Making cuts instead of the most of assets

Following years of financial mismanagement at the council, which left us with no reserves to meet the challenge of COVID, the Borough has entered a spiral of decline.

Each year the council is having to make cut after cut after cut just to stave off bankruptcy.

The council’s medium term financial plan demonstrates this with cuts this year, next year and the year after and beyond

We need a change in approach to avoid this slice, slice, slice going on for ever until there is no council there.

My fear is that the Conservatives are following their ideology of a ‘small council’, and doing what they can to remove the council from the community.

As Lib Dems we have proposed a new direction to end this spiral of decline and look to a future of reinvesting in our communities.

Firstly research over the last few years has demonstrated that in-sourcing actually both saves money and improves services – now this wasn’t necessarily true 10, 20 or 30 years ago – but now local government is as efficient as business – and we don’t have to give council tax money to shareholders.

Secondly we need to be turning our assets into revenue raising assets, like social housing and renewable energy, rather than following the council’s approach of just selling them off cheap.

Thirdly we are just giving away money to developers by not charging CIL in Maidenhead Town Centre where a huge amount of development is going on.

One report I saw said that with the Nicholsons development we have sacrificed something like £16 million.

Lastly, we should be looking at providing services for other councils and organisations, at a profit – something we used to do.

Without an alternative strategy the council

is going to continue a spiral of decline which will lead to effective bankruptcy – but sadly the Conservatives refuse to listen.

Cllr SIMON WERNER Leader of the opposition at the Royal

Borough

Norden Farm has supported the community during this pandemic from live-streaming events to providing take-away food.

It’s only right that we support them during a period of lockdown.

We have just lost a year of our lives, a year of connections with family and friends, a year of terrible losses.

The arts have helped us during the pandemic and will be even more important in years to come for the mental health of all.

The unique atmosphere at Norden Farm – its welcome for all, its provision of activities for the whole community – has taken time to build up.

It’s too important an asset for the town to throw away for lack of support from our Council in this emergency.

NORMA HERDSON Former RBWM Councillor, former chair

Maidenhead Arts Council