I have been out and about delivering leaflets and talking to people about the local elections.
People did want to talk about local matters controlled by Wokingham Borough Council. They are understandably very critical of the Council , which charges too  much, delivers too little and ignores public wishes.
People are angry about the extreme anti driver policies the Council  is pursuing. The big increase in car park charges is a rip off, putting people off going to local centres.
They are annoyed with the plans to end weekly rubbish collections for all items, and amazed that worsening the service will not lead to any cost savings.
They are opposed to such poor road maintenance, leaving the roads badly damaged with potholes.
They are fed up with expensive consultations to be followed by doing the opposite of what the public  wants. Why waste £5.5 m on damaging the California crossroads when the advice was not to do this scheme. Why plan a similar mess up for the Woosehill roundabout?
They worry that the Council’s refusal to publish a local plan leaves Wokingham wide open to more development.
The Council specialises in undermining  local businesses that want to give us good service. Road closures and dear and restricted parking are hitting local businesses hard.
The Council delights in doing what people do not want and then sending them the bill. Time for a change.
April 28, 2024
Hi sir John
The people put the local council there by Democratic vote
Unlike our prime minister.
If a MP resigns should they be allowed to change to another party ? NO
The west Midlands elections are coming next week some standing are not what they
Are presenting themselves
One admits supporting the taking of hostages murder of innocent people
May 7, 2024
Well most politicians say what they think will get them elected and do what ever they want it seems.
Sunak is not a good politician as he largely says things people do not want or lies like we have cut taxes the vaccine are safe… He also does thing people do not want – ever higher taxes, every more red tape, the lunacy of net zero, supporting Kahn’s ULEZ tax, vast open door immigration, the Windsor Accord, HS2, ESG and woke lunacy, a mad energy policy…
An excellent podcast on this ESG lunacy with (right on almost everything) one Ben Habib & Nick Dixon.
May 7, 2024
So 25 years since that brilliant economist one Gordon Brown sold our gold reserves at the bottom of the market (about 1/8 of the current value) against sensible advice from Eddie George. So he and Blair could then wasted the money on damaging & losing wars, buying votes, buggering up the UK constitution, botched devolution, HS2, the banking crash and botched save the world rescue… The Gold has cost each household about ÂŁ500 so far. Still cheaper than the botched Covid lunacy (counterproductive and dangerous vaccines and lockdowns), HS2, Blair’s idiotic wars, the botched devolution, the Mayor and extra layers of government – far far cheaper than the vastly damaging net zero.
April 28, 2024
Well Sir John, |I think we cn all agree the councils spend their best effort doing things the public do not want or ask for.
Unfortunately that also describes what government have done this past 14 years, and the Labour administration the 13 years before that.
April 28, 2024
Quite so. Spot on. What lands here among us comes from above and as you say for several decades.
April 28, 2024
While the increased availability of housing is undoubtedly important, and a principle I support, it is equally crucial that our community infrastructure keeps pace with this growth to ensure the well-being and quality of life for all residents. Unfortunately, I have observed a disparity between the rising number of housing applications and developments and the insufficient progress in enhancing our local amenities, transportation infrastructure, and educational facilities.
I conclude that Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) is falling short in delivering against its Local Development Core Strategy. This strategy, designed to ensure high-quality developments that accommodate vital infrastructure, seems not to be effectively applied with many residents, including myself, having raised objections to developments, urging WBC to carefully consider their impact on the broader borough infrastructure, the environment, and community cohesion within the decision-making process, to no avail.
There are many examples which demonstrate a dereliction of duty and a systemic failure by WBC to deliver to its Core Strategy objectives with growing numbers of local residents becoming despondent expressing no confidence in WBC to deliver to their needs for sustainable communities. So a change is indeed urgently required.
April 28, 2024
So you support housing for unlimited growth?
How many millions do you want to cater for?
Particulary From abroad!
Which is where the main demand is now currently confirmed.
April 28, 2024
How welcome it is to hear you have been out electioneering. I have never seen my MP in the flesh but have had much correspondence with him, so I forgive him. As to local councillors, since I was deposed by the political ones for being a nuisance, I have never seen one at my door. The occasional leaflet written by some person behind a desk appears but nothing personal like I used to send out. Keep it up.
April 28, 2024
I am worried that my council is unable to answer 17 questions I have repeatedly asked them regarding the legality and the morality of their methods of collecting council tax. I am worried that they appear to regard us as cash cows that need to be restricted to certain areas. I am worried that they appear to be involved in highly dubious practices regarding child social services. What worries most of all is that most people seem to be content to have corrupt and ill intentioned scumbags wrecking this town. Voting legitimises them, why are we doing it?
April 28, 2024
ALL Part of the globalist plan. The people are irrelevant.
April 28, 2024
I have seen your comments about “the extreme anti driver policies the Council is pursuing” several times. What are you referring to? Is it only the increase in parking charges? Or something else? I’m not aware of anything the current administration is doing that the previous conservative administration wasn’t doing?
The fact that I’ve not personally noticed any difference hardly makes anything the current administration may be doing extreme.
And, possibly most important, the moment someone decries something as being extremist”, I do wonder how extremist the sender of the message is. Do better in the future.
Reply The spate of road closures. The increase of potholes and poor surfaces. The expensive schemes to reduce road capacity and stop free flowing junctions.
May 7, 2024
To reply add on ULEZ, forcing them to buy new expensive and impractical cars, road blocking with bike and bus lanes & low traffic areas, the very many motorist mugging mechanisms…
April 29, 2024
Too many councils seem to be following a similar route to the one portrayed. That is not by accident.
I’ve raised before the point that too many authorities and councils are being ‘guided’ by specialist interest groups that somehow take priority over taxpayers.
We should see more transparency from councils on how they came to a decision involving roads, ETC. They should be able to tell us exactly who influenced them, and why they didn’t take local concerns into consideration.
May 7, 2024
Crony capitalism and politicians bought with consultancies and others on the make. Net Zero fraud and the net harm Covid Vaccines two vast examples. But also in planning decisions, the anti-car agenda and much else.
Best wished to King Charles and for a rapid recovery. People worry he has an over demanding schedule. So some sound advice to him, ditch all the net zero & climate alarmist events (you have not science knowledge and are wrong mate), keep out of politics and the rather similar pushing of quack medicine to save your time and energy. It just makes you look foolish, misguided and a grade one hypocrite. Follow your excellent Mum’s example in your years left – though even she pushed the Covid Vaccines (conned into this I assume by deluded or dishonest government and their “experts”).