By Cllr Prue Bray
There is no getting away from the fact that there is quite a lot of doom and gloom in the news when it comes to local government.
Whether it’s Birmingham effectively declaring itself bankrupt, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in schools, difficulties with Special Educational Needs funding, pressures on adult social care, or lack of affordable housing or simply inflation, everything seems to be going in the wrong direction.
And when residents are struggling with inflation themselves, and yet have to pay increased charges for council services, while changes are being made to save money, it isn’t surprising that they start to question what it is that the council does with all that Council Tax they pay.
All in all, it is a pretty dismal picture.
But there is hope.
In Wokingham Borough, the council may be strapped for cash, but the hard decisions we have been making are giving us the best chance of weathering the storms.
In the short term some of those decisions have been unpopular, but we are determined to do the right thing, not the easy thing.
We need to make the council’s finances sustainable for the long term. And we believe we are succeeding.
We also see the financial challenges as a tool to bring change.
For example, we are revolutionising our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities services. Change was already happening but budget pressures have forced us to go harder and faster than originally planned.
It will still take time, but in two or three years we believe we will not only be financially sustainable but also offer a far better service to the borough’s children.
And we are also bringing about a cultural shift.
The council has been acting in splendid isolation for long enough. As Lib Dems, we are keen on involving people in the decisions that affect them, and in making sure the voice of all parts of the community is heard.
We believe in working with others in partnership.
That is what we are now doing, and there are signs that this approach is improving relationships between the council and other organisations in the borough.
As part of this new outward-looking approach, we have started work on a community vision for the future of the Borough. In the past the council has put forward community visions which have seen the world solely through the council’s eyes. T This time we are working in partnership with a number of organisations and community representatives to collectively put together a vision which genuinely reflects what our residents, businesses and community organisations want. This is a real opportunity to change for the better.
So despite all that doom and gloom, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Cllr Prue Bray is the deputy leader of Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Winnersh
