The media are not good at local elections. They want to turn them into referendums on the state of the government, and spend most of their time discussing national issues and following national party leaders. Much of this campaign has been about the chronic unpopularity of this let down government and its leader Keir Starmer.
There are important local issues to discuss which do often dominate the doorstep conversations and some of the candidate literature. Meanwhile national political debate and national media usually infantilises Councils, seeing them as victims of government requirements hindered by “ underfunding”.
The truth is very different. Every year government grants go up and Council taxes are jacked up more than inflation in most places. Every year Councils add to their huge debt piles, burdening future taxpayers. As I drive around the country I see many Councils spending on closing roads, installing cycle lanes, putting in 20 mph zones, narrowing carriageways and imposing congestion charges, reducing car parking and putting up the charges. Motorists are ripped off and pilloried. People who need vans and cars to get to work and to serve the local community are treated as villains and greatly inconvenienced.
I read about Councils who waste money on buying properties at high prices, then lose money on them. The dire Lib Dem misled Wokingham Borough wants to spend £20 m on a solar farm. It has recently spent £5.5 m on wrecking a local road junction and painting leaves on the roundabout against local wishes. It leaves Council property empty and draws up an expensive plan for new offices. Then it claims poverty when it comes to social care provision.
Councils spend huge sums, waste far too much and blame the government.Kent County spends billions yet the Reform Council could not find overall cuts and so it put the tax up by more than inflation. In Worcestershire Reform put the tax up by 9%.
These results did show how unpopular the PM and Labour are. The usual abstention of far more than half the voters shows many people do not think councillors make a difference. The trouble is when it comes to Lib/ Lab Councillors you know you will get ever higher bills and more potholes.
Government pretends to offer more devolved power but instead propose a new higher layer of bureaucracy and cost. This government is determined to prevent local people saying No to migrant camps, to building on greenfields or to solar arrays destroying food growing farms.
The first big saving should be to scrap their costly reorganisation with all the extra bodies and Mayors they want to grandstand over us. Far from devolving power they will thwart our wish to have less, cheaper and better government.
May 8, 2026
As i post it looks like 31 councils have declared. Reform are currently leading the herd with 250 new councillors, not looking good for never here Kier.
You have a pop at Kent but it’s their first year taking over an agreed budget. They have saved interest charges by rescheduling loans and have made some valuable savings especially on net zero matters.
They are the party with the lowest council tax rises at 3.9% on average. They are withdrawing from the migrant resettlement programme. Good things are happening. Let’s give them a chance.
Reply They accepted the first year budget because they could not find savings. Reform put up the Council tax by a completely unacceptable 9% in Worcestershire.
May 8, 2026
Good Morning,
I don’t know the exact percentage but a large portion of local government expenditure is required by law, the largest being social care and educational needs, particularly under SEND. These alone account for @ 40% of expenditure, and are rising. So there is a direct relationship with central government.
We’re in a time of political change, there’s bound to be a ‘muddle’ until a new normal settles.
There is one, in MHO, major difference between Reform and the legacy parties – only in the Reform Party has a cabinet level member been given the responsibility to reform the civil service. This means removing the political bias and getting value for money. Perhaps the hardest job in government. In reality, there is no other choice.
Reply Education is around 100% grant financed. Councils have large discretionary spend, and do not have to apply for grants to spend under government programmes. The Lib Dem local Council could save millions if they wished. Many Councils have bought property “investments” at high prices and are now losing taxpayers money. You need to make your Councillors accountable.
May 8, 2026
So who would make councillors “accountable” the councillors themselves perhaps or other politicians? Not their money, and it would be group decisions backed by tame expert/consultant advice – so not my fault no doubt and they would always escape. No one in the public sector prosecuted over the failure to act on the “Asian” rape gangs I note plenty of laws available to do this but no will to do so from the police or the DPP or the government.
I now expect Starmer and Labour to use their vast majority (gifted to them by Sunak, Boris, May and Cameron) to Gerrymander like mad in all directions. Two Tier Kier as we know has zero morality – he tried to cancel many of yesterday’s elections until stopped by Reform’s legal action.
May 8, 2026
‘ Councils have bought property “investments” at high prices and are now losing taxpayers money. ‘
Croydon being one.
They have basically got away with it too.
More overpaid heads are being employed, but no punishment for wasting millions.
May 8, 2026
Today we sacked many. We held them to account.
May 9, 2026
Sacking someone after long periods of negligence, mismanagement or worse is not holding them to account and does not deter that behaviour by others.
May 9, 2026
And it isn’t “sacking” to not vote for them when they dictate the timeframe.
May 9, 2026
It’s sacking and is a deterant.
May 8, 2026
@Reply – and who dictates what money Local councils get, who defines statuary spending requirements. I know you don’t like the word ‘Uniparty’, but in the end all local councils for the most part are just a blended political group a ‘Uniparty’ and because of forced spending being dictated from central Government and the money given by way of grants or fines mainly comes from diktats from elsewhere. This then so-called political makeup to have a real and honest tangible effect is negligible.
May 8, 2026
Hillary Benn just now on Radio 4. He wants Starmer to stay so fingers in their ears and full steam ahead. Hilary is always proved wrong on almost everything. Let’s see if we can get the Labour Party to be even more hated still seems to be the plan. The voters are says Labour are 180 degrees out on every single policy but further and faster on Net Zero, doom loop economics, open borders, ever more red tape and dynamic alignment with the EU. What could go wrong with this plan. Doubtless lots of Gerrymandering too no doubt!
May 8, 2026
I switched tactics on the Liberal Democrat council leader who was stood outside my polling station. Instead of him asking to know the number on my voting card when I came out, I said ‘can I ask you a question?’
When he agreed I asked why there was no road sign at the end of my road, a few yards away. He said he was unaware of this and would look into it. I pointed out there was a sign but it was for a 12th century church at the top of the road.
There was no road name to be seen and it had been like this for some time. I had written to the council who said it might take 28 working days to reply – for a road sign. Nearly two months later answer came there none. We have the highest council tax in London.
May 8, 2026
Good morning.
A lot of Local Authority money and spending is designated by central government. So even if a party or councillor wanted to cut spending on a certain area they may not be able to. Also. A lot of spending is locked in due to contracts negotiated by the previous council body. We need root and branch reform of spending. I would like to see a shopping list of services I would like to be offered and so pay for. I do not have use for schools or adult care, so why should I pay for it. I also do not like to be charged for a London Mayor when I have a council to pay for and an MP for London in the HoC (Rachel Blake MP).
May 8, 2026
Schools are one socialist policy I agree with. Everyone benefits from a well educated next generation.
Adult care on the other hand – why should I have to pay for the care home costs of someone who spent all the money they ever had, and put nothing by for their old age?
May 8, 2026
and not widely known, but those who pay pay at a higher rate and effectively subsidise the ones who don’t contribute.
May 8, 2026
No reason for Governments to be involved in running schools at all. Most schools in the UK do not give a good education more of a propaganda indoctrination in fact and most universities in most subject and largely the same.
Government might have to step in to ensure people who cannot afford to educate their children get education vouchers that is all that they should do. Taxes the. Could be much lower and more people could then afford it anyway.
Government’s should stick to defence, law and order and not much more. 20% of GDP is quite enough. We are not far of 50% now! With 20% GDP would be much higher too.
May 8, 2026
“Everyone benefits from a well educated next generation.” Exactly and that is precisely why education should be kept as far away as possible from governments. Especially from essentially Socialist governments like those from John Major’s right through to Starmer’s 36 years or so.
So only circa 10 seats for Labour in Wales – what is wrong with the voters in those regions? Always have & always will vote Labour until I die people I assume or perhaps they have respect for that particular candidate?
May 9, 2026
The socialist “education” policy is not to educate, but to indoctrinate. It will be up to those who pass through it to try to educate themselves. This applies across the whole gamut of the curriculum – art, music, history, geography, language, literature, religion/morals, STEM subjects, and even sports. The stultifying influence is an enormous danger for the next generations who will be easily further misled by relying on AI instead of working things out for themselves.
May 8, 2026
Labour’s war on landlords ignores the fact that the worst landlord in my area by far is the Labour local council who have had numerous findings against them for not maintaining their properties and have one of the worst records in the entire country. But their main message in their election literature was that we “need to keep Reform out”. They and the Greens (“Gaza is on the ballot”) prefer to pretend the council elections are on national matters.
May 8, 2026
Government are hopeless at running anything & hopeless as subcontracting and regulating things too.
May 8, 2026
“Wokingham Borough wants to spend £20 m on a solar farm. It has recently spent £5.5 m on wrecking a local road junction and painting leaves on the roundabout against local wishes.”
Be thankful for the little things. As the country is panelled over Wokingham’s painted leaves on roundabouts will become a nostalgic reminder that once there were trees and woodlands where there are now only dull silicon monuments to folly. Happier times.
May 8, 2026
And now the work beyond Tesco and under the railway bridge to Molly Miller’s Lane is completed, users tell me there is no improvement after lengthy closure and high cost.
May 8, 2026
There isn’t, a couple of weeks ago I queued from Poundstretcher the the carnival field roundabout to get to Aldi, it took 20 minutes and they were at a standstill along Finchampstead Road, now I go along Broad Street and by the railway crossing. Why two sets of traffic lights one by Tesco and one just under the bridge and they still got elected in. Pure madness.
May 8, 2026
Thanks for confirming what friends and contacts tell me, I have no reason to use that stretch – even using the level crossing road changes made little difference a few years ago.
May 9, 2026
MT
Traffic not free flowing because of the number of traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings within 20 yards of all of the roundabout entry and exit points.
Remember they haven’t even connected up the so called Southern relief road yet, so it will get worse.
May 9, 2026
@Mickey Taking – I without trying at first thought as the called it a ‘distribution road’ it was about easing the pressure through the town centre. Its not it is so more housing can be installed that side of the railway line. It would be like driving through a ‘maze’ to use it to get from one side of town to another.
May 10, 2026
Ian
Agreed, local residents may use these so called distributor roads from the massive new housing estates, as indeed they do with the present Northern Relief road, but the roads are really not suitable for heavy traffic (lorries) as the roads are far too narrow (housing estate type roads), with countless bends and mini roundabouts.
At least the Northern Route exits traffic onto the A329 at Winnersh about a mile away from the Town Centre, the Southern Relief Road will dump it just a few hundred yards away from the Town, and between two low and narrow bridges, thus more congestion in the Town as traffic backs up.
May 8, 2026
“Every year government grants go up ” that’s the point, that is miss-understood in some quarters, Local Councils are dictated as to what can by done by the political manipulation of the funding from Central Government.
Central Government isn’t listening or hearing they have an agenda a manifesto that is kept secret from the Nation. As Lammy said on TV last night (paraphrasing) the Government/2TK will double down on its/his agenda it is clear the people want him and his cabal to go further and faster! Then as a Labour backbencher said on another channel 2TK is unable and unwilling to listen to the Parliamentary Labour Party members, he is going in directions that no one voted for and not in any manifesto. Then in answer to the question should the leadership be changed, this Labour MP(I am sorry I didn’t catch his name) said succinctly who would you choose instead?
May 8, 2026
They certainly want his Gov. to go quickly (as soon as possible and as far away as possible). Perhaps Lammy just misunderstood what they meant.
May 8, 2026
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Our government(s) keep doing the same things
May 8, 2026
what about the voters who had continued to vote in the same predictable way? At last this local election shows the message of futile voting is coming to an end.
May 8, 2026
John,
Local councils have very limited control over big issues.
Birmingham council was forced into financial trouble by stupid equality rules which force retrospective extra pay to female workers who did office jobs, to bring them up to the level men working on the bins were getting. Completely breaking the free market in jobs, and the ability of workers and employers to set the pay for a job, instead the pay is retrospectively applied by judges who can decide completely different jobs are the same pay grade. There is little any local councillors will be able to do about this nonsense from central government. It will just lead to all such services being outsourced, so that the outsourcer carries the risk of court action under equality rules.
Councils have little control over the masses of illegal immigrants being dumped in their areas.
Councils have little control over the worst healthcare in the developed world.
Councils don’t really even have control over the simple stuff like planning, because their permanent staff set the tone, and short term councillors have very little ability to make any corrections.
Reply Dont make excuses. Councillors choose to waste millions on bad road schemes, on buying up properties, in “investing” in green energy, on excessive staff levels etc
Etc
May 8, 2026
IG :
I agree that the Birmingham bin dispute is entirely due to “stupid equality rules” and the Fabian judges who were only too happy to cause chaos and impoverishment. Also your point on immigration and many other major issues for which they have statutory duties to implement and enforce. Having said that Lord John is also correct that councils waste money on a grand scale for socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor.
May 8, 2026
Harriet Harman was the minister who drove the insane Equality Act 2010 through Parliament. So judges rather than markets could decide what work of equal value was. Total insanity had the judges ever done these jobs?
May 8, 2026
Reply to reply: You are both right, especially on the stupid tyranny of the Kritarchy.
May 8, 2026
+1
May 8, 2026
Sir Tow Tier thinks the electoral results are about his slow pace of change and he will stay on come what may so as to be despised even more. No mate it is about the 180 degree out compass on every issue, your destruction of the economy, your failure to even try to “smash the gangs” and your total unsuitability to be a Prime Minister. The longer Starmer stay the better chance of a sensible government with a large majority when the election finally comes. Unless Kier tries to cancel that one too!
May 8, 2026
‘ As I drive around the country I see many Councils spending on closing roads, installing cycle lanes, putting in 20 mph zones, narrowing carriageways and imposing congestion charges, reducing car parking and putting up the charges. Motorists are ripped off and pilloried. ‘
That is simply to allow a covert operation of money stealing, control and negating the need to spend.
What these entities miss or what has been taken from them is the way to create growth, therefore wealth in a community. Those that need to use the nations infrastructure, tend to be the wealth creators, curtail them, you reduce wealth and available tax take. The UK Parliament, the UK Parliament as a whole doesn’t do growth, wealth creation is does pure Socialist WEF control and destruction. The desperation for the ‘Great Reset’ to create a society in ones own image of a society knows no bounds. A people beholden and owned by the State is seemingly the only aspiration that we get from the UK Parliament, as long as they are themselves are not challenged, keep getting rewarded and can do nothing, they are happy.
May 8, 2026
in reply to that quote from Lord Redwood – be thankful you CAN still drive around the country. Given this latest set of Labour and Green politicians ability to prevent that freedom will be reduced as soon as they can.
May 8, 2026
University cities are still going to stay controlled by Labour, Green alliances and Lib Dems are gaining in others. Cities like Exeter have very few Reform and Conservative councillors. The student vote is one reason and they may be voting in their universities address and their home address too. Is any one checking this? Then there is the increasing welfare dependent vote which continues to support their Labour paymasters. This applies to Khanistan constituencies in London and other large Inner cities. Meanwhile, the subversive teachers are brainwashing their pupils to vote for the insane Greens and the Islamists are allying in order to keep out Reform.
My better half just voted Conservative but admits that although Kemi and Courtino are ok, people remember that the other MPs behind her broke every promise. She may as well join Reform.
May 8, 2026
She may as well continue voting Conservative. She is wasting her vote either way.
May 8, 2026
Lord Redwood, you know better than I what the financing of local councils is. But it does seem that on elderly care and SEND pupils, councils are committed by the government for a certain amount of expenditure.
When you think the council was run by a town clerk, not so long ago, when people give themselves titles like Cabinet Minister for the Environment, Net Zero and Rubbish disposal, the ego and vanity are troubling.
Do any councils actually not increase council tax each year? The spending mania comes from the Government and flows down to local councils. We are criminally overtaxed, but still the Government borrows more and more.
At the government and local council levels, there needs to be a complete change of mindset, a desire to reduce spending, cut waste, and avoid silly investments. Whoever ends up in charge of the Birmingham council is on a losing streak because of the past, and that is just one example.
May 8, 2026
Spot On
May 8, 2026
‘The usual abstention of far more than half the voters shows many people do not think councillors make a difference.’
As with the last General Election the results give the appearance that ‘None of the Above’ should have been on all ballot papers. We have a group in power with just the approval of 22% of the electorate, that cant be right! More disturbing is all the alternatives are quite literally different shades of the same – the electorate in effect is denied a choice.
The UK Parliament is so wrapped up in its own bubble it cant or want to hear the voices of others outside that cabal, it is not in the slightest bit concerned or interested in engaging with the people, the people that pay and empower them. The people capable of creating the wealth and aspiration to push the nation forward. The UK Parliament doesn’t do reality, in the way it doesn’t do democracy. It is Me, Me, Me & self, self, self. The UK Parliament knows best in every situation?
Next week we will hear from the Kings the next phase of Parliaments and 2TK’s destruction of the UK, the PM’s rubber stamp on all the things the electorate can have no voice or opinion about. The things the Parliament and its leadership wouldn’t dare put in a Manifesto and put to the ‘People’ – the pure communist Politburo diktat’s spouted by a ‘Ruler’ the puppet Crown
May 8, 2026
I was quite impressed with the local election turn-out in Wokingham borough this time: in a fair number of wards it was over 50%. Compared with previous years, I’d say people are less apathetic than Lord John suggests.
May 8, 2026
It’s not looking overly muddled to me. So far,
Labour – down 258 councillors
Tories – down 159 councillors
Reform – up 386
Then there’s the also rans …..
Lib Dems – up 32
Islamist-Green Party up 27
Seems to me that so far there is a clear winner.
May 8, 2026
Except when they took on 3 month old Restore, which Farage said ‘would not get 1% of the vote’.
However Restorers should note we have been vindicated in many ways.
We said Rupert was activating the non-voters. We said Reform, Tory, Labour and LibDem were all splitting each other’s NPC centrist votes.
2023 Great Yarmouth voter turnout was 28%
2026 Great Yarmouth voter turnout was >46%
Nationwide it remains pretty static around 34%
18%+ in Great Yarmouth and Restore/GYF took ALL of those new votes. If you halved their vote in every seat they still would have won all of them. You see every National decision has massive impact on local Councils. So we all punished Labour.
The lion is awake.
May 8, 2026
No Restore Britain party was on the ballot paper in Gt Yarmouth. Those 9 borough councillors were elected as ‘Great Yarmouth First’, i.e local identity politics won the vote.
May 9, 2026
But e erode knew they were supported by Restore Britain. I knew Farage would your that little trick to save face. I expected more from you.
Anyway, I don’t care whether you face facts or not. Com3 the General election, assuming we get there before the troubles break out, you will see the same repeated throughout the country.
May 8, 2026
John, perhaps you omitted the increase of 9% of council tax charged applied in Shropshire by a LibDem administration following a Tory administration and a council effectively bankrupt. The failure of councils up and down the land to live within their budget is a government policy designed to extract ever more money from tax and rate payers for ever less services.
You mentioned the uplift applied by a Reform council in Worcestershire, but that is a low blow for whatever reason?
The facts are as you highlighted. Councils spend fortunes of ‘nice to have’ pointless virtue signals while core services like road maintenance and maintaining tidy streets is abandoned.
May 8, 2026
Starmer, Sound-bites from his speech
“And my job now is to set out the steps that we will take to bring about the change that people want and deserve.”
“No, I’m not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos. We were elected to deal with these challenges and that’s what we will do…”
“They are tough results, they reflect voters who don’t feel that their lives have changed enough or quickly enough”
“And I’m not going to walk away from that responsibility and plunge the country into chaos.”
The man and his Parliament are delusional, they have never talked to a real person, a person that pays their wages. The probably think that as they are the ones that formed a government they pay their own wages.
The mandate for any of the above from the ‘People’, what mandate, what ‘People’. Its about the ‘Plan’ the secrete ‘Plan’, maybe the secrete ‘Plan’ he made with last weekends AWOL event with his bosses in the EU, who knows, it is secrete. What this Parliament refuses, as it refuses to believe we live in a Democracy is the need to seek validation, approval of a mandate for anything they do.
May 8, 2026
Then the threat! – “Tough days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised. They strengthen my resolve.” the secret promise, the secret ‘Plan’ so secret that the electorate cant have a say
May 8, 2026
In his first remarks since results emerged, Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos.”
Asked if he would stand in the next general election, he replied: “Yes. It was a five-year term I was elected to do, I intend to see that through.”
He is the chaos, the destruction
May 8, 2026
He’s not going to walk away ….without securing his next job
May 8, 2026
2TK could be lining up David Gauke to be labours next PM, it would be fitting. A bit like the Coalition Minister in Charge of the Post Office when they destroyed so many lives and cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions getting rewarded with a Knighthood. The glorified rump of a left wing corrupt Parliament showing its true colours, ignore the people, insult the people, fight the people and the Cabal will applaud you.
What Chaos is it that will beset the Country if 2TK goes?
Then the quote from Labours former Former Transport Secretary “He is doing an incredible job at the moment on the international stage in the middle of global instability and a war and it is imperative that he is successful in that role because our constituents livelihoods are dependent upon it.”
So many deluded people have infested the UK Parliament, we still have a Coalition Parliament not a UK Parliament working for the UK
May 8, 2026
“The first big saving should be to scrap their costly reorganisation with all the extra bodies and Mayors they want to grandstand over us. Far from devolving power they will thwart our wish to have less, cheaper and better government.”
The purpose of this re-organisation is to make the local government bigger in order that those that make the decisions do not live in the immediate area over which they have control and hence can make unpopular decisions. Also to ensure urban areas have control over rural areas for obvious voter majority reasons.
May 8, 2026
Agree
May 8, 2026
Correct, the local elections should be about important local issues and not a referendum on the national government. In fact for some, it is even a referendum on international issues. But unfortunately our democracy is so pseudo and weak that both the media and the electorate see local elections as the only way to demonstrate their opinions on national issues, which currently is only allowed every 5 years at a GE or at the occasional by-election. We have a lack of democracy and this is the cause of poor local government. We need to move to referendums at both national and local levels. Referendums are also the only way to overcome the takeover of all our institutions by the Left.
May 8, 2026
Certainly these elections were about national issues rather than local. It’s been the first opportunity for voters to express their regret at allowing in a socialist government with a to big majority.
The message that the PM and the rest of his cabinet seem to have taken from their loss of seats is that we want change faster – Now that just shows how wrong they are!
Starmer is in trouble, the Chancellor in a weak position simply because we do not like the program they are shoving down our our throats, while now they want to do it faster.
That is not duplicating the issues and finding a remedy, that is mere dogma.
Nobody asked for digital ID, nor the removal of juries. Labour’s vision of what we want is very far off the mark – why on Earth would we want the police to have a very imperfect facial recognition system when we know how easily it could be used against us.
Nor do we want a digital currency, for a thousand reasons, but it’s also about the general incompetence and high taxation while certain parties are rewarded with increases. Too many think they are being oppressed by a dictatorship.
If only the PM could ask the right question then he would understand why we can’t wait to see the back of him.
May 8, 2026
We hate being raped by imported barbarians. Who knew?
We hate little girls in a dance class being slaughtered by a knife wielding imported barbarian. Who knew?
We hated the Justice system skewed to punish the traumatised victims while the imported barbarians enjoy police protection. Who knew?
Not Starmer.
May 8, 2026
Why do you only report the negatives about Reform, it’s not a good look and alienates the majority of your readers? Reform has taken over massive debts from the previous administrations. With growing interest rates and funds locked away in Government bonds they have a difficult job to turn these failing councils around. Let’s look at Lancashire where I live where a Reform county council was elected last year. The pot-holes are finally being fixed; our council tax increase is one of the lowest in the country; they plan to withdrawal from the government’s refugee resettlement scheme to provide housing for our own homeless; already in the first year they’ve identified more than £700 million in savings; they are replacing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) spending to focus on merit. I’m very pleased with their progress so far and will continue to vote for them.
May 8, 2026
‘Why do you only report the negatives about Reform’?
The answer is clear just like the contributions from Mrs Atkinson – – fear ! quite simply the existential threat is being put in the crosshairs of any possible attack.
May 8, 2026
OK vote for a trainee scrap metal dealer to be PM.
Marginally better than Raynor with not one O level.
If you are too stupid to live, then die.
May 9, 2026
A very detailed explanation for the dismissal of the elephant in the room.
May 9, 2026
Nigel F. was 18 when he started as a metal commodities broker in the City of London. Do you mind if I ask what you were doing at that age, Lynn? I was an office boy.
May 8, 2026
Thank you for that, I agree that governmental issues shouldn’t affect who you vote for on the council. I Wokingham we had always had a council that was good until four years ago when due to the shenanigans in parliament they got replaced by the Liberals, aided and abetted by Labour and since then the town has gone down hill rapidly. Car parking is extortionate so people go to Bracknell where for not much more you have a plethora of shops. Cycle lanes when you rarely see a cyclist, now they are talking about Woosehill roundabout which works perfectly well for the large amount of traffic coming and going. I’ve lived in Wokingham 52 years and cannot remember the town being so down in the dumps. No one I know has a good word for the council, but we shall see what happens today. I just hope people who have moved here from outside remember the reason we had such a lovely place to live was because our Coucil was Conservative run for all but a few years. That’s what made it good.
May 8, 2026
And what about putting up statues and spending on modern art pieces – group travel abroad for educational and other waste reasons – cycle lanes that nobody is using and car clamping where it sometimes takes hours to get released. There are too many councillors, numbers could be reduced by one third – all we need is represenration with a critical mass for decision making.
May 8, 2026
Agree
May 8, 2026
Given that Sir Two Tier will not go voluntarily his only realistic way out is to go on the attack.
He should stand on the steps of number 10 and say “I have listened and I have heard. I must convince my party that Welfare has to be reformed, net zero must be reigned in to more pragmatic and market led solutions, The civil service and public sector pay and pensions need to be brought under control along with means for industrial action and we need to curtail immigration in all forms. Judge me on my actions”.
None of this lessons will be learned bull, tell us what will be changed.
Rachel, the PPI clerk will be on her way by Monday. We should be very afraid of her replacement.
May 8, 2026
Tory/Lib-dem government ignored the UKIP massive win in the 2014 eu elections, and Labour government will again, ignore the reform massive local government elections win today …..
May 8, 2026
These are the Blair chickens coming home to roost. Open borders, devolution, and constitutional vandalism have created this chaos. PR here, FPTP there, tier upon tier of government, mayors for some and not for others, extra assemblies for some, and always the driving ambition to break up England and make us fit for EU rule. We are told it will be difficult for Reform and the Greens to govern together in Birmingham, but what on earth do they think it is like for the DUP having to govern with Sinn Fein because of Blair?
May 8, 2026
Timed at 19.54. Councillors –
Ref 1308
Labour 817
Cons 660
Libdems 724
Green 416
Ind 131
Losses.
Labour 1177
Cons 479
Ind 23.
May 8, 2026
Thats just England.