The leader of the Wokingham Conservatives has celebrated after the party held the line in the Local Elections 2021. The result saw the Conservatives hold on to their majority on the council and unseat the leader of the Wokingham Labour party Andy Croy. However, the Liberal Democrats gained three seats at the expense of the Conservatives, as six Conservative councillors chose to retire ahead of the elections. Giving his opinion on the result, re-elected councillor and Wokingham Conservative leader John Halsall said: “I’m really pleased with the result, we have the same majority as we were. “We have lost some great and good councillors. I thank Dianne King for her outstanding service on the executive, UllaKarin Clark for her long service as a councillor, Charlotte Haitham-Taylor for her leadership and her support, and Malcolm Richards, who has been a great mayor in such difficult circumstances. I would also like to thank Oliver Whittle, Emma Hobbs and Ken Miall fo
For the most part, the day went well for incumbent councillors who were seeking re-election. The ruling Conservatives for the most part held the line. They won 14 out of the 18 seats that were up for election last time, in 2016. This year, they managed to hold on to 11 of those and gain one seat. The most gains were made by the Liberal Democrats, who won three seats at the expense of the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats gained a seat in Emmbrook from long serving Conservative incumbent UllaKarin Clark. Clark had served as a councillor since 2003, but was beaten by Morag Malvern, who won by a majority of 221 votes. The Liberal Democrats had accused the Conservatives, including former Cllr Clark, of lying over the council’s finances in their campaign material.
Members of the Conservative party claim the borough council’s net debt stands at £83 million, which has appeared in Facebook adverts and leaflets for UllaKarin Clark, their candidate for Emmbrook. The material states: “The independent auditor [Ernst & Young] says our net debt is £83 million against £1.3 billion in assets. Do you believe them or the Liberal Democrats trying to win your vote?” Ernst & Young [EY] are the council’s officially appointed auditors. The Liberal Democrats claim that EY have not endorsed the £83 million in net debt figure, and have therefore called on the Conservatives to apologise and remove the adverts. Senior Liberal Democrat Councillor Clive Jones said: “The Conservatives should apologise for seriously misleading the public with this false statement.
All the Conservative candidates standing for election in Wokingham in 2021 There are 18 Conservative candidates who will be competing for seats on Wokingham Borough Council at this year’s local election. The party is looking to keep control of the council, as it currently holds 31 of the 54 seats. There will be 18 seats up for grabs at this year’s election, which will be held on May 6, and the Tories are looking to win all of them. Last year’s election was postponed by the coronavirus pandemic, but people are being assured it will be safe to head to the polls in 2021.
Buildings placed for brand new school in Wokingham A BRAND new school in Wokingham has just had its first modules lifted into place, making a huge leap in construction progress. The Keys Academy Trust, which is currently still being built in Matthewsgreen, Wokingham, had its first phase of modules placed earlier this month, making up the majority of the primary school building. The 210-place school has had most of its construction take place off-site to cut carbon emissions in the building process. Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services, said: “It’s great to see the buildings taking shape now the modules have arrived on site at Matthews Green.