‘RADICAL’ plans are underway in the council’s quest to save £19 million by 2020 with a proposed council tax hike of nearly five per cent.

Wokingham Borough Council has announced how it will deal with a complete withdrawal of its general government support grant in the next three years.

Under the proposals, which will be discussed on Thursday, February 23, the council has said it will not produce a ‘slash and burn’ budget, but will invest £90 million in highways, £46 million in its schools and £23 million in council and affordable housing over the coming years.

To carry this out, the council plans to introduce a council tax increase of 1.94 per cent and a three per cent social care levy. This would add up to a 48p increase per week for band D properties and 75p to cover the social care levy, generating the authority an additional £2.5 million this year.

Specific projects to be funded include the ongoing regeneration of the town centre, a new primary school at Matthewsgreen, the redevelopment of Carnival Pool and the reopening of Ryeish Green Sports Centre.

The council will soon be entering year two of a multi-year finance settlement, covering up to 2020. Due to this, it is proposed that the council agree a net revenue budget of £113 million for the 2018 financial year. The savings target therefore is £6.7million.

Deputy leader for Wokingham Borough Council, Cllr Julian McGhee Sumner, said: “Although we are facing severe financial challenges, we are proposing a balanced budget that means that we can protect services that residents most value.

“We are continuing to focus on protecting vulnerable people and investing in prevention services with £76 million dedicated to this area.

“We are also streamlining our organisation even further, with an investment in IT that will allow us to reduce staff costs and provide a better service to residents.”