Why do I not have a school place?

I moved to the area in the summer of 2022 with my son who has special needs. Since our arrival, my son has been placed in limbo within the WBC system and still has no permanent placement for his education.

My son has missed the opportunity to take exams like his peers in year 11.

He is also missing out on a wide array of important skills that would contribute to being the best version of himself and having a fulfilling independent future.

He is a bright young man who never ceases to amaze me yet WBC after one-and-a-half years is still unable to help him. WBC has a duty of care towards my son but in our case it seemingly means nothing. The Council Officers I engage with are nice enough so I assume if they could place him in education, they would.

If the shoe was on the other foot and I did not send my child to school for one-and-a-half years I have no doubt the minimum would be a huge fine, swiftly followed by legal proceedings and I would ultimately lose parental rights.

Sadly I imagine these failings are systemic with bad forward planning and no resources. The only way forward is to battle with dogged determination and even then it feels like a lost cause.

Exhausted Mum, Arborfield

A weight on my mind

I note that a driver has been penalised for exceeding the weight limits when crossing the Sonning bridge - fined £239, costs of £180, and victim surcharge of £96.

When I provided Thames

Valley Police with timed and dated photographs of two overweight vehicles, clearly showing number plates, using the road outside my house in Wokingham, TVP asserted in writing, that as they were unable to establish the weight of the vehicles, they were unable to proceed - they couldn’t prove that an offence had occurred. It took me less than 10 minutes, based on number plates, to establish that both vehicles were heavily overweight.

Do Sonning residents - such as Mr Clooney? have more clout?

Michael Storey, Wokingham

Forked tongues

I ask the question does our Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) Council speak with forked tongue? I say this having voted Liberal Democrat in the past and delivered leaflets for them.

The Lib Dems pledged to reduce the level of housing development and to listen to the concerns of residents and yet we find that in practice they pay lip service to the latter.

Only recently, upon the recommendation of their planning officer, the planning committee approved the building of 42 flats with the provision of 34 parking spaces on a small industrial site off Latimer Road.

I accept this is a brownfield site and is suitable for housing. These plans constitute the over-development of the site with the building so high that it will grossly overshadow the homes of residents.

There is a lack of parking spaces there will be significant parking problems not only for the residents but also for those who occupy the flats. The last time I looked at the plans there was no provision for designated parking for those who have disabilities.

The developers said, they would address this if the need arises.

Despite objections to the proposed development WBC has granted planning approval.

What happened to the Lib Dem’s pledge to listen to the concerns of residents? If they are, history would show that they are not very good at it. Take for example the wheelie bin issue, they held a public consultation part of which was the replacement of the blue bags with wheelie bins. At the time there were 177,500 people in the Borough, unfortunately only 9,000 responded.

The Lib Dems lumped together those who were in favour with those who were neutral and as a result, they claimed that there was unanimous support for the wheelie bins and the changes to the collection of general waste every two weeks.

In this consultation there was no mention of the costs of these wheelie bins, or of their replacement at the end of their life, or the cost of helping those people in manoeuvring those bins to the kerbside.

Trevor Sleet, Wokingham

Who’s in charge?

The WBC leadership harks on about being the lowest-funded local authority in England. Perhaps it’s got something to do with the council’s dysfunctional approach.

A good example is WBC’s website, if you follow the file path “https:// wokingham.moderngov.co.uk/ uuCoverPage.aspx?bcr=1” you’ll arrive at a webpage that states the conservatives are the ruling party in the borough with 13 more seats than the Lib Dems. Is it any wonder that when Cllr Conway asks Whitehall for more money they retort “Who are you? You can’t be the Lib Dem leader of Wokingham because the website states the Tories are in control”

Peter Humphreys, Wokingham

Financial thinking

My Serious Financial “Thinking” results from a comment from Parliament, reported in last week’s Press, viz that there was a “civil war” twixt Penny and Shapps re a Budget (we do not have) for Defence.

I could not resist feeling there is a need to warn that the promised TAX reductions due soon, may not in fact come to pass this Financial Year. In my view, our defence is of greater importance and value to our people, than shortages etc. that we are good at tolerating.

Nevertheless, it will cost us all! Let’s have some honesty from Parliament/politicians to help us understand.

Having lived through the Second World War in London, and watched every detail of the war, its moral effect on us and our friends, especially those who lost relations etc, has with added war weapons and techniques, right up until this year provided me with much to learn from.

I am sure we have the men, in my case East Surrey Cadets and Royal

Air Force in Fighter Command, and Commissioned. We are ready.

Adding participation with our great BAE and others of that calibre, we need to define all the threats to this country and within all its Borders. Planning the ways our enemies would be likely to attack us or use a BlitzCreig approach, and where from is a starting point, as where countries like

China and now Russia have such large contingents of military personnel with no concern of death rates.

Highly difficult defence of our three Royal” giant Aircraft Carriers, has been substituted by a Chinese ultrasonic vertical Rocket or Bomb, that launches a real killer from a great height once the target is exactly where the missile has its target guided flight route.

I wonder what defence we can use, hopefully to defeat their missile while in flight. No easy task. Let me get back into the Defence Industry.

Reg Clifton, Wokingham

The Lib Dem Way

Having experienced and witnessed the ‘Wokingham Lib Dem way’ as a partner Councillor in their administration, a candidate standing for election and as a member of the public, the reality is nothing like Councillor Conway’s ‘guest lectures’ in this paper would have us believe.

Recently there was a pitiful attempt to make political gain out of a long-serving councillor’s ill-health. Electioneering at its very worst or an honest error in judgment? I know what I think.

The Wokingham Lib Dem Way is perhaps best demonstrated by how public questions have been mismanaged recently.

January’s Council meeting saw public questions being used for an opportunist party political broadcast on behalf of the Lib Dems. Blame pointed towards Thames Water, HMRC, VAT legislation, the questioner personally, previous administrations (we have done this for years), and WBC Conservatives and the Conservative Government.

One Executive Member admitted to knowingly overcharging residents on VAT payments that HMRC have said are not to be levied. She followed this up with a vague promise to pay the money back ‘some time’.

Other meetings have seen spiteful personal attacks on opposition Cllrs that have been openly applauded. Is this the behaviour we want from our Council?

What’s not been seen are straight understandable answers or (all too frequently) answering the question at all.

Neither the Lib Dem rhetoric nor the Opinion Piece lectures are needed. If the Lib Dems are to be better for residents, then the WLDW of the past 18 months needs to change.

Please start giving good answers to tough questions instead of blaming everyone else. Please set Wokingham on an open or honest course towards transparency where members the public can understand not only what is being done with public monies, but why it’s being done.

Otherwise,you’re no better than those you replaced - or if anything - you’re set on being somewhat worse.

Jim Frewin, Shinfield Resident

Drums of war

The drums of war seem to be beating ever louder. General Sir Patrick Sanders has stated that “national mobilisation” may be required to prepare for war. This is because the Armed Forces have been allowed to get so run down in personnel numbers.

Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer wants to push for 16/17-year-olds to be given the Vote if Labour gains power in what is a General Election year, 2024.

If the UK does enter into conflict it is obvious that personnel will be required in numbers, and quickly.

Conscription would probably have to be the route taken because a large conflict is predicted by experts only a few years hence.

This means that if someone is old enough to vote it must also mean that a person becomes eligible for conscription and service on the front line, if fit to do so.

Old enough to Vote?

Old enough to be conscripted, serve and fight then.

Labour can’t have it both ways if the UK and its allies are in that much danger from hostile foreign powers. Paul Clarke, Wokingham