With one year to go until the May 2027 elections, Bracknell Forest party leaders used the council meeting to defend their records and preview their pitches to voters.
Conservative leader Cllr Gareth Barnard declared "bring on May 2027" as he challenged the Labour administration and set out a Conservative vision of "Hope, Opportunity and Integrity".
He said the borough has seen "a significant deterioration in the look and feel of our Borough" under Labour, citing unkept verges, overflowing bins, cuts to bus services, rising graffiti and fly-tipping in rural parishes.
Barnard also raised cost‑of‑living pressures and soaring business rates hitting local firms such as Stirrups Hotel and Sibit and Doodles, warned Bracknell Forest has received "the lowest amount in Government funding of any unitary authority" and faces real‑terms cuts. He pledged to use AI and assistive tech to cut social care costs, finish town‑centre regeneration including the Deck, deliver the Buckler's Park special school, replace the sports and leisure centre, improve planning consultation and run a borough "spring‑clean".
The Conservatives said they would speed up pothole repairs, hold utility companies to account for road damage and live within budgets while focusing on front‑line services and cutting red tape.
Labour hit back, saying the party had already delivered more homes, outstanding children's services, a SEND school and invested millions in roads. A Labour spokesperson said: "Bracknell Conservatives had 26 years in charge to deliver on these promises - and they failed completely. That's why residents rewarded them with a wholehearted defeat in 2023. Perhaps Mr Barnard hopes we had all forgotten: we haven't."
They added: "In 2027 Bracknell Labour will be fighting on our record: investing millions in fixing our roads, building more social homes for local people, delivering outstanding children's services and actually funding a SEND school. Bring it on."
Cllr Barnard also criticised the council's handling of the former mayor's conviction, saying Labour showed "no apology, no sense of owning the issue or taking responsibility". He called for an independent audit of partner organisations protecting women and girls and demanded "action not a charter".
Lib Dem leader Mike Forster stressed protecting services like healthcare, attracting high‑skill tech jobs and safeguarding the environment, and warned that fear of crime remains high. He said: "A major survey found that two‑thirds of teenagers worry about becoming victims of violence." He added: "Violence against women and girls remains a national emergency, and one that demands constant action."
Cllr Barnard ended by restating his call for voters to decide between Labour's direction and the Conservative blueprint at the May 2027 elections.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
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