The Lib Dem Council refuses to accept responsibility for the chronic waste of money and the bad scheme for California Crossroads. Conservatives opposed this scheme, seeing its unpopularity when listening to public opinion. This Council approved it and decided to spend £5.5 million on it.
Lib Dems complain that as MP I did not regularly criticise the Council when it was Conservative controlled. That was for two reasons. The first is it was better run. The second is the Council invited me in or to zoom meetings with the Chief Executive to go through matters of common concern for the public. I had regular email and phone exchanges with the Leader so I knew what was going on and could influence it. I could work closely with the Council where they needed help from the government. When the new Lib Dem Council was elected I accepted an invitation to a preliminary meeting. I offered them the same behind the scenes support I had offered the previous administration. I said I would take up any sensibly argued proposal that needed government support or money. They have subsequently failed to take these offers up. I do not receive briefings about their financial condition, for example.
Despite this lack of normal co-operation I have taken up things I assume they want without their help or information to back my case. I have successfully persuaded the government with other MPs with similar problems to drop the top down housing targets that require too much building. I have explained this and urge the Council again to put out a local plan, as this is crucial under the new approach to offering protection to areas we do not want developed. They have failed to do so.
I have helped get more money for potholes. I want to see action using the enlarged road maintenance budget as there is a big rash of potholes.
I have helped get more money for social care, as this was an area in need of more funding.
I have helped get two new SEN schools where we need more provision.
I have offered public advice to the Council to not cut back spending on grounds maintenance and decent proper street cleaning and drain clearing. I have supported continuation of weekly bin collections.
I have helped get a substantial uplift in the main grant to the Council and in the totals including a range of other sources of public money.
It is a new low in Lib Dem propaganda to argue I want sewage dumped in our rivers. The government has set out proposals with the water industry to increase pipe and processing capacity which has to happen to handle increased volumes. In the meantime before the bigger pipes have gone in the choice is between letting the sewage into rivers or it backing up and polluting our roads and homes.
Instead of scaring people about the financial position when they inherited a strong one with ÂŁ120 million in balances the Council should get on with the task of providing value for money and spending on the peoples priorities. It would be a good idea if next time they hold a consultation they drop or amend their unpopular plan instead of ploughing on with it regardless as they have been doing all too often so far.
February 27, 2024
This afternoon a Lib Dem gentleman came to my front door, canvassing. I told him that neither I nor my wife would be voting for his party either in the local elections or in the General Election. I also told him that the condition of the roads in our borough is a total disgrace despite the Govt money that had been received for this, likewise the increase in parking charges in Wokingham and their policy of punishing the motorist everywhere you look.
Unfortunately I only received your blog post about the Council when he had gone. It is unacceptable that the local MP is excluded from Council deliberations and if I had known this I would have told him so!
February 27, 2024
I agree with you. I would also like to point out the shambolic way WBC does its ‘so-called’ consultations. If you aren’t on FB, you really don’t have a clue what is going on. The reduction in rubbish collection is a prime example. Supposedly, leaflets went out to every household. They did NOT. I am still waiting for mine and none of my neighbours got one either. According to local groups on FB, some people got multiple copies, others received none! A friend of mine received 12 copies three days after the consultation finished! Planning applications are also another problem point. No longer do you receive a letter in the post informing you of the application, you have to have a computer or smartphone. Many people – not all elderly – do not have computers or smartphones. Despite exceedingly high council tax – for which weekly rubbish collection was the only service we received – we do NOT get value for money from WBC.
February 27, 2024
The Lib Dem Counil are a disgrace.
February 28, 2024
AB
Agree with much of what you say, to be computer literate (even in a small way) is now a must if you want to know what is going on anywhere, those who do not have such equipment or knowledge, feel abandoned absolutely now.
Agree the endless self promotion of the LibDems with their deluge of leaflets, News sheets, Council news which attacks and blames the present Government and our Host JR for everything that goes wrong, but promotes themselves as being responsible for every bit of good, is an insult to fact, and our intelligence.
I wonder who pays for all of these self promotional leaflets, does it come from the Council budget ?
I thought that under General Election rules there was a limit to campaign spending and the timescale in which it was allowed.
The wannabe MP LibDem candidate for the next election has been attacking JR (some of it very personal) now for over 6 months, in virtually all LibDem publications and leaflets, when the date of the next election has not even been decided yet. Surely this is certainly against the spirit of the rules, if not the rules themselves.
Sadly rather too many Wokingham residents are not aware of the truth, because the Conservatives put out next to nothing, thus are not aware of the facts, or indeed of this excellent web site.
Reply The Lib Dems will have to declare where all the money came from fir their leaflets and paid for deliveries. Campaign spending is limited and depends on the timing of the election.
February 28, 2024
Reply-Reply
The point is John the LibDem Candidate has been running a virtual campaign as the prospective MP candidate for the Constituency for many months, in a deliberate attempt at getting a head start, before the election has even been announced !
Whilst I am aware that all is not fair in love, war, and politics, this is surely breaking the rules that apply for limited campaigning time and spend.
I recall that in previous elections a number of potential candidates, have subsequently been sanctioned over spending and campaigning rules, when they only campaigned and spent for just a few months before the election, this has been going on for more than 6 months already !
February 27, 2024
This sounds like a typical LibDem council. I live under one. Great at claiming credit for anything, whether or not the were responsible. But have made some awful spending decisions! They have been in power too long and are getting stale. They are not as bad as one of these labour councils and The Tory councilors have slowly increased in numbers so eventually there may be some hope.
February 27, 2024
This needs to be put out to the general public, not everyone is online and they do not see how much you do to help the Borough. The current administration is not backward in coming forward blowing their own trumpet even taking praise for things they didn’t initiate and sometimes even voted against. We get leaflets at least twice a week telling us what a great job they are doing. Well I and most people I know totally disagree with that. Please get these very informative blogs out into the public domain or I think we will be saddled with them after May.
February 27, 2024
Evidence shows that the LibDem Council is worse than useless; making bad decisions and wasting Council taxpayers’ money on enacting them. Keeping the weekly bin collection is sensible, and would be more so if a LibDem Councillor was dumped in the process each week with the other rubbish. That would be progress.