Minutes:
I want to make it very clear to residents that this budget is the work of the Coalition of Liberal Democrats, Labour and Independents and they are all equally responsible for the proposals. It is a budget that is built on a falsehood that has been repeated since the Liberal Democrats took power with the help of their allies. They claim that they have no choice because of the state they found the Council’s finances in. Every poor decision, that is their excuse. It’s always somebody else’s fault. And it’s simply not true.
Don’t just take my word for it. At the last Executive meeting, the Council’s own Chief Financial Officer (CFO) said that the Council’s Finances were in good shape under the previous Conservative administration. The CFO’s report sets out that, in 2020, Wokingham Borough was rated in the top 20 for financial sustainability by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy. The most recent data, published 2020-21, shows an even further improved position on indicators of financial stress, such as maintaining or improving reserves and the cost of social care as a proportion of total expenditure compared to other local authorities. Demonstrating that the previous Conservative administration’s stewardship of the Council’s finances was better than many other councils during the difficult pandemic period.
Power means making choices. When they do anything at all, the record of this administration is to repeatedly make the wrong choices. Since May the record of the Coalition has been one of dither and delay. There’s certainly been a lot of talk but almost no action. Perhaps having been in opposition for the last two decades they aren’t accustomed to making decisions, or maybe they are trying to duck the big issues. Having made broad sweeping promises in Opposition they find themselves incapable of acting.
Councillor Jones has bet the house on being able to reduce housing numbers. He’s told everyone that will listen about his brush-past with Michael Gove and his invitation to a round table that we’re still waiting to happen. And in the meantime, no sign of the Local Plan. We’re left exposed to speculative development, endless costly appeals, and a growing pressure on services and infrastructure with no plan to address it.
This Budget before us continues the theme of poor choices. The choices of the Liberal Democrats, propped up by Labour and the Independents, are not taken in the best interests of our local residents or our communities – they are driven by ideology. Take car parking charges. Despite thousands of people in this Borough signing a petition begging the Council not to double parking charges and 40 businesses explaining how the changes will damage employment, the administration pressed on. Yet this budget acknowledges that this excruciating hike in charges won’t save £500,000 as had been claimed, because £350,000 has had to be allocated to make up for the drop-off in usage of car parks and park and rides. So, residents and local businesses are being made to suffer not to save the Council’s finances at all but because the administration doesn’t want people to use cars. We believe that parking charges should be frozen this year to protect local business, with rises pegged to inflation in coming years if economic circumstances support it.
Then we turn to the coalition’s decision to stop weekly collection of bins. Members have heard tonight that thousands of residents have signed a petition calling for weekly collection to be retained. We know that the Liberal Democrats have already made their minds up, because it’s included in the Budget, and presumably Labour and the Independents will be whipped to fall in behind them. The sad truth is that this reduction in a service will not save a single penny in this coming year. Every household in the Borough will see a Council service reduced, families with young children and the disabled will be hit worst and we fear fly tipping and waste dumped in litter bins will increase – all costing the Council more. Worse still the Lib/Lab coalition propose to take £2m out of reserves to pay for this change. Had the Conservative Group set the Budget, we would have maintained weekly bin collection, and would have made changes to encourage and increase recycling, we have looked at what other local authorities do and there are significant opportunities.
Which brings me on to food waste caddy liners. Once again, we tried to put a stop to this nonsensical decision by the Liberal Democrats and their allies, but our pleas fell on deaf ears. As such, their budget tonight will scrap the purchase and distribution of the liners for food waste caddies. We are clear that we would have continued these caddy liners. We want to make it easier for residents to recycle, and recycling more organic matter including the used pet bedding and waste which currently fills many blue bags.
We Conservatives believe that people don’t create waste for fun and need to be encouraged to recycle not punished because of their circumstances. The administration could have chosen to deliver increased savings by helping people to separate their leftover food from general waste. Instead, they’re making it harder for households to recycle food waste. Why? Because the Liberal Democrats, aided by Labour and the Independents, want to use the money to fund their pet projects.
The Budget gives us an insight into where the money diverted from residents’ services is instead going to be spent. On a Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, even though consultative processes had already been set up. Undertaking community engagement on equality and anti-poverty rather than doing something about them. Lots of talking shops and consultations which their track record suggests they will then ignore. Increasing the number of Council and committee meetings while hiding information and frustrating debate.
The three specific items that I’ve mentioned – car parking charges, weekly waste collection and caddy liners – will be the subject of an amendment tonight. These are all areas where we’ve tried over and over to get the administration to think again. I say to Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent Members: this is your last chance to listen to residents and do the right thing.
Other Conservative Members will highlight different areas where we would have acted differently had we set the Budget. We would have liked to have produced a fully comprehensive alternative Budget. But unlike the administration, we didn’t have many months of preparation supported by hundreds of officers. I would however like to publicly thank the CFO and senior officers for their help and input. As such, we’ll highlight the areas where we think funding could increase or decrease in order to achieve a balanced Budget, with the clear caveat that we don’t have all the detailed figures that the administration has. This situation should be very familiar to the Liberal Democrats – it’s exactly what they did over a number of years, including last year when they replied to the Budget.
One of the Liberal Democrats’ first acts on taking office was to reject moving to full Council elections, instead of the current system of elections by-thirds, despite all out elections being what residents wanted and despite the electoral commission advising that elections by thirds leads to low turnout and that all out elections are fairer and more equitable to the electorate. But also despite officers estimating it would save the Council £4million over the 4-year period. Is this the action of an administration facing difficult financial decisions?
Madam Mayor, what the Liberal Democrats are offering to residents tonight is less for more:
· bins will be collected less often,
· projects such as the solar farm to generate an income significantly delayed,
· Bohunt School expansion delayed,
· a real terms cut in road maintenance,
· no progress on housing numbers or the Local Plan,
· and, in return, people will pay more Council Tax, higher fees, and increased charges.
When residents made the decision to leave this Council as no overall control last May, they signalled that they wanted something different. We accept that. But almost 10 months on, it’s becoming increasingly clear to local people that the Liberal Democrat-led experiment has not only failed, it is one that they can ill-afford. The Liberals did not put these changes in the manifesto they were elected on. I say to all people who don’t like increased charges, worse road maintenance and worse services when you next get a chance to vote before you put your X in the box ask yourself, what are the Liberals planning which they dare not tell me about. If you refuse to listen to residents and disregard their views; if you put up fees and charges but reduce services; if you fail to act on planning and put the whole Borough at risk then why should residents put their trust in you?
The residents of Wokingham Borough deserve better. They deserve an administration that will invest in services, not cut them. They deserve to have their taxes and charges kept to a level they can afford. They deserve to have a Council Leader who will actually act to cut housing numbers and plan for future development, not just talk about it. They deserve to have a Council that will deliver on local communities’ priorities, not the latest ideological fad of a group of councillors.
And the best way for local people to get a Council that will truly be on their side, is to return a Conservative administration at this May’s local elections.