My regular walkabouts in different parts of the Borough bring home the damage Council policies are doing to our environment and urban fabric.
Everywhere I go there is the clutter of temporary yellow diversion signs and red closure signs. The roads are pock marked with so many potholes and eroded surfaces in a way that is quite new.
The failure to clean gutters and drains leaves the  roads and pavements flooded when it rains. Cars splash through growing puddles and sometimes get damaged hitting submerged potholes.
There is too much litter left around, with the Council cutting back on litter bins and waste collection. Maintenance of hedges and tree overhangs is poor.
The Council is wrecking California Crossroads and its shops and spending more money to draw up plans to damage other road junctions. It wants to cut the flows on the successful Woosehill roundabout access as it thinks Woosehill drivers and service providers have it too easy.
The Council fails to rent out empty property it owns. It fails to put in place a new local plan to protect us from  unwanted additional development. It wants to cover fields with solar panels.
It seeks to stop people going into Wokingham town by extending the hours of car park charges and putting up the price.
Why does the Council so dislike us ? Why will it not take some  pride in Wokingham and help keep it clean and friendly?
April 1, 2024
The council dislikes people from Lower Earley as you cannot get a bus from there to Wokingham. The 21 goes to Reading so it makes sense to go there instead, I don’t feel that I am a part of Wokingham.
April 1, 2024
They are also employing more diversity and inclusivity advisers. They are also making Wokingham more multicultural. I walk in town everyday and English is the second language.
What I want to know Sir John. What evidence is there the multiculturalism has ever improved an area. There is quite a lot to show it has a detrimental effect. So I ask why are we promoting this. Or at least saying nothing. You included.
April 1, 2024
At times, I really feel those at the council, who like to be called officers, are playing some wicked kind of game. I believe they sit in their rest room and dream up crazy pranks to see if they can get away with it. I bet they have a great laugh when they announce their latest wizard wheeze to try to get away with.
Wokingham does look tatty with litter and graffiti. I understand that you Sir John was out recently litter pick which was a noble and community minded thing to do but, it shouldn’t be necessary. I blame the council and those who use the area.
I have a bus stop outside my home and we used to have to pick up rubbish the bus users disgard at the stop. This must mostly cigarette butt’s, cellophane and the piece of foil from cigarette packets. Occasionally we were treated to a disgarded used nappy in a nappy sack. I cannot understand where our nation’s sense of right and wrong has gone.
Although I am not a Labour suporter, our local Labour councillors go out once a month litter picking and not just at election time. They have a few additional volunteers with them, but not many.
We are forever hearing court reports that people are being given so many hours of unpaid work to do for crimes committed. Why can’t that unpaid work be done to improve our neighbourhoods?
April 2, 2024
Cliff
So called “Community service” by offenders does not really work anymore, and is probably not fit for purpose, simply because the people in charge of them must not file a negative report on their days work/attitude/behaviour because that may be detrimental to their future prospects !
How do I know, because a close friend of ours was in charge of such for a number of years, before they got so absolutely fed up with the behaviour of those who were put into the scheme by the Courts, and so quit in disgust as there was no down side for failing to comply.
Many do not even bother turn up, refused to work properly, and abused the supervisors.
Even driving around their homes (as a last resort) to collect them failed, as they often then got abuse from the bedroom window, or had gone out somewhere else.
Afraid the DNA of the Country has changed rapidly over the past few decades, and what were regarded as sensible standards, courtesy, a good attitude, work ethic, and respect for your community and other people, has suffered enormously sacrificed on the WOKE alter, with someone else always to blame.
April 1, 2024
This goes much deeper than dirty streets.
After pushing back against 20mph zones I have come to realise why councils are pursuing anti-car policies.
Special interest groups(Enviro.) have such a hold on councils now that the views of residents can easily be ignored.
Well yes, certain Green/Libdem councils are already implementing the means to reduce car usage, but working with the Special interest groups they can be more confident and that makes it easier to justify their anti-car attitude.
You can bet that behind every attack on car usage there are Special interest groups oiling the wheels.
April 1, 2024
Some badly-obscured road signs appear as if the bozos erecting them planted them in the woods. Then a few seconds of assessment reveals the Council’s neglect of maintenance conceals their purpose to exist.
April 1, 2024
Perhaps they could dream up another council tax supplement. Like the government have dreamt up the new “expensive car supplement “ to the road tax.
April 2, 2024
BW
They already have, more cameras to fine your every move.
A colleague got fined recently for crossing a bus lane line in order to get out of the way of a Blue light emergency Ambulance call, Ironic given that the buses were not even running at the time as it was out of hours, an appeal failed, so the ÂŁ30 fine was applied and paid.
No Common-sense applied, so he will not get out of the way again, should the same circumstances apply.
Apparently and legally you are not allowed to break the highway code to make way for the Emergency Services even when they are on a blue light call..
April 4, 2024
Yes.. that os true.. the same as they can’t force you to cross a red light to make space.. If anyone s going to breach a road rule and use a bus lane, its the blue light vehicle, not you.
April 1, 2024
Why will it mot take sone pride in Wokingham and help keep it clean and friendly?
=========
A nice bottle of red will do that to you! 🙂
April 1, 2024
Totally agree – WBC are focusing on headline grabbing schemes like the Solar Energy Farm to the detriment of the basics like gutter clearing, road repairs and basic infrastructure. Here in Charvil we are suffering from a long term closure of an important Car Park due to sinkhole issues – it all started in Nov 2023 and there has been a delay as WBC and Charvil Parish Council fight over whose responsibility it is wasting time, money and causing significant disruption to local residents. I am also in Charvil experiencing a total lack of planning condition enforcement by WBC letting Hicks off with unfinished works post completion of Canberra Lakes. Feels like we are living in a third world country with potholes, continued “emergency” road works, ugly temporary fencing and ugly builders yard in what was once a pleasant country lane and environment.
April 1, 2024
Same rubbish in our district, just hell bent on net zero and employing more climate emergency officers nothing else matters. People are realising how hopeless green party councillors are. Seems like dim lebs are just the same. We have a few dim lebs propping up the greens here in the Forest of Dean
April 1, 2024
Wokingham must be a weird town. It retains a good Tory MP for decades yet votes in a bad Lib Dem council who do nothing but expensive harm. Why did they not elect Tories for their council too?