Lib Dems hopeful over Wokingham Borough Council coalition plan

The Liberal Democrats' group leader on Wokingham Borough Council has said his party wants to form a coalition with Labour and independent councillors.

The Conservatives lost control of the council after they lost five seats.

Clive Jones said it was a "real possibility" that he would lead a coalition but that negotiations could "take a little bit of time".

The Tories have 26 seats, the Lib Dems 23, Labour three and there are two independents after Thursday's election.

Mr Jones said: "It wasn't a good result [for the Lib Dems], it was an absolutely excellent result. We are so excited."

He said his party hoped to conclude negotiations before its annual council meeting on 19 May.

Mr Jones, who is also the Lib Dems' candidate for the Wokingham constituency at the next general election, said issues to be resolved included the authority's local plan and cutting the proposed number of homes that could be built across the borough.

"In Wokingham we have been extremely generous for 40 years. We have built 40,000 houses in the borough in the last 40 years," he said.

"Michael Gove and his people in his [Levelling Up, Housing and Communities] department want us to build another 16,000 in the next 20 years.

"We have really got to make him understand that enough is enough and those numbers have got to come down."

The Lib Dems' leader Ed Davey said Thursday's results showed his party had made "steady progress" across Wokingham and that it could seriously challenge current Conservative MP John Redwood at the next general election.

On Friday, Conservative leader John Halsall said: "In terms of administration we are very good, however there are tides in the affairs of men and a gale force wind and we got caught in it, it's very sad."

He said his party's losses were due to national issues, rather than local ones.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: "Councils are best placed to take decisions on local planning matters, and are responsible for setting their own housing targets in their local plan.

"Our guidance should be considered alongside local constraints, including the need for infrastructure to support new development, and consideration for the environment."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].