At September’s Wokingham Borough Full Council meeting, we were presented with a report laying bare the Liberal Democrat administration’s dire record on its climate emergency action plan. The Council is woefully behind on its plans, delivery of the solar farm to generate an income for Council services is now expected to be 3 years late, and recycling targets for WBC’s offices is less than half what it should be. All this is symptomatic of the Liberal Democrats’ wider failure to deliver.
If implemented correctly, an action plan should save taxpayers’ money that could be directed towards services. But this isn’t the first time Conservative councillors have expressed concern about the Liberal Democrats’ inability to get a grip of this. In February, my colleague Cllr Peter Harper highlighted the lack of progress on the project. He called for the Liberal Democrat Executive to get this back on course.
Barkham solar farm project was established by the previous Conservative administration to generate renewable energy and an income to fund Council services. On the Liberal Democrats’ watch, we’ve seen endless delays. The project should have been completed in 2024, according to a June 2022 business case. In July 2023, the then Liberal Democrat Executive Member claimed it was always going to be connected in 2026. In January 2024, the Council’s Leader said WBC had a formal variation offer for connection to the Grid in Summer 2026. The report last month now says delivery is expected in 2027.
A second solar farm has also been delayed. Since February, that has been pushed back from 2028/29 or “sooner”, to now be expected by the end of the decade.
The report to councillors ignored the significant financial implications caused by delay. Improving energy efficiency in Council offices – saving taxpayers’ money spent on WBC’s energy bills – has been put off until 2029/2030. Meanwhile, as the Liberal Democrats push residents to recycle more, their own Council offices’ recycling rate is less than half the target.
The Liberal Democrats themselves highlighted tackling the climate emergency as their priority. But on every priority they claim to focus on – planning for development, delivering new schools, spending taxpayers’ money wisely – it’s a story of endless disappointment.
Under the Liberal Democrats, the Council’s housing companies, created by the previous Conservative administration to provide much-needed council housing, have been allowed to drift, not delivering their full potential.
In education, we have seen promises broken and delays to the expansion of Emmbrook School and Bohunt School’s Sixth Form building.
The flats at Carnival Pool, designed to be sold for a profit to the Council for the benefit of Council taxpayers, have seen all profit eroded following continuous delays – and not one, but two contractors go bust during the process.
These are just a few examples of a litany of failings by the Liberal Democrat leadership. If they can’t keep their own promises and deliver projects on time and to budget, then why should residents trust them in the future?
Our Council needs competence and honesty, which we’re not getting from the Liberal Democrats. If we were elected, the Conservatives would have a firm rule: promise what we know we can deliver, and properly deliver on our plans.
By Cllr Pauline Jorgensen
