Social Value Ideas for Reading Borough Council

Kings Road safety consultation

The committee agreed to consult on a change to the outbound bus lane on Kings Road to reduce left-turn collision risk near Reading College, Rupert Street and the Orts Road estate. Members described th…

“We are seeking agreement from sub committee members today to undertake a consultation that is necessary to adjust the section of the outbound bus lane…”

Kings Road Crossing - Road Safety Performance Issues

Kings Road crossing identified as high-risk zone with documented pedestrian casualties. Data indicates 12 pedestrian casualties at specific crossing (1 fatal, 5 serious) over last 9 years. If includin…

“We recognise a number of incidents along Kings Road and understand why this causes ongoing concern. Reading Borough Council takes road safety very ser…”

Amersham Road 20mph consultation

A 20 mph zone for the Amersham Road estate is moving to statutory consultation, using local community infrastructure levy funding. The scheme combines physical traffic calming and speed limit orders, …

“So we're seeking agreements to undertake what will be two parallel statutory consultations, such as the way, because of the different legal processes …”

Oxford Road 20mph programme

A larger Oxford Road '20 is plenty' programme is being taken forward through parallel consultations for traffic calming measures and speed limit orders across multiple zones. Officers said the measure…

“So this is another scheme that's been on our traffic management measures list for a while and has received funding. So we're seeking agreement to deli…”

Ward councillor input on materials

Councillors asked that ward members be consulted on the proposed materials for the Battle Inn scheme and on the refuse/recycling arrangement. Officers agreed to reflect this in the conditions, specifi…

“I would argue that that the materials ought to be subject to consultation with ward councillors because this is a concern. And I think it's important …”

St Mary Butts serviced apartments approved

The committee approved a fresh application to enlarge the existing serviced apartment scheme at St Mary Butts from 37 to 41 units by adding an extra storey and remodelling the internal layout. The gro…

“This application is similar to a separate permission granted in June 2025, following consideration by this committee in March 2025, which permitted 37…”

Battle Inn redevelopment approved

The committee approved demolition of the former Battle Inn and replacement with a mixed-use scheme comprising a ground-floor Class E unit and six flats. The decision was finely balanced because of her…

“This is item six on page 21 of your reports pack Now there is an update report for this item The application is presented to planning applications com…”

Housing repairs and PFI recovery

Landlord services remain under pressure from housing repairs backlogs, decent homes compliance, complaints handling, and the underperforming PFI contract with Affinity Reading. The council is using st…

“The Directorate has established strong governance arrangements further enhanced by a cross -party working group that provides additional opportunities…”

Rent recovery and tenancy policy refresh

The committee approved refreshed versions of the rent recovery policy and tenancy policy. The changes separate rent recovery from the broader corporate debt policy, update tenancy types, and clarify s…

“So the rent recovery policy Has been separated out from the corporate debt policy to provide clarity To tenants and the tenancy policy has been update…”