Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough councils are both set to join forces with the other councils in Berkshire to seek county-wide opportunities.

The six councils in Berkshire want to create the joint Prosperity Board to help drive forward and deliver future economic success, and tackle the issues they face together.

Under the proposed Prosperity Board, the councils would work together to encourage enterprises and government to invest in the county and devise strategies to tackle issues such as climate change and the scarcity of affordable housing.

The creation of the board will be discussed at all the executive committees at Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough, as well as other meetings held at the remaining four Berkshire councils before being formalised.

The creation of the Prosperity Board has been endorsed by the leaders of Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough councils.

Councillor Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands), leader of Bracknell Forest Council, said: “It’s really important that we look to bring more economic opportunities to the area and break down barriers in building on the prosperity of Bracknell Forest and Berkshire as whole.

“We may live in an area that has a history of being very prosperous, but we’re not immune to the impact of national and global events, which have affected the job, housing, and business sectors.

“Together we are in a much stronger position to tackle those challenges and lobby for wider investment in the area. If agreed by all authorities, the Berkshire Prosperity Board would offer the opportunity to work much more closely together and provide many economic benefits to residents.”

Cllr Stephen Conway (Liberal Democrats, Twyford), leader of Wokingham Borough Council said: “The Leaders of the six Berkshire unitary councils have made great progress since May in working together to prepare the way for the Berkshire Prosperity Board.

“Over the next few weeks, each of the Councils will be asked to endorse the establishment of the new Board.

“The Berkshire leaders believe that the Board will give us a stronger voice than we have as individual Councils and will increase our chances of securing external funding for infrastructure projects and other initiatives that will help the development of the Berkshire economy.

“We see this is an important step that will help generate jobs, help address the climate emergency, and help deliver more much-needed affordable housing.”

Areas of collaboration within the prosperity board include promoting health and tackling inequalities, providing more affordable housing, developing planning strategies and delivering vital infrastructure.

If plans for the board go ahead, it will see the highest level of collaboration between the councils since the six authorities were united within Berkshire County Council at Shire Hall in Shinfield Park.

The council was abolished in 1998, creating the six unitary authorities which have existed since then.

Wokingham ‘District’ became a Borough in 2007, and the word ‘Borough’ was taken out of Bracknell Forest Council’s name in 2008.