Wokingham Council Tax Set to Rise 4.99%

Residents across Wokingham Borough will see their council tax rise by 4.99% next year.

The increase comes after heavy cuts to central government grants left the wealthy single‑tier authority with less cash. Councillors at the budget meeting on Thursday 25 February criticised the government's new Fairer Funding Formula, which gives more money to areas with higher deprivation and lower property values and has reduced funding for affluent south‑east councils like Wokingham.

Despite the squeeze, the Liberal Democrat administration said it has avoided severe cuts and continued to invest in local infrastructure. They pointed to a new sixth form at Emmbrook School, special schools, a school in Spencers Wood, family hubs, community hubs and a new footbridge in Earley.

There was also discussion of an extra £18m investment in a solar farm, beyond the Barkham solar farm which is still awaiting a National Grid connection.

A big part of the squeeze has come from a loss of business rates income. A few years ago 25% of rates collected from Wokingham businesses were kept by the council; now it's only 6%. According to Cllr Marc Ashwell, Wokingham collects £100m in business rates, but £94m of those are 'redistributed' to other parts of the country. The council has had to find £30m of savings in the last three years.

The Conservatives argued for more spending on potholes and bringing people back to the town centre, offering one hour of free parking in town car parks. Conservative leader Pauline Jorgensen said: "Labour are slashing Wokingham Borough's funding by a further £43 million over the next 3 years."

Labour leader Rachel Burgess described the Lib Dem budget as full of contradictions but said the government had given the authority more certainty. She said: "The funding settlement provides certainty for the next three years - as this is the first multi-year settlement in over a decade. The total revenue available to fund services, including Council Tax - is forecast to rise over the next three years."

Council leader Stephen Conway (Lib Dem) agreed there was multi‑year certainty but called it a bad settlement and criticised the tone of the Conservatives. He said he was astonished by the "unremittingly negative" speech from Pauline Jorgensen and added: "They attack even on matters that they once supported or initiated."

Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter