Reading Council Secures £42.8 Million Boost

Reading will win out from a government review into spending on local councils, with the borough council set to benefit from a £42.

Reading Borough Council will get a £42.8 million cash injection after a government review of local council spending — a 22 per cent increase in the council’s spending power.

The funding follows the first multi-year settlement in over a decade, giving councils three years of financial certainty, and has been welcomed by Reading’s Labour MPs Olivia Bailey, Matt Rodda and Yuan Yang.

Labour said local authorities like Reading were starved of investment under the Conservatives, with core spending power falling by around a quarter since 2010 and putting huge pressure on services.

In a joint statement, Olivia Bailey MP for Reading West & Mid Berkshire, Matt Rodda, MP for Reading Central and Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley said: “Despite years of underfunding by the Conservatives, Reading’s Labour council has resurfaced hundreds of roads across the borough, delivered fantastic new leisure facilities, and there will shortly be a new Central Library.

“Unlike the old system of funding of local government, which allowed some local authorities to build up massive savings, the government is now funding councils using an evidence-based system that properly recognises local circumstances.

“This cash injection for Reading will make a real difference to our communities and build on the fantastic work of Reading’s Labour council.”

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter