Just over a year ago, a new government was elected with a landslide majority. The Conservatives were reduced to their lowest number of MPs since the modern party system emerged.
My assumption was that the Conservatives, after such a thumping defeat, would benefit from early disillusionment with the new government (which, to be fair, faced an unenviable task, inheriting decayed public services and a massive deficit in the nation’s finances).
But the Conservatives have failed to make much headway, losing votes to a new party of the far right, Reform UK.
The Liberal Democrats, by contrast, are going from strength to strength. The party secured its highest number of MPs in more than a hundred years at the 2024 general election, doing particularly well in the South, and especially in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Since then, the party has continued to prosper as both Labour and the Conservatives struggle. In this May’s local elections, the Lib Dems won 370 seats, the Conservatives 319, and Labour 98. In by-elections since the local elections, the Lib Dems have successfully defended seats and gained almost as many from other parties.
One of those gains was in Wokingham Borough, where the Lib Dems took a seat from the Conservatives in the Maiden Erlegh and Whitegates by-election in June.
Council elections are always influenced by national concerns, but they also have a distinctly local element.
In the case of the Maiden Erlegh and Whitegates by-election, the Lib Dems had a very strong local candidate in Mike Smith, a former mayor of Earley. But the Lib Dems are running Wokingham Borough Council, and in the current political mood, incumbent parties are not usually supported in by-elections.
While I would not go so far as to claim that the by-election was a vote of confidence in the Lib Dem led council, it seems fair to say that if the residents of Maiden Erlegh and Whitegates had been deeply unhappy with the way that the council was run then they would have voted in another party.
I would like to think that our general aim has appeal. As a council, we are trying to create thriving and vibrant communities, in which everyone, regardless of who they are, feels able to play their part. Inclusive communities are successful communities, as individuals can realise their potential, which helps them to lead happier and more fulfilling lives, and benefits all of us by tapping the many talents in our midst.
I would also like to think that our approach meets with general approval. In very challenging financial circumstances, we have tried to think long-term and secure value for money in the delivery of services, and we have sought to work collaboratively with other parties on the council, with users of our services, and with external partners in other organisations.
We live in turbulent times. But your borough council will calmly continue to do what it can to make Wokingham an even better place to live and work.
