Thursday is the day of the Winnersh by-election. It’s happening because Paul Fishwick, the Lib Dem borough councillor for the ward, died before Christmas. Those of us who served with Paul are determined to continue his good work.
It is that time of year where we at Wokingham Borough Council are setting the budget for next year. So far, our budget for next year has been through a series of reviews.
When you try to achieve something, it always seems a good idea to think about the likely consequences. What would success look like?
Unfortunately, many myths about planning, and especially Wokingham’s new local plan, are being propagated at present for party political purposes.
Wokingham Borough Council, as many of you know, receives the lowest level of core revenue support from central government of any council in England with its range of responsibilities.
One of the council’s key functions is “Overview and Scrutiny” (O&S), an essential yet often overlooked aspect of local governance. It plays a vital part in ensuring effective decision-making and accountability within the council.
Wokingham’s Liberal Democrat MP Clive Jones warns the Local Government Minister that the arbitrary funding formula for local councils will put even more pressure on local services and council taxpayers in Wokingham.
Just before Christmas we received news of our Local Government Grant, which includes the funding from Central Government for Wokingham Borough Council next year.
Wokingham’s Liberal Democrat MP, Clive Jones, has called on the Government to bring forward the rebuild of the Royal Berkshire Hospital to as soon as possible following NHS data revealing hospital treatment wait times are 7 times worse than a decade ago.
