Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 18 July 2024.

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and any non-registrable interests relevant to any matters to be considered at the meeting.

The following declarations of interest were made in relation to Minute 28: Shareholders Report 2023-24: Outturn.

·        Councillor Prue Bray as a non-Executive Director at WBC Holdings Ltd.

·        Councillor Stephen Conway a Non-Executive Director at WBC Holdings Ltd

·        Councillor David Hare as a Non-Executive Director of Optalis Ltd.

To answer any public questions.

A period of 30 minutes will be allowed for members of the public to ask questions submitted under notice.

The Council welcomes questions from members of the public about the work of the Executive.

Subject to meeting certain timescales, questions can relate to general issues concerned with the work of the Council or an item which is on the Agenda for this meeting.  For full details of the procedure for submitting questions please contact the Democratic Services Section on the numbers given below or go to www.wokingham.gov.uk/publicquestions

Question:? 

When will permits be introduced to Brook Street? They seem to be constantly delayed and the problem seems to be getting worse. 

To answer any member questions.

A period of 20 minutes will be allowed for Members to ask questions submitted under Notice.

Any questions not dealt with within the allotted time will be dealt with in a written reply.

The Community Vision 2035 has been fully shaped and designed with input from local people from across the Wokingham Borough. 99 organisations represented the views, ambitions and lived experiences of hundreds of people. 34 targeted events reached the views of hundreds more, with the online survey over 500.

Whilst the Council will be one of the partners around the table in its delivery – not the sole deliverer - the outcomes within the vision align with the Council’s own ambitions around various other strategies.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

1. Noted the ambitions of local people within the Community Vision 2035.

2. Supported adoption of the Community Vision 2035, using it to inform strategic planning and service delivery for the Council.

3. Supported the Councils commitment to continue collaborating with partners and the local community in delivery of the vision.

RESOLVED that the Executive determined that the attached draft Wokingham Borough School Places Strategy 2024/25 to 2029/30 be adopted as the Borough’s plan in respect of school place sufficiency in the area, and that a further report should be brought to the Executive to confirm the Council’s commitment to additional primary school capacity in the Shinfield area, if this is deemed necessary, in 2025.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

1) Approved Option 2 – to remove all time restrictions for the use of disabled and disabled plus companion passes on all qualifying bus services under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

2) Approved a Supplementary Estimate of £6,000 for 2024/25 and noted an ongoing budget growth requirement of £15,000 to be included in the February 2025 MTFP submission for 2025/26 onwards.

The following declarations of interest were made in relation to Minute 28: Shareholders Report 2023-24: Outturn.

·        Councillor Prue Bray as a non-Executive Director at WBC Holdings Ltd.

·        Councillor Stephen Conway a Non-Executive Director at WBC Holdings Ltd

·        Councillor David Hare as a Non-Executive Director of Optalis Ltd.

RESOLVED that the Executive noted:

1) The new governance arrangements for the Housing Companies and the impact on the reporting of the final financial and operating position for 2023/24 financial year, and

2) The Optalis financial and operational position for 2023/24 financial year.

RESOLVED that the Executive noted the internal health and safety performance for 23/24; and the priorities in the report which have informed the action plan for 24/25 and will shape the action plan for the next municipal year.