THE LEADER of Wokingham’s Liberal Democrats has stepped down after five years in charge.
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, who is looking forward to his 69th birthday, is to pass the mantle on to his deputy, Cllr Clive Jones, today.
And the group’s new deputy of Cllr Ferris’ fellow Twyford ward member, Cllr Steven Conway.
“Five years is a good length of time, and I’ve enjoyed my time as leader of the opposition,” Cllr Ferris said. “What made me think about it is that the Liberal Democrats group has grown.
“When we started, I had lots of ideas and I was pulling the group along, saying we need to do this, we need to do that. As time has gone by, the group has grown bigger and bigger, and this summer I found the group was starting to push me. I thought this was an interesting situation, the group has started to grow up, it’s now time for a new leadership, because you need to build on that and take it forward.”
Over the past five years, Cllr Ferris has seen the Wokingham electorate expand his group from five councillors to 18.
“The next step is moving from a sizeable opposition to getting into some form of control,” Cllr Ferris said, adding that the decision to step down was his alone and that his fellow councillors wanted him to carry on.
“I am carrying on as councillor for Twyford and I have asked to become Lib Dem leade for the local plan, because I think that is a very, very important area. I want to be involved in that as much as I can because I’m quite concerns that what may come out of it if we’re not careful,” he said.
The Local Plan update is due to go to its next stage of consultation over the next few weeks, and will help inform the council’s housing agenda up to 2036.
It’s been one of a number of issues on Cllr Ferris’ agenda over the past five years, but the one thing that will dominate his time in the leaders’ chair is covid.
“Since the pandemic, I’ve been very busy, definitely working four days a week from 9.30am in the morning until 9.30pm at night,” he said. “I tried to keep Fridays as clear as I could, but even that got busy. There were all the briefings, all the information and we were asked for our advice on things. What started off as quite interesting became stressful and rather upsetting on occasions. That does have a toll on you.
“I actually think the council has done very well (with its pandemic response), and I’m certain parts – adult social services and children’s services – have done a brilliant job. All the staff that were seconded on to covid-related activities have done a sterling job.”
Cllr Ferris also had praised for the council’s swift action on preventing people with covid being released from hospitals in to care homes, as well as the way in which the council has distributed grants to businesses struggling due to the lockdowns.
And the group’s relationship with council officers has, he felt, improved. “We’ve gone from being a pinprick nuisance in the corner (of the council chamber) to a group of 18, which is a serious opposition, very much taken notice of not just by officers, but by Conservatives because, I feel, the more snotty they are towards us, the better I like it because it means that we are working.
“We’ve now got a group who are very capable.”
Looking ahead to next May’s local elections which, if it goes in the Lib Dems favour could see them become the council’s largest party, Cllr Ferris said: “I actually feel we’ve got a good opportunity. I feel that everything the government touches is turning to sand , people aren’t listening to them any more. They’re just shrugging their shoulders and carrying on doing whatever they’re doing.”
He cites the lack of people wearing facemasks as a covid precaution as an example of that.
Cllr Ferris wants to see his party take control because “I believe that we could do a better job and I feel that the residents deserve better. That’s what drives us. We have pushed, I think, the agenda over the past couple of years. I think that is what an opposition is there for.
“We are also prepared to say where we agree and put out an alternative proposal where we don’t don’t. So I feel what we have had from the Conservatives over the past couple of years have been disappointing. I think we could do a lot better.”
Cllr Ferris said he felt proud of his campaigning over the council’s finances – “the one that generates the greatest flak from the Conservatives” – and on local issues, including the town centre development, highways and environment.
Now, he’s expecting great things from his “formidable” successors, including building on the alternative budgets the party presented in the past two years. “They will have my full support,” he said. “I will not be a backseat driver.”
And what is Cllr Ferris looking forward to the most now his workload has reduced? “I’d like to be able to take our dogs out a bit more, and I’m very much interested in railways and collecting railway items. But I will be focusing on Twyford.”
Council leader John Halsall, who in the neighbouring ward and the opposite side of the chamber, said: “I’ve always regarded Linsday as a friend of mine and I will continue to do so.”
