After the inflation, war and suffering of 2023, it would be easy to feel pessimistic about 2024.

Wokingham Borough Council faces hefty challenges. Inflation and rising demand for our services could add about £24 million to our costs this coming year.

Finding that extra sum will be a major ask. The government has given us a paltry £0.67 million additional money to help deliver our services, so we must rely on our own efforts.

But there are good reasons to be optimistic. We have excellent, hard working officers and committed, experienced councillors.

The current administration at Wokingham has not run away from taking tough decisions that have ensured the council is in a better financial position than if we had not taken them.

We will continue focusing our limited resources on those who need help most, especially as the government seems intent on ending the Household Support Grant, which has been a lifeline for many people.

We will continue working with our charitable and voluntary sector partners in the Hardship Alliance. Partnership working will be key. We need to work with public and private bodies to serve residents.

We will continue to prioritise providing school places for all of the borough’s children.

The council must negotiate with academy trusts to ensure that every child in the borough receives a place at a suitable school, as trusts now determine how many pupils they want to admit to their schools.

Another major commitment in the year ahead is to continue addressing the climate emergency. We intend to include bold new sustainability measures in the new local plan that sets the planning framework for the next fifteen years.

We will proceed with planting new woodlands, especially the Covid Memorial Wood in Barkham. And we will push ahead with the new solar farm, also in Barkham, which will save the council money on electricity bills and generate income.

And we will finish drawing up a community vision, produced by businesses, charities and voluntary organisations. This will form the basis of the council’s strategy.

I hope these examples show our determination to make the borough an even better place to live and work.