Lib Dems fiddle while Wokingham crumbles

There is an old saying ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burnt’, the same could be said of the Liberal Democrats

(Lib. Dems) and their running of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC)!

They claim that they have very little money and are having to cut back on the services that they provide, yet back in June 2023 they loaned Woking Council £10 million.

This was done even though Woking had just announced that they were effectively bankrupt.

Granted the loan has just been repaid, plus interest of £323,000, however I would ask the following questions:

Would the loan have been made if Woking was not a Lib Dems run Council?

Wouldn’t the £10 million have been better spent on improving and supporting services for the people of Wokingham?

Small wonder that the auditor

Ernst and Young have walked away from the auditing of the Wokingham Borough Council accounts, as they have been unable to get the required information for them to be able to complete their work.

In not being able to submit their accounts on time Wokingham Borough Council have broken the law.

Under the Lib Dems we have seen an increasing decline in Wokingham town centre as more and more shops close, leading one to ask the question why come to Wokingham to shop?

The town is losing its uniqueness as small independent shops close.

True on-line shopping is causing significant problems, but the cost of parking in Wokingham is much higher than in Bracknell, Henley, or Marlow and yet Wokingham Borough Council are soon to further increase the cost of parking.

Shops like Mathers, TG Art, New Look, Millets etc. have closed, only to be replaced by a solicitors, a chiropractice, and a soon to be opened a private doctors practice.

One has to question is the NHS safe in Lib Dem hands?

Wokingham Borough Council have recently granted planning approval for the construction of 60 flats to be built in the Market Place, plus two small shop units. Unless Robert Dyas can relocate they will close.

Contained within the planning application was a statement that Wokingham did not need large shop units like Robert Dyas, obviously Wokingham Borough Council agreed.

None of these flats will be reserved for affordable housing as the developers say that if these were included, the project would be not be financially viable.

Wokingham Borough Council say that they were powerless to reject the planning application as the law prevented them from doing so. This may be correct, as the developer was able to hide behind the fact that Wokingham did not have a Local Plan for housing development.

The fault for not having one lays firmly at the feet of the Lib Dems. The Conservatives had one, albeit in draft, but they lost control to the Lib Dems who tore it up in order to produce one of their own.

Despite the Lib Dems coming to power on the back of saying that they would control future housing development across the Borough they have singularly failed. In addition to the above they have recently approved 1,200 homes in Shinfield, apartments in Latimer Road etc.

These were granted despite objections from the local residents.

I repeat the Lib Dems fiddle while Wokingham crumbles.

Trevor Sleet, via email