BOSSES at Bracknell Forest Council have hit back after Wokingham Borough Council chiefs decided to leave a service it shares with its neighbours.

Wokingham Borough Council voted to leave the Public Protection Partnership -- a shared Berkshire service which investigates and responds to noise complaints, bonfires, anti-social behaviour, food hygiene issues and more -- at a meeting last week.

Following this news, Bracknell Forest Council director Kevin Gibbs told the News the authority had no plans to quit the service.

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He said: “‘The staff who work in the Public Protection Partnership are part of Bracknell’s workforce and as such provide an excellent service to Bracknell Forest residents.

“They have been delivering a high level of service since Bracknell joined the shared service in 2017 and have excelled during the global pandemic over the past 12 months.”

The PPP responds to issues such as fly-tipping

The PPP responds to issues such as fly-tipping

Investigations from the Public Protection Partnership -- which has been shared by Bracknell and Wokingham as well as West Berkshire for the past four years -- have led to a number of hefty fines for local businesses and residents.

Back in December 2020 Tesco’s Bracknell North superstore was served a huge £536,000 fine following an incident in July 2017.

READ MORE: Why Wokingham is quitting the PPP

The PPP found that a ten-year-old boy was electrocuted after coming into contact with a faulty electrical supply in a freezer at the supermarket, leaving him burnt and with pains down his right leg.

And in October 2020, two Maidenhead locals were forced to cough up almost £2,000 after being caught fly-tipping in Bracknell Forest.

Food hygiene ratings are another responsibility of the PPP

Food hygiene ratings are another responsibility of the PPP

Wokingham Borough Council voted to leave the Public Protection Partnership after John Halsall, the Conservative leader of the authority, said he believed his council could provide a ‘more effective’ service in-house.

He added: “We cannot leave it to others. We have to take responsibility.

READ MORE: Full list of big fines handed out by the PPP in Bracknell and Wokingham

“Currently our residents blame us and hold us responsible for these duties. They are more than a little puzzled that we do not have any authority at the moment.

“The PPP works at our request, but we do not have the power to set their priorities to ensure that any resident has the service that they have the right to expect nor that which we wish to give.

“We aim to tailor service delivery at a locality level.”