Earlier this year I was invited to enter Reading in the ‘Let’s Celebrate Towns’ competition organised by Visa and the British Retail Consortium. I chose to highlight the fantastic work that the Council, local businesses, and the people of the town are doing to tackle the climate crisis, improve sustainability, and to make Reading a cleaner, greener place to live.
I am very pleased to let residents know that Reading has been shortlisted and I will be attending an awards ceremony this week with the Mayor of Reading, Alice Mpofu-Coles, to find out whether our town will come out on top in its category. Regardless of what the result may be, I am immensely proud of the actions that are being taken by local residents, organisations, and businesses in Reading.
This week it was announced that carbon emissions in Reading have fallen by 57% in 18 years. Reading Borough Council has set the ambition of becoming ‘net zero’ by 2030 and is leading by example by reducing its own carbon footprint by 72.7% since 2008/9. The combined efforts of the council and its local partners has also resulted in Reading being awarded an ‘A’ grade for its climate action by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for four years in a row. Our town is one of only 112 towns and cities worldwide, and one of only 19 other UK towns and cities, to have achieved this accolade for 2024.
In my submission for the ‘Let’s Celebrate Towns’ competition I highlighted the fantastic contributions that many local groups and organisations such as the Reading Economy and Destination Agency (REDA), Reading Climate Action Network, Reading Hydro, and Reading University have been making to advance Reading’s net zero goals. I would like to congratulate the University, which has been named the Sustainable University of the Year for 2025 in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide
Our town also benefits from having a bus service under public ownership with one of the most environmentally friendly fleets of buses in the country. This currently includes 58 super-green bio-gas buses, which reduce CO2 emissions by up to 84% compared to an equivalent brand-new diesel double-deck bus. Reading Buses and the Council have also secured a total of £6m of Government funding to invest in 32 new zero-emission electric double-deck buses.
The introduction of more electric vehicles on our roads will make a significant impact on air quality and our climate goals, as around 29% of carbon dioxide emissions in Britain come from domestic transport. I recently held a meeting with the Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood MP, to discuss the electrification of road transport and the Government’s work to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. I am delighted that Government announced new grants will be available to help residents buy electric vehicles. I also attended the Berkshire Electric Vehicle event last week to speak to businesses about their amazing work to support the green transition.
More broadly, I support the action the Government is taking to deliver on our climate goals. This includes its mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, delivering clean, homegrown power by 2030 and accelerating the transition to net zero across the economy. I welcome the steps it has already taken on this issue, and I look forward to supporting further action that meets the scale of the climate emergency and speeds up the transition to net zero.
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Matt Rodda is Labour MP for Reading Central
