Reading Council have delivered just a third of the affordable housing needed in Reading.
According to the Berkshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment Reading needs 406 new affordable homes delivered every year for residents in need,1 but the council have managed just 135 last year.2 This is down from 178 the previous year.
Councillor Dave McElroy (Green Party, Redlands Ward) says, “We have a housing crisis in Reading. On affordable housing, the council just isn’t delivering. Time and time again we see the majority Labour planning committee wave through new developments with little affordable housing. The Conservative government’s policies have definitely made matters worse, but it is disappointing to see how happily Reading Labour goes about implementing the Tory agenda.
“The council meekly asked the developers of our own old Civic site for 30% of the flats built to be affordable. Their policy used to be for at least 50% of homes to be affordable. The longer Labour have been in power the worse this issue has got.
“Having a safe, warm, affordable home is so important to the people of Reading. Our key workers need a place to call home. The teachers, nurses, posties and everyone else who keeps our town running deserve a home they can afford.
“We need policies designed to deliver for the people of Reading, and politicians willing to see them through. Green councillors will keep working for a fairer, greener town.”
- Reading’s net need is 406 affordable homes per year (page 228, table 81, right-hand column) ↩︎
- Planning Annual Monitoring Report (page 26, table 8.4: Affordable housing completed 2022-23) ↩︎
(135 (affordable homes delivered in Reading last year)/406 (need))*100 = 33%