By Cllr Clive Jones
I’ve spent a lot of time talking to residents across the borough over the last few months. I’ve attended countless meetings and have had a very large number of doorstep conversations. I can honesty say that I have listened and learned.
What has encouraged me is how many people are very positive about the Liberal Democrats’ running of the borough council. I’ve encountered lots of residents – from Barkham to Twyford and from Wokingham Without to Woodley – who have noticed the difference we have made and approve of what we have been doing.
After 20 years of Conservative control, the residents of the borough voted for change in May 2022. They gave no party an overall majority, but as the council had to function, a new administration was formed, in which the Liberal Democrats were given support by councillors of other parties and none.
A year is a short time to put right all that needed to be corrected, but we have made a start and hope that you will enable us to continue our work to make Wokingham borough a better place to live and work.
We couldn’t have achieved what we have done without the help of others. I want to thank council officers for their hard work and commitment to public service. I want also to thank all our external partners, who have worked with us so fruitfully over the last year – the voluntary and charitable sector, which has been vital to our work to tackle the local manifestations of the cost-of-living crisis; the town and parish councils, whose members possess invaluable local knowledge and expertise that we need if we are to be effective; our schools and the university; the Youth Council, which has given us invaluable insights into young people’s perspectives; local businesses, which are the lifeblood of our communities; and the police, fire service, and health providers, on whom we all rely.
Wokingham is full of good people who care about others. The generosity shown in helping us to raise money and mobilize people-power to tackle the cost-of-living crisis has been truly uplifting. I want to thank all those who have worked so tirelessly to help those who need help.
We have sought to harness that good work and goodwill, and ensure we maximise our efforts to produce a coordinated response that reaches as many people in need as possible. We have also sought to learn from the expertise and experience of a wide range of people across the community; their knowledge and understanding helps us to make more informed and rounded decisions.
We have sought at all times to be positive and to find constructive solutions to the problems that the borough, its residents, and its businesses face. This year has been a tough one for the council as well as for many of our residents and businesses, but we have not shied away from tough decisions and we have always sought to engage and explain rather than impose. I have been lucky to lead such a talented group of councillors, with a breadth of experience and expertise that has been of great help.
I want to end with one of the things of which I am most proud. We have set out a route for a jointly-authored borough vision, created by the community, rather than the council, which will form the basis of the council’s own strategy and plans in the year ahead. We have sought to be inclusive and to produce a bottom-up set of aspirations, with the council acting as the public’s servant not its master. We have started with key stakeholders, such as town and parish councils, the voluntary and charitable sector, businesses, educators, health providers and the emergency services. But the next stage will be to bring in members of the general public, o ensure that the vision reflects what the community as a whole wants to see.
This a new and exciting approach that is in stark contrast to what has gone before. It exemplifies the approach that we, as Liberal Democrats, believe is the right one. We have sought to empower people to have more of a say over the key decisions that affect their lives.
With your help on May 4, we can continue this work in the new municipal year.
Cllr Clive Jones is the leader of Wokingham Borough Council and ward member for Hawkedon. He is not up for election this year
