It is now four years since I took on the role of leader of the opposition on Wokingham Borough Council. During this time, the ruling Conservatives have had four different leaders.
It has been an interesting journey. Back in October 2016 there were only five Lib Dem Councillors, now there are 15, thanks to you. As a result, the role of opposition has increased.
Initially my role was to oppose the ruling group on issues we disagreed with and to provide residents with a voice to express their concerns. This included the destruction of Elms Field and I am sure many of you will remember the chaotic traffic jams that occurred around Wokingham and beyond.
Now it still needs the Lib Dem group to oppose proposals which have no logic, or have not been thought through, have not been costed properly, or in some cases no costings have been provided at all, as we did recently with what we now call Sackgate.
We are now more prepared to support actions of the council that make sense. For example I have praised the council for its work during the Covid-19 pandemic and the introduction of its protocol to prevent older residents being discharged from hospital in to nursing homes without an indication that they themselves were clear of the virus. This has saved lives and should be applauded – WBC was the first council in the country to enact such a protocol.
More recently we have supported and encouraged the council to purchase up to 1,000 Covid-19 tests for use in emergencies in our borough, in our schools, care homes and for local key workers. These all made sense.
I will continue this approach while I remain leader of the opposition. I will not oppose for the sake of opposing. That is not leadership.
This coming year, for the first time in nearly 20 years, there is an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats to take some form of control of the council. My role has therefore further changed.
It is to provide you with a clear alternative to the Conservatives who, in my opinion, have become far too arrogant and complacent with a “we know best” approach. No one has all the answers.
I have structured the Lib Dem team on Wokingham Borough Council, so that we have lead members in key areas, often supported by two deputies. We are building a team that we believe is capable of running the council. We will listen to what you really want, and not what “they” want you to have. We need to offer a range of proposals, so you can see what we could do.
One of my first actions would be to deal with the escalating debt that the council has racked up over the past five years.
The forecast level of borrowing by WBC (i.e. debt) is now projected to be over £700 million by March 2021, having substantially increased from around £50 million only a few years ago. This figure is contained within Wokingham Borough Council’s own Budget papers dating from February, so this is the projected level of debt as at March 2021.
There are some 70,000 residential properties in the borough. If you divide the total debt by these homes you get a figure of £10,000. This is the level of debt that each council tax payer (on average) has been exposed to. It is you, the council tax payer who is the last resort should something go wrong.
We are in difficult financial times as a result of Covid-19, added to by actions of our Government and WBC. Financial arrangements that may have been possible in good times now look less favourable. This could result in added pressure on the council’s finances and make it harder for any necessary pay-ments to cover the borrowing. I believe action needs to be taken now to prevent any significant problems.
Should we have the honour to be elected to be in control of the council next May, one of my first acts would be to CONTROL, CONSOLIDATE and, in time, CUT this dangerous level of DEBT.
This debt hangs like a heavy weight over all the services the council provides. The need to finance it reduces our ability to provide our much needed and wanted local services to you our local residents.
I will be expanding on our service proposals and ideas we have for WBC over the coming months.
I hope you will like them.
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, leader of the opposition at Wokingham Borough Council
