As your executive member for Business, Economic Development, Sport, Leisure, and the Arts I ask you to consider getting on the front foot in accepting Labour’s housing numbers…. but ON OUR TERMS
Our mission is to nurture a great place to live, learn, work, grow and a great place to do business. All these strands support each other and in unison make Wokingham Borough our wonderful home. Between us we’ve created the environment where others want to join us – they want to live in our thriving borough not anywhere else. Why send them away?
These are the new friends and neighbours that will bring new custom for our businesses. They are also bringing the potential of new businesses with new services for us all
ON OUR TERMS – the developers unlock acres of new leisure areas for us to adventure, exercise and walk our dogs.
ON OUR TERMS – this new investment reflects in the roads and infrastructure that we witness relieving the potential strain of the buzzing hub of activity that we enjoy today
ON OUR TERMS – these developments provide the means to enable massive grants from our national sports associations. This to build state of the art facilities that are becoming unique to our borough.
ON OUR TERMS – we could look to negotiate the funding support we need for support of our schools, social care
ON OUR TERMS – we can plan for business as we need enough employment land to underpin a thriving local economy.
By becoming offensive rather than defensive it changes the dynamic of challenging Labour’s housing numbers. The economy of scale puts us in the driving seat of any negotiation especially in the provision of affordable housing. This is not by coincidence it’s because we are good at what we do. We’ve created the environment where others want to join us so let’s not turn them, and this unbelievable opportunity, away.
The alternative of not on our terms would mean that a national government edict has the potential to undo all the great work we have achieved over generations in Wokingham Borough
So, I ask you to consider a new acronym YOOT! – YES, ON OUR TERMS
In the meantime, I thank everyone that has helped me get my feet under the table of my portfolio of Business, Economic Development, Sport, Leisure, and the Arts. I pledge my waking hours in doing my bit and reach out to you to help make that difference. I will keep you informed as we go but please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any comment help or feedback as we continue our journey as a borough. This to nurture a great place to live, learn, work, grow and A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS!
Mark.ashwell@wokingham.gov.uk
By Mark Ashwell
