READING Borough Council is planning its own levelling up, as it prepares to launch two new schemes as part of its new Tackling Inequality Strategy.
They will be based in Whitely and Church wards, and aimed at boosting the work of existing organisations, such as churches, schools, community centres, retailers and leisure centres.
As part of the projects, they will also boost the work of the council-owned company Brighter Futures for Children to develop a targeted programme of work to support schools within south Reading to help pupils, while another facet will see New Directions College and the Reading Economy & Destination Agency support people with help getting into work.
The council says the starting point is the unequal gap in terms of wealth and life experiences that some residents face.
The three-year project aims to work through that, and seeing the council spend time learning about the strengths of each communities so that support can be targeted where it is needed.
The Tackling Inequality Strategy 2023-26 brings together the Council’s work on tackling inequality into a single document and work programme. It is backed up by an action plan detailing specific actions for the Council and its partners.
Cllr Jason Brock, Reading Borough Council Leader, said: “The focus of the Council, and what drives me personally, is helping Reading realise its potential through ensuring that everyone who lives and works here can share in the benefits of our town’s success.
“As well as bringing together existing activity, the new Tacking Inequality Strategy is about how we can go beyond what we are already doing to achieve a better quality of life for our residents in our most deprived areas.
“That means creating opportunities to access the education, skills and practical training people need to realise their potential through suitable employment opportunities.”
He said that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to tackling inequalities, and some sections of the council’s plan will be quicker to implement than others.
“This is why we are initially focusing our activities on specific issues and areas of Reading that make a real difference for our residents, especially in the south of the borough,” Cllr Brock said.
“Our partners have a huge role to play in helping to deliver the changes which make a difference to people’s lives, through the support and resources they provide to residents. For its part the Council will do everything in its power to back them, as we already do through our ongoing financial package of support to our amazing voluntary sector.”
This view was backed by Cllr Liz Terry, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Corporate Services and Resources, who said that the opportunity gap would almost certainly widen due to the cost-of-living crisis, so this strategy would help stem the tide.
“Our focus on trying to help everybody in Reading realise their potential pre-dates the current crisis by a number of years, but this strategy now pulls together the various workstreams across the town into one document with clear actions and outcomes,” she said.
“Education and training has always been a fundamental tool to help people to improve their life chances. Year one of the strategy will focus on the south of the borough, understanding what communities already do well and what the barriers are to progress, using existing resources to deliver activities and to create new opportunities for residents.
“As always, we will rely on the skills, experience and expertise of our partners, as this is not something the Council can achieve on its own.”
The strategy was discussed at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s Policy Committee held on Monday, January 23.
