Wonderland, how ironic

Anyone who visited the Council Chamber at Shute End last Thursday evening would have thought they were in Wonderland rather than Wokingham.

For over an hour Conservative Executive member after Conservative Executive member stood up and said how wonderful they were by doing this, or doing that.

At no point did they apologise for the mess they have made of Wokingham town centre and the chaos it has caused, not only to the local businesses, but to local residents. Many of these businesses are struggling and residents have encountered road chaos this past year. Journeys that used to take 10 minutes can now take up to one hour.

Not only does this cause frustration to drivers, it also has a financial impact both on local businesses and local residents.

No apology for the wanton destruction of 200-year-old trees on Elms Field, or for the rising Council debt from this useless, arrogant Conservative Administration. This debt is projected to reach £0.5Bn (£500M)

within a couple of years. How ironic then that it is the Conservatives who are wracking up this debt, when since 2010 they have been accusing the last Labour Government of overspending!

Remember, if anything should go wrong, the last resort for the Council to cover any shortfall is YOU the Council Tax payer. The exposure we all have to this debt is now around £5,500 per Council Tax payer and it is growing by the day.

Also no apology for organising (or rather not organising) various road works across the borough. Here we had occasions where there were roadworks on the detours. I am sure many of your readers will remember that.

Also there has been complete confusion and chaos as to when any of the new roads are supposed to be open.

The joke going around Shute End is that when WBC indicates that a road is to open e.g. say end of July, we all say “Which Year”! The Highways Department at WBC has little or no credibility and needs a major restructure if it is going to cope over the next few years.

Also anyone who dared to raise concerns has been treated with contempt with answers that barely addressed the questions asked. Often not at all.

In a few weeks time, you the local residents have an opportunity to judge this Conservative Administration. As Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Wokingham Borough Council we have been putting forward positive alternatives to this mess and it is for you to decide. Cllr Lindsay Ferris, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Wokingham Borough Council & Member for Twyford

P.S. And this does not include threats from over development in our area with the potential loss of much Countryside and even Green Belt!