Council Plan 2025 to 2028 – March 2026 update
- Welcome from the Leader
- Our achievements
- Your services
- Our vision and priorities
- Our principles and values
- Promote more equal communities in Reading
- Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
- Deliver a sustainable and healthy environment and reduce Reading’s carbon footprint
- Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children
- Ensure Reading Borough Council is fit for the future
- Our budget
- Annexe: Key Performance Indicators
Welcome from the Leader
Reading remains one of the UK’s most successful towns and cities and, in economic terms, it continues to punch above its weight. We know that because studies say so and people want to live, work and visit Reading.
Despite the financial challenges facing every local authority, the Council has a long and proud history of investing in our town. Our priority remains to help Reading fulfil its potential so that all our residents and businesses can share in the benefits of its success. The best way to achieve that is to continue to invest in Reading.
So, we are continuing with the biggest investment in new council housing in a generation. 421 new council homes since 2014 with firm plans for another 420. By 2029 we aim to have built over 800 new council homes and have ambitious plans in progress to deliver even more over time. We are also making substantial investments to existing council properties, creating better and more energy efficient homes for our tenants.
The cost of caring for the most vulnerable members of our community continues to rise due to increased demand and rising costs. In response, the Council is investing a further £4.7 million in Adult Social Care and an additional £3.8 million in Children’s Services day to day revenue budgets this year. To reduce costs and improve provision, we are also investing £8.2 million in new facilities and homes for vulnerable adults and older people, two of which will open later this year, and £2.8 million in new council-run children’s homes, which will enable us to reduce reliance on expensive external providers. These are major investments which ensure we can continue to support the most vulnerable members of society.
In addition, we are opening four new Best Start in Life Family Hubs. We know that Sure Start made a significant difference to long term positive outcomes for children from the very beginning of their independent lives, reducing hospitalisations, enhancing educational achievement and supporting families.
The opening of the Council’s modern new front door and Civic Reception in January 2026 will be closely followed by the opening of a flagship new library at the Civic Centre this summer, and work continues on the creation of the new Studio Theatre at the Hexagon, building a flexible new performance space for our community which is scheduled to open in 2027.
We are continuing with our record investment in new road surfaces, across hundreds of main roads and residential roads, streetlighting, road safety schemes, new playgrounds and new vehicles to enable us to push on our recycling rates even higher. The Council’s recent major investment in modern new leisure facilities and improving existing facilities continues to reap dividends, with Rivermead recently named one of the best facilities in the UK.
Without question. the coming years will see major changes for Local Government, with both Reorganisation and Devolution on the horizon. As a Council we will continue to fight Reading’s corner so that we can deliver the biggest possible benefits for our residents.
This Council Plan tells the story of how we intend to achieve these things and deliver the services our residents rely on, whilst ensuring we remain financially sustainable because that is the only way we can continue to invest in Reading’s future.
Our achievements
We are proud of the achievements and investments we have delivered in 2025 and will continue to build on these successes. In the last year we have:
Resurfaced 60 sections of major roads in Reading, with 80% of our residential roads now classified as being in good condition.
Invested £375k in a new skatepark in Whitley as well as delivering new playgrounds for Emmer Green (£350k) and Victoria Park (£462k) which opened ahead of schedule.
Changed waste and recycling collection days for all households in the borough to create a more efficient and reliable service, expand capacity in preparation for kerbside glass recycling, and meet demand from population and housing growth.
Added eight new electric buses to our fleet of 24 new zero-emission double-deckers, using £1.3m in
funding from the Department for Transport.
Opened our new Civic Centre customer space in January 2026 with the state of the art Central Library due to open in June 2026.
Approved a new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Reading to help tackle anti-social behaviour in the town centre, which will come into force in March 2026.
Received an ‘outstanding’ rating for Rivermead Leisure Centre from Quest, Sport England’s quality scheme for sport and leisure.
Provided 30 Additionally Resourced Provision Places in schools, so that now 269 children with Special Educational Needs are getting the support they need to thrive in mainstream education.
Provided 519 new daily wraparound childcare places, with every mainstream primary school in Reading now offering some form of wraparound childcare.
Brought our children’s services (formally Brighter Futures for Children) back in-house which will provide the Council with better direct control of Children’s Services and improve collaborative working.
Achieved a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for childcare for all Council-run nurseries in Reading and Pinecroft residential home for children and young people was rated as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted.
Delivered 154 new homes under the Local Authority New Build scheme in 2025 and started work on 30 new affordable homes in Dwyer Road, as well as adding 16 new homes to the housing register at Watchman’s Place. This is part of a £37.6 million programme of investment.
Filled 1,407 potholes.
Secured £150k match funding from the DfE to develop a small local children’s home for children with complex needs, with a total investment of £1.7 million for 3 additional children’s homes.
Submitted a proposal to Government to change the boundary between Reading and West Berkshire and keep the whole of Tilehurst in Reading, following West Berkshire’s proposal to join Oxfordshire Councils and form a new Ridgeway Council.
This will improve service delivery and address the democratic deficit experienced by residents who use Reading services but pay Council Tax to West Berkshire.
Awarded grants and funding totalling £1.4 million to Reading’s Voluntary Sector and community groups, supporting the vital work they do in our town.
Working with partners achieved 294 successful preventions of homelessness.
Provided 4,000 Reading households with cost-of-living vouchers as part of the Council’s new Household Support Fund.
Worked with 12 other councils in the region to agree and submit to government an expression of interest to create a mayoral strategic authority (MSA) within the Thames Valley. This will enable powers and funding to be devolved from central government to be exercised at a more local level.
Residents’ Survey Results 2025
In 2025 we conducted a survey with a representative sample of 1,000 Reading residents about satisfaction with the Council and the services we provide. Key findings were:
- 63% were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with the way Reading Borough Council runs things overall (compared to 56% nationally)
- 45% agreed that Reading Borough Council provides value for money (compared to 36% nationally)
- 64% agreed that Reading Borough Council keeps residents informed (compared to 47% nationally)
Your services
Your council is proud to deliver a wide range of services for our town, including:
Helping those who are older or living with disability, or physical or mental illness, to maintain their independence and well-being. This includes residential and nursing care, supported living, care at home, and preventative services.
In 2025 we provided support to 1,167 residents, with 491 going on to receive long-term support. This included 121 new admissions to nursing or residential care.
Ensuring we have the right school places to meet the needs of our population, including provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Supporting 2,088 children and young people (aged 0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).
Providing fantastic culture and leisure opportunities, including loaning out 484,796 books last year through our libraries and receiving 1,542,342 visits to our leisure centres.
Working with children and families who need support and protecting vulnerable children from harm. Across the year we delivered services to 1,938 children through our early years and youth work. Our children’s social care teams work with 3,533 children and undertook over 1,100 child protection enquiries last year resulting in 624 children being placed on a protection plan. We have 294 children in our care, mostly in fostering placements.
Providing high quality education and training for nearly 1,510 adults a year across 302 courses through New Directions College.
Providing a Public Health and well-being service to help prevent and reduce health inequalities, delivering a range of public health services, including sexual health services and services aimed at reducing drug and alcohol misuse.
Processing over 1,000 planning applications a year, including major developments.
Co-ordinating and influencing the delivery of strategic infrastructure to meet Reading’s needs and accommodate its growth.
Supporting thousands of families to say goodbye to loved ones through our burials and cremation service and presenting 2,194 people with their new British Citizenship certificates.
Providing Housing Benefit and Council Tax support and delivering a broad range of advice and support for residents and businesses experiencing financial difficulties, in conjunction with our voluntary and community sector partners.
Managing important internal functions, including the Council’s finances, legal processes, and contracts with suppliers, ensuring that the Council as an organisation runs efficiently and effectively.
Providing Town Centre Services to make it cleaner and safer for residents and visitors, working closely with the Police and the Business Improvement District.
Managing traffic, parking and public transport services across the town and delivering improvements to roads, cycling, and walking infrastructure.
Maintaining 55 parks and open spaces and 58 play facilities for Reading’s children – mowing the grass, tending plants and trees, maintaining play equipment, protecting our nature reserves, and maximising rewilding and biodiversity in our parks.
Working with key stakeholders through the Water Safety Partnership to make safety improvements to our waterways.
Looking after streets and neighbourhoods, emptying 6,851,873 bins last year and maintaining 18,500 streetlights and illuminated signs.
Processing over 59,800 tonnes of household waste a year, including 10,000 tonnes of kerbside mixed dry recycling, 5,400 tonnes of garden waste, and 7,000 tonnes of food waste.
Providing nearly 7,000 affordable, good quality Council-owned homes to tenants and providing housing advice and support to prevent and relieve homelessness to over 627 households in 2025.
Providing electoral registration services, registering 15,863 people to vote.
Responding to 415,370 enquiries a year through our Customer Fulfilment Centre, from Council Tax enquiries to housing repairs.
Administering important life events with 8,942 registrations for births, deaths, and marriages last year.
Supporting 175 apprentices and 36 work experience students in 2025 on our corporate programme.
In partnership with health and the voluntary sector delivering 1,794 NHS Health Checks in the community.
Providing temporary accommodation for 484 households.
Our vision and priorities
Our vision is to help Reading realise its potential and to ensure that everyone who lives and works here can share the benefits of its success.
To deliver this vision we are focusing on the following five priorities over the period
2025/26 to 2027/28:
- Promote more equal communities in Reading
- Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
- Deliver a sustainable and healthy environment and reduce Reading’s carbon footprint
- Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children
- Ensure Reading Borough Council is fit for the future
Our principles and values
In delivering the priorities set out in this Council Plan, we will be guided by the
following set of principles:
Putting residents first
Being accessible, responsive, and working in the interests of Reading residents.
Building on strong foundations
Delivering the core services that create a safer, cleaner, greener Reading, so the town can grow towards an exciting future.
Recognising, respecting, and nurturing all our diverse communities
Recognising Reading’s diversity and rich culture as one of our greatest strengths, we will work with all of Reading’s communities across all the council’s services.
Involving, collaborating, and empowering residents
Working closely with residents, businesses, and local groups to collectively achieve great outcomes for Reading.
Being proudly ambitious for Reading
Taking pride in Reading’s heritage, history, active community, and achievements, and using them to bring people together.
Within the council, we are driven by the principles of TEAM Reading:
Work Together as one team:
We work together as one inclusive team with colleagues and partners to deliver great services.
Drive Efficiency:
We drive efficiency and value for money in everything we do.
Be Ambitious:
We are ambitious in our plans and in what we want to achieve.
Make a Difference to Reading:
We are here to make a positive difference to all residents, our diverse communities and the businesses of Reading.
Promote more equal communities in Reading
Reading is a successful and prosperous town, yet also contains some of the most deprived areas in the country. Life expectancy in the poorest parts of Reading is nearly 8 years lower than in the most affluent areas. There remains a stubborn and significant gap in educational attainment between disadvantaged children and their peers. We want to do more to work with Thames Valley Police and other partners to tackle issues such as crime and antisocial behaviour which remain persistent in some parts of our town.
We want Reading to be a place where inequality within our communities is reduced – whether that be differences in health, access to economic opportunities, or the educational attainment of our children. We will work with partners to ensure that services and support are available to those residents that need them, and that everyone shares in Reading’s success.
We will:
- Promote best practice across Reading’s schools, helping to improve educational attainment and narrow the gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable children.
- Reduce inequalities in health and life expectancy through our Public Health service.
- Tackle social and economic inequalities in partnership with the voluntary and community sector.
- Reduce crime and antisocial behaviour, working with Thames Valley Police and other partners.
- Work with partners to prevent homelessness.
- Develop and launch our approach to anti-racism for Reading.
Objectives and projects
| Objective | Project |
|---|---|
| Promote best practice across Reading’s schools, helping to improve educational attainment and narrow the gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. | Deliver the Education Strategy to reduce education inequality and increase school attendance and attainment for those groups who experience the most disadvantage. |
| Reduce inequalities in health and life expectancy through our Public Health service. | Deliver support to help people stop smoking, particularly those working in professions with higher rates of smoking. |
| Develop approaches to ensure that health and wellbeing is considered across all policy areas. | |
| Tackle social and economic inequalities in partnership with the voluntary and community sector. | Deliver the voluntary and community sector compact action plan, including small grants funding. |
| Develop and deliver our place-based approach to enhance access to education, skills, and training. | |
| Provide advice and guidance to residents regarding the cost of living and direct financial support through the Crisis & Resilience Fund. | |
| Reduce crime and antisocial behaviour, working with Thames Valley Police and other partners. | Support the Community Safety Partnership and facilitate Safer Neighbourhood Forums to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. |
| Support plans to tackle knife crime, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. | |
| Work with partners to prevent homelessness. | Continue work to prevent and reduce homelessness. |
Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
Reading is a national economic powerhouse. It is already the principal economic centre of the Thames Valley, a major retail and leisure destination, and a key transport interchange with access to one of the strongest employment markets in Europe. We want to build on the success of the town and ensure that everyone in Reading shares in that success.
Over the coming years there will be significant opportunities to secure additional powers over areas like economic development by working across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley area through a new Strategic Authority. In December 2025, we submitted a letter to government jointing with 12 other councils in the region expressing our interest in creating a Mayoral Strategic Authority to secure new powers and funding for the Thames Valley.
In our 2025 Residents’ Survey, access to affordable and decent housing was identified as a major issue, particularly among young people. House prices in Reading are now 9.5 times average household incomes, making home ownership unattainable for many people. We will ensure that high-quality and affordable new homes continue to be built in Reading, including over 400 new Council homes, along with the infrastructure to support new development.
Vibrant cultural offerings and our town’s heritage are integral to the town’s success in uniting our communities and encouraging people to visit, live, and work in Reading. We will build on these strengths by delivering exciting new developments like the new Central Library and Studio Theatre at the Hexagon.
We will:
- Deliver new energy efficient council homes and improve tenant satisfaction with social housing.
- Enable the delivery of an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, including affordable homes, along with the infrastructure to support new development.
- Promote the economic success of Reading by working with councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley.
- Maximise the benefits available for Reading from opportunities from the Government’s plans to devolve power and funding to local areas.
- Continue to deliver quality cultural and leisure services and facilitate exciting improvements to our cultural offer through grant-funded projects.
Objectives and projects
| Objective | Project |
|---|---|
| Deliver new energy efficient council homes and improve tenant satisfaction with social housing. | Through the Local Authority New Build programme, deliver 420 new homes at Dee Park and other sites by March 2029. |
| Complete the acquisition of Homes for Reading housing stock into the Council by the end of 2027 and re-let the homes to households on the Council’s Housing Register. | |
| Increase the number and timeliness of repairs delivered by our Housing Repairs & Property Services teams. | |
| Enable the delivery of an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, including affordable homes, along with the infrastructure to support new development. | Progress an updated Local Plan towards adoption to provide a framework to guide decision making on the planning applications for homes and infrastructure. |
| Introduce the Additional Licensing Scheme in the private rented sector to improve housing conditions for tenants. | |
| Promote the economic success of Reading by working with Councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley. | In partnership with other Berkshire councils, facilitate the Connect to Work programme to support residents with long term health conditions into work. |
| Maximise the benefits available for Reading from opportunities from the Government’s plans to devolve power and funding to local areas. | Work in partnership to secure devolution for Reading and the wider area through a new Mayoral Strategic Authority. |
| Continue to deliver quality cultural and leisure services and facilitate exciting improvements to our cultural offer through grant-funded projects. | Deliver a new Civic Centre, including a new Central Library and improved Registrars and Customer provision. |
| Deliver the new Studio Theatre at the Hexagon. | |
| Improve the technology offer and access to library services funded through the Libraries Investment Fund. |
Deliver a sustainable and healthy environment and reduce Reading’s carbon footprint
Reading’s economic success is driving significant development and population growth. By 2041 the number of households in central Reading is forecast to increase by 161% – an increase of nearly 9,000. This increase in density and population will require a major shift in infrastructure and presents a huge opportunity to reshape the physical infrastructure of our town for the better.
At the same time, we are already beginning to see the effects of climate change – Earth reached its warmest year on record in 2024. This serves as a reminder of the urgency of continuing to reduce carbon emissions so that we reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, as well as taking steps to adapt to a changing climate.
Our vision for the future is a town where it is quick and easy to get around by public transport, walking, or cycling. By designing our infrastructure and public spaces around pedestrians, we can build spaces that are easy to get around, greener and more attractive, with lower levels of air pollution.
We will:
- Deliver improvements to public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure in Reading.
- Keep Reading moving by delivering investment in highways, including roads, bridges, streetlighting and traffic signals.
- Further improve the physical environment of Reading by improving air quality, access to green space, and the quality of public spaces.
- Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.
- Deliver major improvements to our waste and recycling service to ensure compliance with new legislation.
Objectives and projects
| Objective | Project |
|---|---|
| Deliver improvements to public transport, cycling, and walking infrastructure in Reading. | Deliver the Bus Service Improvement Plan to improve the reliability of bus services by increasing bus priority. |
| Deliver funded active travel schemes to encourage more walking and cycling. | |
| Keep Reading moving by delivering investment in highways, including roads, bridges, streetlighting and traffic signals. | Complete the £8 million programme of work to improve residential roads and pavements. |
| Further improve the physical environment of Reading by improving air quality, access to green space, and the quality of public spaces. | Adopt the Town Centre Public Realm Strategy to secure funding and improvements to Reading’s streets and open spaces. |
| Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030. | Develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including charging points, to move away from fossil-fuelled vehicles. |
| Reduce carbon emissions from our buildings, operations, and fleet, including investing in solar panels, energy efficiency in our buildings, and electric vehicles. | |
| Work with partners to deliver the Climate Strategy for 2025 to 2030 to achieve a net zero Reading resilient to climate change. | |
| Dispose of property and land that no longer contribute towards the Council’s objectives to invest in assets and service transformation. | |
| Deliver major improvements to our waste and recycling service to ensure compliance with new legislation. | Introduce changes to the waste collection service in line with the ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation. |
Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children
Approximately 70% of our net spending on day-to-day services is on adult and children’s social care. These services are at the core of what councils like Reading do – protecting and supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
We will continue to ensure that those who are older or living with disability or illness are supported to live independently, support children with special educational needs and disabilities, and ensure that Reading’s children are protected.
However, the unprecedented levels of demand for these services, along with increasing costs, presents a major challenge for the Council. Our priority for the next three years is to put in place a range of measures to reduce demand and cost, while delivering better outcomes for Reading’s children and adults. This includes major investments in three new children’s homes and four adult social care facilities in Reading.
We will:
- Prevent the escalation of children’s needs and reduce the number of children in care through improving our early help offer.
- Reduce the number of children in residential care and reliance on private providers by recruiting more foster carers and opening new children’s homes in Reading.
- Improve our local special educational needs and disabilities offer and support education settings to develop inclusive practice, so children receive high quality education locally, and achieve their potential.
- Support those who need social care services to live as independently as possible in their homes with improved wellbeing.
- Improve our offer for unpaid carers, ensuring they are supported to live well and can sustain their caring role.
- Work with our partners in health and the voluntary sector to provide support solutions for adults with complex health and social care needs to improve outcomes.
Objectives and projects
| Objective | Project |
|---|---|
| Prevent the escalation of children’s needs and reduce the number of children in care through improving our early help offer. | Deliver Family Hubs to bring together a range of support services in one place, reducing escalation of need and the number of children entering care. |
| Redesign and commission an integrated 0-19 child health programme. | |
| Reduce the number of children in residential care and reliance on private providers by recruiting more foster carers and opening new children’s homes in Reading. | Increase the number of in house foster carers to increase the proportion of children in care living locally and with our own carers. |
| Deliver an in-house assessment home and children’s homes in Reading to ensure that children in residential care remain living in Reading wherever possible. | |
| Improve our local special educational needs and disabilities offer and support education settings to develop inclusive practice, so children receive high quality education locally, and achieve their potential. | Enable more children with special educational needs and disabilities to be educated in mainstream schools and deliver new special school places. |
| Promote independent and active travel to school for children with special educational needs and disabilities. | |
| Support those who need social care services to live as independently as possible in their homes with improved wellbeing | Deliver four new adult social care services to support people with complex needs, and enable them to live more locally. |
| Support children into adulthood, promoting greater independence and confidence. | |
| Improve our offer for unpaid carers, ensuring they are supported to live well and can sustain their caring role. | Deliver the requirements of our All-Age Carers Strategy action plan, including short breaks for carers. |
| Work with our partners in health and the voluntary sector to provide support solutions for adults with complex health and social care needs to improve outcomes. | Reduce avoidable hospital admissions and supporting efficient and timely discharge. |
| Reduce the likelihood of falls which lead to loss of independence, hospital admission and need for formal care through effective intervention to those at risk. | |
| Support the development of proactive and effective health and social care support for our residents by developing an integrated Neighbourhood Team working with Health and VCS partners. | |
| Refresh the existing Home Care and Supported Living Framework to ensure sufficient supply. |
Ensure Reading Borough Council is fit for the future
Everything we deliver for the people of Reading depends on ensuring the Council is a modern and effective organisation that is financially stable, with technology that works, and the right workforce in place to deliver services.
Over the past eight years, the Council has transformed its services and operations, investing in new technology, corporate capability (including HR, procurement, finance, and ICT), and driving savings through different ways of working.
We are proud of the work we do for the people of Reading, and we will continue to strive to deliver better quality services through our ongoing commitment to delivering value for money in everything we do.
We will:
- Deliver good, accessible services for our customers.
- Invest in technology that is secure and helps deliver effective services.
- Use procurement of goods and services to secure greater social value and spend locally.
- Secure best value from all Council spending.
- Be a fair employer with an attractive and competitive offer and a workforce that is
representative of the local community.
Objectives and projects
| Objective | Project |
|---|---|
| Deliver good, accessible services for our customers. | Continue to expand our IT systems to enable residents to access more services online at a time that suits them. |
| Review the content of our website to ensure it is accessible and to drive customer self-service. | |
| Implement an improved telephone system that routes customers effectively and improves the customer data we collect to help continually improve how we support residents. | |
| Deliver and embed our social care customer front door through enhancing our systems and working with the voluntary sector in providing support. | |
| Deliver additional cemetery space in order to continue offering a burial service to all residents. | |
| Invest in technology that is secure and helps deliver effective services.1 | Introduce remote technology for staff who work outside of the office to improve efficiency. |
| Introduce artificial intelligence to improve customer service and reduce administration costs in line with our strategy. | |
| Use procurement of goods and services to secure greater social value and spend locally. | Deliver the new Social Value Policy with our partners to increase the number of contracts delivering spend and social value in the local area. |
| Secure best value from all Council spending. | Deliver our three-year Medium Term Financial Strategy and the financial savings within to ensure that the Council lives within its means. |
| Be a fair employer with an attractive and competitive offer and a workforce that is representative of the local community. | Ensure recruitment and selection processes support the Council’s move towards ensuring the workforce represents the demographics of the Borough. |
| Continue to develop talent within the Council, including through our apprentice and work experience programmes. |
Our budget
Day to day spending
Our projected net budget for day-to-day services (‘revenue’ spending) for 2026/27 is £199.7 million. This figure takes into account income from ringfenced government grants and service users (in the form of fees and charges). Our net budget for day-to-day services is funded by a combination of Council Tax, Business Rates, and non-ringfenced central government grants. This assumes a 2.99% increase in Council Tax and a 2.00% increase in the Adult Social Care precept.
Every £100 we spend on day to day services is split as follows:
Spending on social housing is managed within a separate ring-fenced budget called the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and is funded through rents from Council housing tenants.
Capital spending
Capital spending is the expenditure incurred to make improvements to the Council’s assets or for the purchase or creation of new assets. Capital spending is funded by grants, contributions from developers, capital receipts (the sale of capital assets), revenue, and prudential borrowing.
Our planned General Fund capital expenditure for 2025/26-2027/28 is £166.8million, of which £60.3 million is funded from prudential borrowing.
Highlights of the Capital Programme over the period of the Council Plan (2025/26 to 2027/28) include:
£8.2m
Profound and multiple learning disabilities respite facility and sheltered housing flats
£2.8m
Children’s homes
£4.1m
Local Transport Plan development
£16.3m
New performance space at the Hexagon Theatre
£33.4m
Investment in education including school buildings
£4.3m
Additional burial space and cemetery land acquisition
£12m
Highways infrastructure programme
£4.9m
Traffic signals, streetlighting, and road safety schemes
£8.7M
New Reading Library and Civic Reception
£4.6M
Bus Service Improvement Plan
£5.1M
Replacement refuse vehicles
Capital spending on new social housing or improvements to the Council’s existing housing stock is funded separately by the HRA. The planned capital expenditure for 2025/26-2027/28 is £206.5 million, of which £98.2 million is funded from prudential borrowing by the HRA. This planned expenditure includes £125.4 million on new build and acquisitions, £48.3 million on major repairs (including zero carbon retrofit works) to existing stock and £27.4 million to purchase homes from Homes for Reading.
Annexe: Key Performance Indicators
Promote more equal communities in Reading
| Measure | Result 24/25 | Target 25/26 | Target 26/27 | Target 27/28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key Stage 2 gap in percentage of advantaged and disadvantaged pupils who achieve the expected level of attainment in reading, writing, and maths (%) | 25% | 22% | 22% | 22% |
| Key Stage 4 gap in overall Attainment 8 score between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils (Attainment 8 score) | 24 | 18 | 16 | 15 |
| Children reaching a good level of development by age 5 (%) | 68.4% | 70% | 72% | 75% |
| Residents setting a quit date who successfully quit smoking (%) (KPI amended to align with the newly published Local Outcomes Framework) | 59.7% | 60% | 60% | 60% |
Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
| Measure | Result 24/25 | Target 25/26 | Target 26/27 | Target 27/28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Council homes delivered (including acquisitions) (No.) | 46 | 202 | 140 | 78 |
| New affordable homes delivered (No.) | 11 | 169 | 169 | 169 |
| Housing repairs (urgent) completed within 2 working days (%) | 70.5% | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Physical visits to libraries (No.) | 297,871 | 220,000 | 350,000 | 420,000 |
| Planning application decisions for major development made within timescales (% of total) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Participation at our theatres and museums (No.) | 371,084 | 325,000 | 335,000 | 380,000 |
Deliver a sustainable and healthy environment and reduce our carbon footprint
| Measure | Result 24/25 | Target 25/26 | Target 26/27 | Target 27/28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missed bins (No. per 100,000 collections) | 93.97 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Household waste recycled or composted (% of total) | 49% | 51% | 51% | 51% |
| Corporate carbon emissions (tonnes CO2) | 4,660 | 2,983 | TBC 1 | TBC |
| Air quality (micrograms per meter cubed of nitrogen dioxide µg/m3) | 29 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Motorways and A roads that should be considered for maintenance (%)(KPI amended to align with the newly published Local Outcomes Framework) | 8% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| B and C roads that should be considered for maintenance (%)(KPI amended to align with the newly published Local Outcomes Framework) | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Unclassified roads that should be considered for maintenance (%)(KPI amended to align with the newly published Local Outcomes Framework) | 0.5% | 0.75% | 1% | 1% |
| Trips to/from the town centre made by walking or cycling (% of total trips) | 33% | 34.7% | 35.1% | 35.4% |
| Adults who engaged in active travel at least twice in the last 28 days (%) | TBC5 | 45% | 47.5% | 50% |
| Trips taken to/from Reading using Park and Ride (No.) | 131,000 | 175,000 | 160,000 | 170,000 |
| Passenger journeys on local bus services per head | 105.8 | 107 | 108.5 | 110 |
| Concessionary pass journeys on local bus services per head | 124 | 124 | 124.5 | 124.5 |
| New trees planted on Council owned land (No.) | 313 | 300 | 300 | 300 |
Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children
| Measure | Result 24/25 | Target 25/26 | Target 26/27 | Target 27/28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children in care living more than 20 miles from Reading (% of total) | 33% | 25% | 23% | 21% |
| Children placed in external children’s homes (No.) | 40 | 30 | 25 | 25 |
| Special educational needs children supported in mainstream schools (primary) (%) | 20.7% | 18.3% | 18.3% | 18.3% |
| Special educational needs children supported in mainstream schools (secondary) (%) | 13.3% | 14.1% | 14.8% | 15.6% |
| New contacts to the Advice and Wellbeing Hub resulting in a successful outcome and not requiring an ongoing service (%) | 87.7% | 87% | 90% | 90% |
| 14- to 18-year-olds that require joint transition planning through SEND/adult social care to inform Care Act assessments and support into adult social care (% of total identified as requiring this planning) | 37% | 60% | 70% | 80% |
| Children looked after (per 10,000 children)(KPI amended to align with the newly published Local Outcomes Framework) | 66.7 | 71 | 71.2 | 69.3 |
| Adults whose long-term support needs are met by admission to residential and nursing care homes, for 65 and over (No. per 100,000) | 688 | 619 | 557 | 501 |
| Carers supported in last 12 months (No.) | 1,082 | 1,136 | 1,193 | 1,253 |
Ensure Reading Borough Council is fit for the future
| Measure | Result 24/25 | Target 25/26 | Target 26/27 | Target 27/28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts awarded this quarter over £125,000 securing a Social Value offer for delivery (% of total) | New | 55% | 60% | 65% |
| Customer satisfaction with the outcome of contact with the customer fulfilment centre (% ‘satisfied’ or ‘partially satisfied’) | 87% | 85% | 85% | 85% |
| Employees in Council’s workforce that are of Global Majority background (% of total workforce) | 19% | 22% | 23% | 24% |
| Senior managers in the Council’s workforce of Global Majority background (% Assistant Director or above) (This is a 3-year target due to being dependent on turnover of staff and the small numbers involved) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 32% |
Last updated on 14/08/2026
Council Plan 2025 to 2028 – March 2026 update