By Cllr Pauline Jorgensen
Thank you to everyone across the Borough who voted in the elections earlier this month.
It was the first all-out elections in the Borough in more than 20 years, along new boundaries, and I am grateful to the Council staff for their hard work in organising it.
In a number of wards turnout was higher than last year this is great news because without voting, your voice can’t be heard.
Local Government is important and local elections matter. They effect vital universal services without which we couldn’t go about our daily lives, such as bins, road sweeping, parks. And they effect services that protect and care for the most vulnerable people in our community.
Around the world democracy is sadly under threat and it is important that we don’t take hard-won freedoms for granted.
Although Conservatives lost some hard-working sitting councillors I am delighted that we gained nine new members to our Group and in total 19 Conservative councillors were elected.
Across the Borough our share of the vote increased on our performance last year and in some wards we made gains.
Wokingham Borough voters have again delivered a Council of no overall control. No party has a majority. This is not the result that was expected by Wokingham Liberal Democrats.
We know that voters are unhappy about a number of issues.
You told us time and again, on the doorstep, in surveys and by signing petitions that you are not happy about the ever-spiralling cost of parking, fees and charges increasing at double the rate of inflation, alongside an increase potholes, and reductions in Council Services.
The Liberal Democrats’ reductions to Council services come despite the Council receiving £23.8 million more in Core Spending than it did two years ago when the Conservatives left office.
We didn’t reduce residents’ services with less money so they shouldn’t be doing it either.
From this summer your weekly bin collection will move to fortnightly and we are expecting the publication of the Liberal Democrats’ long awaited Local Plan.
The Conservative group will continue to work hard for residents, listen to you, and hold the ruling group to account on your behalf.
As we have over the last year, we will support the administration when we believe it is in the best interest of residents. But we intend to continue to scrutinise their actions, ensure they explain themselves when they break their promises, and offer an alternative when we disagree.
The administration may not like it, but it is our duty to call them out when they fail to be transparent with residents.
I have said that leadership is about making decisions.
In their time in office, there have been too many times where instead of offering leadership on important issues, the Liberal Democrats have sought to duck responsibility, they blame someone else, claim to have no choice or hide behind process and bureaucracy.
I am proud that the Conservative group produced a full and transparent election manifesto which explained our policies and what we would do differently from the Lib Dems.
Unfortunately, we don’t see the same from other parties.
In 2022, election campaign neither the Lib Dems nor Labour mentioned their plans to reduce bin collections or put-up parking charges.
Last year, the Lib Dems failed to mention they intended to reduce the number of litter bins and reduce other services like street cleaning and grass cutting before the 2023 elections.
I hope, rather than believe, there will be no nasty surprises for residents this year.
We will carry on raising these issues because we know they are important to residents.
Despite the Liberal Democrats’ habit of ignoring consultations and petitions from residents – on parking charge increases, on weekly waste collection and on development to name a few – we will continue to bring the voice of residents to the Council Chamber whenever the Liberal Democrats seek to shut local people out.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen is the leader of Wokingham Conservatives and ward member for Hillside
