Optalis dispute could soon be resolved

ROYAL BOROUGH: A dispute between the Royal Borough and its neighbouring council over a private company that cares for elderly people could soon be resolved,

write George Roberts and Nathan Hyde, Local Democracy Reporter.

Wokingham Borough Council and the Royal Borough have been locked in negotiations about

Optalis for months.

Wokingham owns 55 per cent of the company, which it set up in 2011, but 75 per cent of its business comes from the Royal Borough.

The Windsor and Maidenhead council claims this is unfair and it is not happy with how the overhead costs have been split.

In a report published in July, the Royal Borough said there was ‘a considerable level of distrust’ and an ‘unwillingness to share’ basic equipment, including PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this dispute may soon come to an end after productive talks took place between the two councils.

Cllr Stuart Carroll, Royal Borough lead member for health (Con, Boyn Hill), said: “The outstanding issues that we needed to work through with Wokingham have progressed significantly.

“We have engaged in very constructive discussions with them and we hope that all issues will be resolved.

“None of that has impacted on Optalis and its ability to deliver and I’m really thankful for the extremely high quality of care delivered to residents.”

Speaking at a council meeting at the end of November, Cllr Charles Margetts, Wokingham Borough Council’s lead member for adult social care (Con, Finchampstead North), was also positive about the discussions.

He said: “Relationships with Optalis have improved dramatically since the appointment of the new chief executive David Birch.

“We are in a much better place than we were.

“There are negotiations going on regarding future costs.

“I’m hopeful of a positive outcome and things have been much better with Optalis over the past six months.”

Since becoming a minority owner in 2017, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has transferred all of its adult social care services to Optalis.

The contract now accounts for around 40 per cent of its budget.

Wokingham Borough Council planned to do the same but made a U-turn in 2019.

According to Cllr Carroll, the plan is ultimately for the two councils to possess an equal share of the company, but these plans have been put on hold while Optalis staff are dealing with the additional stresses of the pandemic.

He said: “The agreement has always been that we would move to 50/50 at some point but where we are at the moment the important point to focus on is for the service to deliver the very best in difficult circumstances.”