The UK Government has issued a short consultation seeking views on the detail and practical implications of allowing remote and hybrid attendance and proxy voting at local authority meetings in England

The open consultation, running to 19 December, is particularly seeking the views of individual members of the public; prospective and current local authority members/representatives; all relevant local authorities defined above; and those bodies that represent the interests of local members/representatives at all levels.

Take the Survey

If you would like to find out more, please contact: remoteattendanceconsultation@communities.gov.uk

Wokingham Borough Council will set its budget for 2025/26 in February next year, and is currently looking at how it can set a balanced budget, protect services, and invest in residents’ futures with input from residents in the form of questions proposed to the Council and a Survey.

Overview and Scrutiny Committees

With this in mind, the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees (which are public meetings of elected councillors that residents are welcome to attend and ask questions of) will hold sessions to look in detail at the ideas we have so far and make recommendations on them.

As well as a chance at these sessions to look at the detailed proposals, the Council is seeking views on a few key questions that will help it plan for a secure financial future.

The Overview and Scrutiny meetings, at which detailed budget proposals will be discussed, are:

• Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Tuesday October 29, 7pm
• Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Tuesday November 12, 7pm
• Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Tuesday December 17, 7pm
• Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee: January 20, 2025, 7pm

Questions can be submitted in advance of these meetings via the Council’s website.

Residents Survey

In addition to the Overview and Scrutiny process, the Council is seeking views on how it can safeguard its financial future by asking residents to complete a Survey, giving their input on these issues, by 2nd December.

Take Survey

Wokingham Borough Council is preparing to publish its new Local Plan, which is a strategy document covering all aspects of how Wokingham Borough should grow and develop in the long term.

Before the Council submits the new Local Plan for examination, residents have the opportunity to comment on the plan’s soundness and legal compliance until Wednesday 13 November 2024.

It will then go forward for examination by an independent planning inspector, and we hope to adopt it as soon as possible after this.

Take the Survey

Wokingham Borough Council is asking young people to take a survey to help understand their experiences, wants and needs in the borough

Wokingham Borough Council is seeking views of 11- to 19-year-olds to understand how they feel about their life in the borough in a ‘Youth Future Focus’ survey jointly developed by the council, Berkshire Youth and the Children and Young People’s Partnership.

The survey covers a range of topics including wellbeing, safety, leisure, support networks and worries and concerns.

Information gained from the survey will feed into the Wokingham Youth Offer Needs Assessment that will identify the services that already exist for young people in the borough, and where there are any gaps. It is important to get direct feedback from young people so the council can understand what services and opportunities they would want to have access to.

This will then inform the Wokingham Youth Offer that will be published and kept up to date, to ensure all young people have one place that they can access information about services available for them in the borough.

Encourage your young people to take part

The survey is open to those aged 11 to 19, or 24 for those with special educational needs and disabilities, until 25 October.

Wokingham Borough Council is also working with local schools, local groups and alternative provisions to make sure that as many young people get the opportunity to have their voice heard as possible.

An in-person event will be taking place later this year. If you have a young person who would like to attend, have any questions about the project or survey or need an easy-read version, please email YouthVoice@wokingham.gov.uk.

Take the Survey