father’s Day pint in Wokingham on Sunday

    Bungalow in Finchampstead, Billing Avenue

    Bungalow in Finchampstead left in ruins following large explosion as man arrested on suspicion of arson

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    Amadou Mbengue

    Championship clubs circle to sign Reading FC defender Amadou Mbengue

    Reading FC

    Reading FC appoint new goalkeeper coach

    Yakou Meite

    Reading FC fans favourite released by Cardiff City

    Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

    Berkshire Football awards.

    Football in Berkshire shortlist revealed

    Chem Campbell

    Reading FC miss out on transfer target to fellow League One club

    Mark Bowen

    Former head of football at Reading FC lands new job

    Peter Markwick

    It’s top of the championship for Wokingham racing driver

    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    The specialist school was meant to be funded through the government?s Safety Valve scheme.

    Clarity sought for Crowthorne school

    TRIPPS Removals is launching a new Moving Stories campaign, which will recognise and celebrate individuals across Berkshire who make a difference in their communities. Picture: Tripps Removals

    Berkshire heroes to be celebrated with Moving Stories awards

    Arborfield garden centre Henry Street will celebrate 40 years of growing in July. Picture: Henry Street Garden Centre

    Henry Street Garden Centre celebrates 40 years

    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A series of short horror films made by local filmmakers will be shown at Reading's Biscuit Factory on July 17. Picture: Alexander Krivitskiy via Unsplash

    Local filmmakers bring spooky horror shorts to Reading Biscuit Factory

    A new initiative from People Planet Pint members hopes to see Wokingham become a plastic-free zone. Picture: Tanvi Sharma via Unsplash

    Naturally speaking: Hopes for a plastic-free Wokingham

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A new initiative from People Planet Pint members hopes to see Wokingham become a plastic-free zone. Picture: Tanvi Sharma via Unsplash

    Naturally speaking: Hopes for a plastic-free Wokingham

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

    The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

    New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

    Interactive games hosted by Climate Fresk will offer a fun way to better understand climate change and biodiversity. Here Elizabeth Corse explains the games to visitors. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Love games and the planet?

    MP Yuam Yang outside the takeaway.

    MP says sorry for social media post

    The restaurant promises to be a 'vibrant' location and social hub.

    Date set for new restaurant opening

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A series of short horror films made by local filmmakers will be shown at Reading's Biscuit Factory on July 17. Picture: Alexander Krivitskiy via Unsplash

    Local filmmakers bring spooky horror shorts to Reading Biscuit Factory

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

    Steam railways

    Steam specials to depart from Reading in railway’s 200th year

    BWCB, here in rehearsal, will perform a night of movie music in July. Picture BWCB

    Enjoy a film music night for charity

    An afternoon of jazz and afternoon tea will raise funds for The Cowshed in July. Picture: Zeno Aras via Unsplash

    Uplifting July jazz afternoon promises to fizz in Waltham St Lawrence

    The Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival is taking place at Highfield Park, Hook, from 2.30pm-10.30pm on Saturday, July 5.

    Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival to return in July

    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

    Hillbilly Moon Explosion

    Swiss rockabilly band Hillbilly Moon Explosion to perform at Face Bar in Reading next month

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

FROM THE CANDIDATE: Hearing first hand your serious concerns about the state of the country

By Clive Jones

by Guest contributor
July 1, 2023
in Opinion
A ballot box from the 2022 local elections Picture: Phil Creighton

A ballot box from the 2022 local elections Picture: Phil Creighton

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In the warm weather it has been great to be out and about meeting so many neighbours and friends.

I get the occasional day off to play golf and will shortly be playing in a charity golf day in aid of a local charity Sport in Mind.

I was in Parliament this week to collect some of the auction prizes. This is a bottle of House of Commons whisky signed by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and others signed by the Speaker of the Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, Theresa May, and Sir Ed Davey.

Many people know me as a local Councillor and as the Leader of Wokingham Borough Council until I stepped down recently. I have recently been pleased to meet residents while out and about in the new constituency.

I have heard first hand from constituents who have shared with me about their serious concerns about the way the country is being led by the government. Of course, people have mentioned to me the dreadful state of our economy, the cost-of-living crisis, and the continuing crisis affecting the NHS and Social Care.

Everyone knows that our MP, Sir John Redwood, was unbelievably supportive of the economic policies of former Prime Minister Liz Truss and former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. Sir John said that measures in their budget were “sensible”.

Related posts

Man wanted in connection with three burglaries in Wokingham and Winnersh

Police provide update on minibus crash where six-year-old boy was killed

Cost of living Crisis

The extremely damaging consequences of these supposedly “sensible” measures are now being felt by everyone paying mortgages, hoping to be able to do so, or whose rents depend upon their property owners paying a mortgage on it. The Bank of England raised interest rates to 5% last week, and many people think that they will go to 6% over the next few months. This is all pushing prices up.

More and more people in Wokingham and surrounding areas are struggling to cope with rising food and energy costs. Far too many people are having to rely on food banks to help them feed their families.

They are struggling to pay energy bills which have more than doubled in the last year, to keep a roof over their heads and they are worried about how they will be able to afford essentials.

Royal Berkshire hospital and the NHS

Local people are also very disappointed that the plan to build a new Royal Berkshire Hospital has stalled. It is often hard to get a GP appointment and impossible to get one with an NHS dentist.

Our NHS staff are wonderful, but many of them are not well looked after, they do not have the resources needed to do their jobs properly and there are a very big staff shortages throughout the NHS.

It is way past the time to address the shortage of doctors and other health care professionals; the current government is failing to do this.

The efforts of people with caring responsibilities are often not recognised and professional carers are paid very poorly. There is still a crisis in social care despite recent Prime Ministers promising to fix the problems. This often leads to more people going into hospital and staying longer than is necessary because there is nowhere for them to go.

Make this John Redwood’s last election as our MP

Finally, I should say that many people ask me if I think that I can win here and replace John Redwood? Well, I have been saying that I wouldn’t be out calling on so many doors in this sunshine if I didn’t think that I could win.

But seriously, what is clear is that the choice here will be between me and John Redwood.

I led the Lib Dems to the control of Wokingham Borough Council in May 2022: we now have 26 Councillors compared to 22 for the Conservatives. There are only five Labour Councillors, no Greens, and most supporters of these two parties are promising to lend me their support when the General Election comes along.

So, thank you for reading this. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me and any of the team of local Lib Dem Councillors.

We work for every local community from Remenham and Wargrave, Hurst, Charvil and Twyford, to Winnersh, Embrook and Evendons and Wescott and to Finchampstead, Wokingham Without, Arborfield and Swallowfield and everyone who lives here in our borough.

Cllr Clive Jones is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Wokingham and former Leader of Wokingham Borough Council, [email protected]

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: Clive Jonesclive jones wokinghamWokinghamwokingham berkshireWokingham boroughWokingham Borough CouncilWokingham Borough Council car parkswokingham borough newswokingham care homewokingham librarywokingham newsWokingham ukwoky
Previous Post

YOUR GARDEN IN JULY: Shade in the heat of the Sun

Next Post

Climate stripes feature on landmarks across the Ding

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

Wokingham MP Clive Jones Picture: Andrew Batt

MP to talk about his first year

June 11, 2025
Wokingham Methodist Church

Church Notes: Strength in weakness

June 10, 2025
Mark Bowen

Former head of football at Reading FC lands new job

June 10, 2025
One of the trees off Easthampstead Road. Pic: Andrew Batt.

‘Safety’ cited for footpath closures

June 10, 2025
Over 350,000 people in the region had been treated for seven common conditions without the need to visit a GP since the programme was launched in January last year.

Pharmacy First initiative sees over 350,000 consultations in first year

June 9, 2025
The Arts Society Wokingham looks at the work of Gertrude Jekyll this month. Picture: Sue Whitehead

‘Remember that in a garden we are painting a picture’

June 10, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: [email protected], or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.