THE leader of Wokingham Borough Council gave a passionate speech about her position to her fellow councillors on Thursday evening.

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Charlotte Haitham Taylor appointed councillor Pauline Jorgensen as deputy leader after Julian McGhee-Sumner left the role earlier in September.

This comes amid huge pressure on the council’s leader after continued leadership challenge rumours.

In her speech, Cllr Haitham Taylor said: “There has been a good deal of speculation in the press in recent weeks about my leadership.

“Leadership is about standing by those difficult things, being on the side of what is just and fair, even when those who are bereft of courage will buckle at the first sign of difficulty.

“Presiding in judgement over those who can choose to stand up and be counted, when you will stick your own neck out - that is not bravery.

“We would not deserve to be leaders if I, or my Executive, or my Conservative group, were too afraid to do the right thing, even when it is the unpopular thing to do.”

The speech concluded with the leader saying: “I believe that we have a vision worth fighting for, and while I am leader of this Council, I will continue to do battle every single day to deliver it for the most important people of all, the residents of Wokingham Borough.”

However the leader faced strong attacks from opposition councillors.

Councillor Lindsay Ferris, leader of the Wokingham Liberal Democrat group, slated the leadership after the council approved a report detailing the authority’s spending and borrowing from the last financial year.

After pointing out that debt at the council is forecast to increase to a staggering £600m by next year, he said: “The council is now behaving like someone who has a number of credit cards and spends up to the limit on each of these cards.

“This is unsustainable and will surely end in tears.

“Also at the moment we have no executive, or deputy executive member for finance as both these members resigned these past weeks.

"So who is in charge of our finances?”

“We are extremely worried about the direction this Conservative administration is taking us.”

Labour councillor Andy Croy also piled the pressure on Charlotte Haitham Taylor.

He said that many of his constituents in his Bulmershe and Whitegates ward are worried about the leadership of the council.

He also claimed that some of his constituents are Conservative councillors who "are very concerned that their party is rudderless".

The councillor highlighted to the council that there are currently no executive or deputy executive members for finance and corporate resources as well and asked the leader how she can reassure Wokingham’s residents.

She replied claiming she has received cross-party on recent issues, and that new executive and deputy executive members for finance will be announced in the coming weeks.

She concluded her answer to Cllr Croy by saying “watch this space.”

The council’s members all met at a full council meeting on Thursday, September 20.