THE FUTURE of Wokingham borough will begin to be shaped from Monday, thanks to a new ‘bottom up’ approach.
The council is to begin a series of consultations aimed at helping devise a road map. Among those taking part will be town and parish councils, voluntary bodies, equalities groups, businesses, faith groups, schools, young people, and the University of Reading.
Speaking at the start of the executive meeting held at Shute End on Thursday, January 26, council leader Clive Jones said this approach was different from previous vision castings as it was devised by consulting with the community rather than creating it themselves.
“We have to lift our eyes from the immediate challenges and look ahead to map out a future that we can all feel part of,” he said.
“We want to involve our external partners in shaping a vision for the future that the council will then seek to implement through its strategy and policies. For the first time, the council is embracing a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach.
“This will truly be a borough vision, jointly authored by a range of interested parties, not just the council.”
Leading the project with the deputy leader of the council, Cllr Stephen Conway, but the consultation sessions will be led by community engagement specialists New Local.
And the borough councillors taking part will come from all sides of the political spectrum.
“The council will be there as an equal partner with the other bodies, not as the managers of the event,” Cllr Jones promised.
Workshops will follow across February and March.
