Infrastructure, economy and capital project service plan 2025-28

A. Overview

Organisation chart

Achievements in 2024/25

The things your service delivered over the past year.

• Hexagon Theatre Decarbonisation: Boreholes for a ground source heating system have been drilled and tested at the Hexagon campus, showing good potential to supply heat to the Theatre. Heat pump designs are complete, awaiting approval from the Environment Agency and are out to tender for the works, which are part-funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Grant. 
• Civic Offices Decarbonisation: Work nearing completion on the Civic Decarbonisation project, with current heating systems removed and new heat pumps installed and scheduled to be operational in May. Part funded by LEP grant. These projects will considerably reduce greenhouse gas emissions from two significant Council owned sources. 
• Carbon Literacy training programme roll-out: 99 Council managers have now completed the ‘Leadership and Management’ training course with 82 officers and 6 Elected Members certified ‘Carbon Literate’ thus far. Further courses are being planned for January/February 2025. 
• Low Carbon Skills Fund grant application: The Council successfully applied to Salix for a Low Carbon Skills Fund grant of £127,000. 
• Climate Strategy review: The Council is supporting Reading Climate Change Partnership with design and delivery of the engagement process to inform the review of the Reading Climate Emergency Strategy for the period 2025-30. The process is now well underway with the ‘Core Deliberative Group’ of c.40 key stakeholders having met in November for the third and final workshop. 
• Reading Climate Awareness Month 2024: A comms campaign was conducted in November to initiate conversations about climate among residents and communities. These posts contributed towards a total of more than 137,000 impressions for the entire campaign. 
• Minster Quarter – Development Agreement and Lease: Over the past year, significant progress has been made in advancing the Development Agreement and Lease for the Minster Quarter project, ready to be signed before year end. Key achievements include: 
  • Legal and Commercial Negotiations: Substantial progress in refining the Development Agreement, ensuring alignment with the Council’s strategic objectives and commercial interests. Agreement on the principal commercial terms, paving the way for detailed drafting of legal documentation. 
  • Due Diligence and Site Investigations: Completion of key due diligence activities, including site assessments and technical studies to support development feasibility. 
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Ongoing discussions with partners, including statutory bodies, to address planning, infrastructure, and investment considerations. 
  • Drafting of Lease Arrangements: Development of lease structures to reflect agreed commercial terms and ensure long-term viability. 
  • The project remains on track, with the next steps focused on finalising legal agreements and progressing toward implementation. 
• Berkshire Economic Strategy – Contribution to development of a shared economic vision for Berkshire, ensuring Reading’s priorities such as infrastructure investment, business growth, and skills development are reflected. The Berkshire Economic Strategy has now been delivered. 
• Devolution Working Group – Participation in an internal working group exploring devolution opportunities for Reading, assessing governance models and strategic priorities. Providing input on how greater local powers could support infrastructure, economic growth, and public service improvements. This work will be ongoing whilst the Mayoral Led Strategic Authority is developed. 
• Town Centre Strategy – Over the past year, significant work has been undertaken to develop and refine the Town Centre Strategy document, ensuring it aligns with Reading’s long-term vision. Key progress includes: 
  • Drafting & Evidence Base – Completion of a comprehensive evidence base, including economic, retail, transport, and public realm assessments, to inform strategic priorities. 
  • Stakeholder Engagement – Consultation with businesses and key partners to gather feedback and shape the strategy. 
  • Policy Alignment – Ensuring integration with wider council policies, including the Local Plan, climate strategy, and economic development plans. 
  • Action Plan Development – Establishment of a delivery plan outlining key interventions 
  • Finalisation & Approvals – Progression towards final sign-off, with the document moving through internal governance processes. 
• Stakeholder Engagement – Engagement with and presentations to: 
  • Real Estate Network 
  • Reading Investment Forum 
  • Reading University etc. 
  • Reading Climate Change Partnership 
• UKSPF Management – Support to 3-year programme, primarily delivering activities under Culture. Programme closing after 3 years, with one year extension being planned.

Business-as-usual services 

Deliver on Elected Members ambitions and priorities, and leading major projects to maximise income generation and deliver the place shaping, regeneration and sustainability agenda, with a particular focus on: 

• Delivering major projects and programmes to drive regeneration, place shaping and green and inclusive economic growth in the town ensuring benefits to the communities of Reading.  
• Effective delivery and programme management of the DEGNS capital programme including overseeing the Directorates procurement and contract activity. 
• Working across the directorate to ensure opportunities for business development and commercial income are maximised particularly in terms of bidding for economic regeneration funding streams, engendering an innovative and commercial approach across the service.  
• Effective delivery of the Council’s sustainability and climate commitments, its ambitions to deliver a net zero Reading by 2030 and to embed climate action across Council services. 
• Working with our partners in REDA to deliver Reading’s economic regeneration with the aim of inclusive and sustainable growth. 

Notably these include: 

Town centre redevelopment and major regeneration projects: development of strategies for town centre regeneration and programmes/projects to deliver the aims of these strategies. 

• Progressing the Place Shaping and Regeneration Agenda more broadly 
• Minster Quarter Central Development – Implementation of the Development Agreement and Lease 
• Town Centre Strategy Document 
• Town Centre Strategy – Delivery Plan 
• Oracle redevelopment 
• Reading 2050 vision 

Capital project and portfolio management: ensuring more effective planning and delivery of the Council’s capital programme, recognising that much of this sits within DEGNS remit. Also, monitoring the existing property and asset portfolio to support regeneration beyond the remit of the Property and Asset Management team. To include: 

• Oracle Lease negotiation 
• Cattle Market redevelopment 
• Commercial Property Portfolio 

Climate change and sustainability: helping to create a net zero, resilient, climate aware Borough and Council, in the context of broader sustainable development goals. The Council declared a Climate Emergency in February 2019 and subsequently committed to a programme of action in two key strategy documents: 

• The Reading Climate Emergency Strategy: ‘Owned’ by Reading Climate Change Partnership, the Strategy includes 150 actions to work towards the vision of ‘a net zero, resilient Reading by 2030’, over 50% of which cite RBC as a delivery partner. 
• The Corporate Carbon Plan 2020-25: Sets out principles and projects needed to reduce corporate emissions by 85% by 2025 and to net zero by 2030. 

B. Key Performance Indicators 

Measure	Definition	Unit	Better (bigger or smaller)	Frequency (monthly, quarterly)	Target type (flat or cumulative)	Normal level/ Target 25/26	Normal level/ Target 26/27	Normal level/ Target 27/28	Council Plan KPI (Y/N)	Data provider
Borough carbon emissions	National Statistics dataset for ‘emissions within the scope of influence of local authorities’, baseline 2005	%	Smaller	Annual	Flat	TBC	TBC	TBC	N	Ben Burfoot
Corporate carbon emissions	Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard	Tonnes (CO2)	Smaller	Annual	Flat	2983	TBC	TBC	Y	Ben Burfoot
CDP score for Reading	A CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) score reflects the level of transparency, action and progress an organisation is taking to reduce their GHG emissions and is scored from A (the highest score) to D- (the lowest score).    Scores are released annually and are gathered through CDP questionnaires. Questionnaire scoring is conducted by accredited CDP-trained scoring partners.	Letter	Scale from A (the highest score) to D- (the lowest score)	Annual	Flat	A	A	A	N	Ben Burfoot
Effective energy contract management	Measured as percentage price achieved below market rate	%	Smaller	Annual	Flat	5%	5%	5%	N	Kirstin Coley
Reading Climate Emergency Strategy Annual Report	Production of Annual Report	N/A	Milestone	Annual	Flat	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	N	Ben Burfoot
RBC greenhouse gas emissions Annual Report	Production of Annual Report	N/A	Milestone	Annual	Flat	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	Report to Nov Cttee cycle	N	Ben Burfoot
Responses to Report Authors on climate impact assessments	Within 3 working days	%	Milestone	Annual	Flat	90%	90%	90%	N	Ben Burfoot
Support good governance of Reading Climate Change Partnership	4 meetings per annum.	No.	Milestone	Annual	Flat	4	4	4	N	Ben Burfoot
Ensure effective operation of Corporate Climate Programme Board	6 meetings per annum.	No.	Milestone	Annual	Flat	6	6	6	N	Ben Burfoot
Delivery of LUF projects	Report spending against profile and key milestones	No.	Milestone	Quarterly	Flat	4	4	TBC based on project progress	N	Susan Jones
Delivery of Town Centre Strategy Document and Delivery Plan document	Production of report	No.	Milestone	Annual	Flat	1	N/A	N/A	N	Sam Rackham
Delivery of Minster Quarter Development Agreement(s) and Lease(s)	Signed DA and Lease	No.	Milestone	Annual	Flat	1	N/A	N/A	N	Eleanor Brough
Finalised Oracle Lease	Signed Lease	No.	Milestone	Annual	Flat	1	N/A	N/A	N	Emma Gee

C. Objectives for 2025-28 

Objectives (one objective per row)	Council Plan objective? (Y/N)	Relevant Council Plan priority
Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	Y	Promote affordable housing and more equal communities
Promote the economic success of Reading by working with Councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley	Y	Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
Further improve the physical environment of Reading by improving air quality, access to green space, and the quality of public spaces.	Y	Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
Enable the delivery of an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, along with the infrastructure to support new development.	Y	Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
Maximise the benefits available for Reading from opportunities arising from the English Devolution White Paper.	Y	Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success
Support the optimisation of the Council’s commercial property portfolio, ensuring long-term sustainability and maximising value for the Council.	N	Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success

D. Projects 

Project name	What will this deliver and what will the benefits be?	Start date (month-year)	End date (month-year)	Budget	What resources is this project dependent on? (e.g. finance, legal, IT)	Relevant Council/Service Plan objective (from table above)	Council Plan project? (Y/N)	Data provider
Reduce carbon emissions from council buildings, operations. and fleet.	Deliverables:  Energy efficiency retrofits and renewable energy installations in council buildings.  Transition to a low-emission or electric vehicle fleet.  Improved waste and resource management within council operations.  Progress the Heat Network project Electric Vehicle deployment  Zero carbon depot – solar canopies  Mobilising Low Carbon Skills Fund grant for Town Hall and wider corporate buildings – audit of council’s medium sized buildings  Progressing decarbonisation projects at Civic and Hexagon:  Benefits:  Lower carbon footprint for council services, buildings and fleet.  Reduced energy costs and improved long-term sustainability.  Sets an example for businesses and residents to follow in reducing emissions.  A more resilient town prepared for future climate challenges.	Q1 2025	Ongoing	TBC	Finance	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	Y	Ben Burfoot
Deliver successful annual Reading Climate Festival, annually	Inspire residents and other stakeholder to take climate action (links to Borough carbon emissions KPI)	Q4 2025/26	Q2 2025/26  Q3 2026/27	TBC	RCCP,  University of Reading,  Partner organisations	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Update the evidence base for the Climate Emergency Strategy	Ensure revised Climate Strategy is based on robust evidence (links to Borough carbon emissions KPI)	Q4 2023/24	Q3 2025/26	N/A	N/A	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Revise RBC corporate Carbon Plan for 2025-30	To produce a clear pathway to achieve corporate net zero targets and action plans to support this (links to corporate carbon footprint KPI)	Q1 2024/25	Q4 2025/26	N/A	Property & Assets Environment & Commercial	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Implement corporate solar programmes in the approved capital budget	To deliver carbon and financial savings (links to corporate carbon footprint KPI)  19 Bennet Rd Depot – Stand-alone PV car ports in upper- and lower-yard car parking areas  Smallmead solar farm – Ground mounted PV array adjacent to Smallmead RE3 recycling facility with potential for addition of roof-mounted panels  Queen’s Road Car Park  – Canopy mounted PV panels and stand-alone PV car ports at roof level on the multi-storey car park  Bus Depot, Great Knollys Street – Working with RCES to install additional solar arrays on roof	Q4 2023/24	Ongoing	£2.506m	Finance, Legal	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Produce Annual Report on Climate Emergency Strategy	Links to Borough carbon emissions KPI	Ongoing	Nov SEPT annually	N/A	RCCP	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Produce Annual Update to SEPT Committee on Low Carbon Capital Programme	Links to Corporate Carbon Footprint KPI	Ongoing	Ongoing	N/A	Finance	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Produce Annual Report on RBC Greenhouse Gas Emissions	Links to Corporate Carbon Footprint KPI	Ongoing	Annually to Nov SEPT	N/A	N/A	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Support good governance of Reading Climate Change Partnership	To ensure good governance of RCCP and the Council’s ‘hosting’ role (links to Borough carbon emissions KPI)	Q1 2024/25	Ongoing	N/A	RCCP	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Extend and deliver the corporate Carbon Literacy training offer	Help the organisation to reduce its carbon footprint measured by the Borough and corporate carbon footprint KPIs	Q1 2024/25	Ongoing	Nil	HR&OD	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Progress the programme of works enabled by the Low Carbon Skill Fund (LCSF)	Building Energy Audit   Town Hall heat decarbonisation design  Development of business cases and funding applications	Q3 2024	Ongoing	£127k	Finance	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Kirstin Coley
Develop mechanisms for reporting of Scope 3 emissions and actions necessary to reduce them (TW)	To improve visibility of the Council’s Scope 3 emissions and put credible plans in place to reduce emissions from this source (links to corporate carbon footprint KPI)	Q1 2024/25	Q4 2025/26	TBC	N/A	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Investigate legitimate offsetting options for residual emissions	To identify credible options for offsetting the Council’s residual emissions to meet 2030 targets once other options have been exhausted (links to corporate carbon footprint KPI)	Q1 2024/25	Q3 2025/26	Nil	N/A	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Climate proofing of relevant, borough-wide and corporate strategies and plans	Ensure alignment between the Council’s climate policy commitments and other relevant strategies and plans (links to Borough carbon emissions KPI) such as Town Centre Strategy and Commercial Investment	Q4 2023/24  (as per timeline for key plans and strategies)	Ongoing	N/A	Planning, Transport & Public Protection, Property and Assets	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Work with partners to deliver the Climate Strategy for 2025 to 2030 to achieve a Net Zero Reading resilient to Climate Change.	Deliverables:  2025 to 2030 Climate Emergency Strategy with clear actions for carbon reduction and climate adaptation.  Engagement with businesses, communities, and organisations to drive change.  Implementation of resilience measures to mitigate climate risks such as flooding.  Benefits:  Progress toward a Net Zero Reading by 2030.  Stronger community and business engagement in climate action.  A more resilient town prepared for future climate challenges.	TBC	Nov 2025	N/A		Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	Y	Ben Burfoot
Detailed Project Development and Commercialisation of a Heat Network for Reading town centre	Deliverables:   Heat Network Detailed Project Design work for the Minster Quarter and the area north of the station (funded by grant secured from the Government’s Heat Network Delivery Fund.   Application to the Green Heat Network Fund to support the commercialisation phase with the objective of procuring an Energy Service Company to build and operate a heat network for Reading.   Benefits:  The project will deploy heat from the Towns rivers and aquifers to heat new and existing buildings and progress toward a Net Zero Reading by 2030.  A more resilient town prepared for future climate challenges by utilising local sources of low carbon heat such as the from the ground or rivers.  Lower carbon footprint for businesses and residents. Improved long-term sustainability.	Q2 24/25	Ongoing	£391k (Includes HNDU grant, RBC match and Hub grant) DPD only.	Planning, Finance, Legal, Property and Assets	Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and Council by 2030.	N	Ben Burfoot
Work in partnership to deliver new homes, retail, and public space in the Minster Quarter (Council-owned land next to the Hexagon theatre).	Deliverables:  Mixed-use development with new housing, commercial space, and public spaces.  High-quality design integrating net zero principles.  Benefits:  More housing, including affordable homes, in the town centre.  Revitalised town centre with better retail, community and public spaces.  Economic growth and job creation	July 2022	March 2032	£2m	Legal, Finance, Procurement	Enable the delivery of an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, along with the infrastructure to support new development.	Y	Sam Rackham
Support the Berkshire Economic Strategy with Councils across Berkshire to improve skills and employment opportunities for local people.	Deliverables:  Coordinated economic planning and investment across Berkshire.  Initiatives to support businesses, innovation, and job creation.  Benefits:  Stronger local economy with more opportunities for residents.  Improved workforce skills matching employer demand.  Increased investment in the region’s key economic sectors.	January 2025 (Date endorsed Strategy was delivered)	Ongoing	Nil	TBC	Promote the economic success of Reading by working with Councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley	Y	TBC
Support REDA in their delivery of the Reading Economic Strategy to improve skills and employment opportunities for local people.	Deliverables:  Coordinated economic planning and investment across Reading supported by relevant data.  Benefits:  Stronger local economy with more opportunities for residents.  Promote investment in the region’s key economic sectors.	April 2025	October 2025	£10k	TBC	Promote the economic success of Reading by working with Councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley	N	Sam Rackham
In partnership with other Berkshire councils, facilitate the Connect to Work programme to support residents with long term health conditions into work.	Deliverables:  Tailored employment support and training for individuals with health conditions.  Benefits:  Increased employment rates among residents with health challenges.  Improved wellbeing and independence for participants.  A more inclusive and diverse workforce in Reading.	November 2024	March 2030	Nil	TBC	Promote the economic success of Reading by working with Councils across Berkshire and the wider Thames Valley	Y	Susan Jones
Deliver the Town Centre Strategy document to guide future investment and developments.	Deliverables:  A long-term vision for the town centre, shaping development and regeneration.  Guidance for new housing, commercial spaces, and infrastructure.  Coordination of private and public sector investments.  Benefits:  Sustainable and well-planned growth in Reading’s town centre.  More coherent investment decisions aligning with the town’s needs.  Support for businesses and residents through better facilities and transport links.	Jan 2024	August 2025	Nil	Planning, IT	Further improve the physical environment of Reading by improving air quality, access to green space, and the quality of public spaces.	Y	Sam Rackham
Support council workstreams around devolution for Reading and the wider area through a new Mayoral Strategic Authority.	Deliverables:  A bid for devolution with governance and funding powers.  Collaboration with local authorities and stakeholders to shape the proposal.  Transfer of decision-making powers from central government to the region.  Benefits:  Greater local control over key issues like transport, housing, and skills.  Increased funding and investment opportunities for the area.  More responsive decision-making tailored to Reading’s needs.	Jan 2025	Ongoing	Nil	Legal, Finance, Procurement, HR	Maximise the benefits available for Reading from opportunities arising from the English Devolution White Paper.	N	Sam Rackham
Support RBC Property and Assets to deliver a Commercial Property Investment Strategy	Deliverables:  Commercial Property Investment Strategy  Benefits:  A co-ordinated strategy for RBC’s commercial property portfolio ensuring wider regeneration benefits and potential is considered	Ongoing	Ongoing	Nil	Property and Assets, Finance, Legal	Support the optimisation of the Council’s commercial property portfolio, ensuring long-term sustainability and maximising value for the Council.	N	Sam Rackham
Support the delivery of the Broad Street Mall development via a Construction Access Agreement	Deliverables:  Significant town centre mixed-use development with new housing and commercial space delivered by McLaren for AEW  Sale of BSM Car Park by RBC to facilitate delivery  RBC monitoring of Works and Access Agreement    Benefits:  More town centre housing.  Revitalised town centre with better retail options  Economic growth  Integration with Minster Quarter Central and co-ordinated construction/logistics	Ongoing	March 2030	Funded by Developer	Planning, Property and Assets, Finance, Legal	Enable the delivery of an average of 825 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, along with the infrastructure to support new development.	N	Eleanor Brough

Annex: Council Plan priorities and objectives 

Vision: 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.

Priority 1: Promote affordable housing and more equal communities 

• Tackle economic inequality by taking a place-based approach to how we deliver all our services, and enhance access to education, skills, and training opportunities.  
• Deliver new energy efficient council homes and improve tenant satisfaction with social housing.  
• Prevent the escalation of children’s needs through developing Family Hubs. 
• Promote best practice across Reading’s schools, helping to improve educational attainment and narrow the gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. 
• Prevent and reduce health inequalities within the population of Reading and improve and protect the health and wellbeing of all its communities. 
• Through the community safety partnership, focus on reducing community-based drug activity, knife violence, violence against women and girls and youth reoffending. 
• Work with partners to prevent homelessness, provide value for money accommodation for those that are homeless, and move people onto settled accommodation as quickly as possible. 

Priority 2: Secure Reading’s economic and cultural success 

• Enable the delivery of over 800 high-quality new homes a year in Reading, 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 arising from the English Devolution White Paper. 
• Continue to deliver quality cultural and leisure services and facilitate exciting improvements to our cultural offer through grant-funded projects. 

Priority 3: Promote a sustainable and healthy environment and reduce Reading’s carbon footprint 

• Make use of central government funding to 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. 
• Continue moving towards a net zero, resilient Reading and council by 2030. 
• Further improve the physical environment of Reading by improving air quality, access to green space, and the quality of public spaces. 
• Deliver major changes to our waste and recycling service to ensure compliance with new legislation. 

Priority 4: Safeguard and support the health and wellbeing of Reading’s adults and children 

• Reduce the number of children in care and the number of children in residential care. 
• Improve our local Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 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 a place they call home 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 those with complex health and social care needs to improve outcomes. 

Priority 5: Ensure Reading Borough Council is fit for the future 

• 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. 
• Bring Brighter Futures for Children (Children’s Services) back to the council. 
• Be a fair employer with an attractive and competitive offer and a workforce that is representative of the local community.