Reading council’s top five priorities have been identified as the Labour administration lays out what it wants to achieve in the next three years.
The Labour administration at Reading Borough Council has put its 2025-28 Plan out for consultation which sets out its goals and priorities over that period.
The goals are aimed at achieving the council’s vision for the town, which is ‘to help Reading realise its potential and to ensure that everyone who lives and works here can share in the benefits of its success.’
To reach that, the administration has laid out its five top priorities:
– To develop fairer communities and affordable housing
– Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
– Deliver a sustainable and healthy environment
– Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children
– Ensuring Reading Borough Council is fit for the future
These priorities are currently subject to a survey on the council’s Go Vocal consultation website.
For developing fairer communities and affordable housing, the council is proposing to continue its programme of building new energy-efficient council homes and improve tenant satisfaction with social housing.
Additionally, it will expand ties with partner organisations to tackle homelessness.
To secure the town’s economic and cultural success, the Labour administration is committed to delivering an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year, and working with other councils in the Thames Valley to deliver major infrastructure projects.
For delivering a sustainable and healthy environment, the council remains committed to making the net zero by 2030, while maintaining highways and delivering major changes to its waste and recycling service.
To safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of adults and children, the council is bringing children’s services back in-house for more direct oversight, and improve life for both paid and unpaid carers who look after the most vulnerable.
Finally, to ensure the council is fit for the future, the Labour administration wants to deliver good, accessible services to customers, secure best value from all council spending, and be a fair employer to attract a motivated workforce.
With each priority, the survey asks whether there is anything else the council should consider doing to deliver this priority over the next three years.
You can take part in the survey on the Go Vocal website.
The deadline for responses is the end of Sunday, February 23.
The vision for the town is identical to the one laid out in the council’s Corporate Plan 2022-2025, which is being refreshed with these proposals.
The Council Plan 2025-28 is expected to be discussed at a full council meeting on Tuesday, February 25.
