Letter appeared in Maidenhead Advertiser 6th April 2023
Dear Editor
Over the last four weeks we have seen The Borough First Independents being berated by the Conservative administration for not having a plan for the next four years. Nothing could be further from the truth. If we are part of the Council majority in May 2023 then the first action we will take is to review all current decisions, the Borough’s financial position and all active contracts with a view to making pragmatic decisions, that are evidenced based and for the benefit of the residents throughout the Borough.
We would
- Commit to review the Borough Local Plan and do all within our means to mitigate against the overdevelopment enabled by the BLP and its use of outdated housing targets and use of Green Belt.
- Restore the finances and quality of service – e.g. outsourcing is not always the answer but where outsourced services bring economies of scale then effective contract management must be in place.
- Ensure the support for our vulnerable is delivered fairly and across the Borough.
- Work with partners to deliver social rented homes, addressing the lax priorities of the last 15 years.
- Invest in improving our environment and infrastructure – street cleaning, maintaining roads and pavements to a high standard, air quality, maintain and replanting trees.
- Tackling crime and antisocial behaviour – evidence-based funding for Council officers working with local police to deliver the best outcomes for residents.
- Invest in continually improving our schools to a Good and Outstanding standard and prioritise early help and preventative services across Children’s and Adults Social Care.
- Review and prioritise the economic development and regeneration of Maidenhead, Ascot and Windsor, encouraging development that is sympathetic to the needs of the residents and businesses alike.
- We will continue to push for the only suitable flood defences for the East of Windsor. The River Thames Scheme – Channel One, so all of RBWM is protected from flooding.
- We will review public transport services across the Borough in line to support our Environmental targets.
- We will look to link up all areas of the Borough with public transport links, cycling and walking infrastructure.
This will not be easy but if all Councillors work together, with honesty, transparency, respect and willingness to do what is best for residents, we will be able to reverse the last 15 years of decline.
The current conservatives have had a one-dimensional plan, borrow money, spend to ensure votes and have a fire sale of RBWM assets, such as Maidenhead Golf Course, to pay back the £250m debt they created through poor financial management.
You only have to look at the catastrophic failure to deliver on their 2019 election promises.
- Fund at least 25 Community Wardens – we now only have 6.
- Build the Oaks Leisure Centre in Ascot – the funding has been removed from the budget.
- Build hundreds of social rented homes over the next 4 years – only 22 built.
- Maintain the weekly bin collection – black bins are now fortnightly and it is costing us hundreds of thousands more annually.
- Support the River Thames Scheme Channel One – this scheme has been allowed to go ahead without the Datchet, Horton, Old Windsor & Wraysbury sections.
- Allocate £10m to flood defences and maintain and improve flood defences – zero spent and £10m is not in the budget until 2024/25.
The Conservatives’ track record for making promises is excellent but their delivery leaves much to be desired, persistently failing residents.
The Borough First Independents put people before politics and will deliver on their promises.
David Buckley
The Borough First Independents