About us

About Us

We are a unitary authority formed in 1974, covering a semi-rural area with three main towns of Wokingham, Woodley, and Earley. 

Until 1998, we were a lower-tier district council, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services to the area. The county council was abolished in 1998 with Wokingham taking over their functions and providing services across the area. We were awarded borough status in 2007, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of Mayor. 

The services we provide include:

• Adult social care
• Business and licensing 
• Children’s services
• Community and safety
• Countryside, parks and conservation 
• Household waste collection
• Housing and tenants
• Major developments
• Parking and transport 
• Planning services
• Roadworks and outdoor maintenance 
• Schools and education

Our vision 

Through our services and with our one team approach, we are working to achieve our vision of Wokingham Borough being a great place to live, learn, work, and grow and a great place to do business.

Our Area

Wokingham Borough is set in the heart of Berkshire with excellent transport links to Reading and central London. Our area comprises of a vibrant and historical market town, attractive villages, and miles of beautiful countryside. We’re home to a range of high performing schools including 69 primary and 21 secondary, a host of international businesses and an incredible community. We have a strong local economy with accelerated growth, a range of excellent public facilities and low levels of crime, offering an exceptional quality of life.

Over the last five years we’ve been regenerating Wokingham town centre to help deliver our masterplan vision, for an even more vibrant and economically successful town centre. Changes through the regeneration include a new public square with shops, bars and restaurants, homes at Peach Place, cafes, cinema, a supermarket, a hotel, and a landscaped park with destination play area. 

Our values

Our values help shape and guide our behaviour. By demonstrating these values, it will help us move forwards together to achieve our future ambitions for Wokingham Borough. Our values include:

• Customer focussed: Put ourselves in our customers shoes and listen, to deliver services we would like to receive. 
• One team: Work jointly with our residents, colleagues, councillors and partners, across any boundaries, to ensure efficient, effective delivery on behalf of our communities. 
• Taking ownership: Taking responsibility for issues and addressing them with actions we see through to resolution. Be accountable for our service delivery in the context of our community well-being and Council objectives. 
• Being ambitious: Aiming for excellence in the outcomes we pursue and the way we do things. Being forward- thinking, innovative, entrepreneurial and accepting risks where possible.

Political Structure

Wokingham Borough Council is made up of 54 councillors representing 25 wards across the Borough - Your Councillors webpage.

Our Constitution sets out how we operate, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed - Constitution webpage.

Currently, there is not a single political party which holds majority control of the Council, the Council is therefore considered to have ‘no overall control’. The current political balance of our Council is:

• Liberal Democrat - 26 Councillors
• Conservative - 22 Councillors
• Labour - 5
• Independent - 1

The Leader of the Council is Councillor Stephen Conway. The Deputy Leader of the Council is Prue Bray.