We Asked, You Said, We Did

The Council ran a budget consultation exercise from 19/12/22 to 19/01/23. The consultation was accessible through the Council’s website and was promoted via the website, local media channels and various social media platforms. The consultation received 378 responses, a substantial increase from the 134 responses received last year.

Headlines from the consultation are:

• A small majority of respondents support the higher level of Council Tax increase proposed in the draft budget.

• A clear majority of respondents support the 7% increase in housing rents.

• If additional funding becomes available the service areas most supported to receive the benefit of that are Roads Maintenance and both Adult and Children’s Social Care.

• Adult Social Care also topped the list of priorities for additional capital resources.

More detailed results can be found here.

The consultation analysis highlights that the top service areas for suggested spend were Children’s Services and Adult Social Care. Another key theme was transport.

The proposed Revenue Budget and Capital Programme responds to this feedback by investing in these services. For 2023/24 Adult Social care will receive an additional £4.390m in revenue funding and a capital allocation of £3.879m. Children’s Services is boosted in 2023/24 by an extra £2.529m in revenue and £18.297m in capital. Capital expenditure on Transportation in 2023/24 totals £18.320m over a wide range of schemes

In Summer 2022, Marketing Means were commissioned by the Council to undertake a representative sample survey of 1,000 residents via telephone and in-street interviews. The purpose of the survey was to gauge levels of satisfaction with the local area, the Council and the services it provides.

A summary of the results can be found here.

Roads and pavements - we have delivered a £9 million three-year highways repair scheme and have commenced an additional £8 million road and pavement investment programme.

• • Over 400 residential roads have been resurfaced as part of year 1 and 2 (2020/21 to 2021/22) in the three-year-programme with a further 100 expected in year 3 (2022/23).
  • 34 pavements have been reconstructed as part of year 1 and 2 (2020/21 to 2021/22) in the three- year-programme with a further 50 expected to be reconstructed in year 3 (2022/23).

Levels of crime - a new three-year Community Safety and Serious Violence Strategy has been approved following a needs assessment and public consultation, capturing the voices of our communities and involving key agencies such as the police and probation. Seven priorities have been identified, including reducing community based drug activity, reducing knife violence and tackling violence against women and girls. The Community Safety Partnership is now developing a three-year action plan to tackle these priorities. The plan will deliver a number of actions through working in partnership across these key areas.

Traffic congestion - we are improving bus services and delivering more bus lanes through the £26 million Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant funding secured from Government, building a new station at Green Park and refurbishing Reading West Station, as well as investing in cycling improvements and enhancements for pedestrians. We are investing in our traffic signal assets as well as moving to a 4G radar vehicle detection monitoring system, and updating the Urban Traffic Control systems that will improve traffic flows, reduce congestion and reduce pollution levels.

Affordable housing - we are investing a further £105 million in the delivery of 290 homes over the next three years, as well as securing nomination rights to around 400 new affordable homes through the planning process over the next four years

Cleaner streets - a free bulky waste collection service has been introduced for all residents across the borough. For Reading town centre, we will be investigating how, through our street cleansing and waste collection services, we can reduce the persistent presentation of bagged waste. This will then be rolled out to local shopping centres. In addition, we are investing in a new works scheduling system to improve efficiencies and communications for operational teams within Streetscene.

Parking - we continue to address smaller-scale parking issues raised or observed through the Waiting Restriction Review programmes and consider further rollout of resident permit parking schemes where there is demonstrable majority local support to do so. We have also commissioned a review of the Council’s Town Centre Parking Strategy.

We asked the residents of Reading to comment on the priorities we developed for our new Domestic Abuse and Safe Accommodation Strategy.

Most of the respondents felt the proposed strategic priorities were right (36 of the 46 responses - 78%)

There were clear themes identified in the feedback across the consultation. When asked about ‘comments regarding the priorities’ if the priorities ‘highlight victim-survivor needs and ‘what is missing in reducing the prevalence of domestic abuse’, many respondents had similar comments, which have been themed and explained below:

Housing

• There is a lack of freedom with housing choices, with many victim-survivors often told to re-house themselves, rather than being able to remain safe in their own homes.
• There is a need for more flexible housing solutions to accommodate victim-survivors (with different needs) and their children

Education and training

• Better training materials need to be made available in schools to prevent cycles of abuse at an earlier age.
• There needs to be more specific and targeted trainings provided, e.g., training for professionals on court guidance and community domestic abuse awareness raising sessions
• Training should be provided to professionals around perpetrators

Support services

• To increase support workers as there are often long waits for support programs
• Increase community-based support and interventions
• An attention to perpetrator programs to hold perpetrators of abuse accountable

Community engagement and domestic abuse awareness

• More widespread campaigns in all communities to increase domestic abuse awareness across Reading
• Making domestic abuse more visible within the community

Accessibility

• Support for those with no recourse to public funds needs to be accessible
• Support and services for male victim-survivors needs to be accessible
• Support and services for the LGBTQIA+ needs to be more accessible
• Support and services for those who identify as disabled needs to be more accessible

We shared these findings with the Domestic Abuse Partnership Board, which is a collaborative, multi-agency partnership working together to reduce the prevalence and effects of domestic abuse within Reading. The partnership is made up of: Reading Borough Council, Thames Valley Police, Adult Social Care, Brighter Futures for Children, Drug and Alcohol Services, Berkshire West Integrated Care Systems, Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and organisations within the Voluntary sector who specialise in domestic abuse and domestic abuse within the LGBTQIA+ communities. 

The findings and comments provided by the respondents were themed, shared and discussed with the Board. As the majority of respondents had agreed with the proposed strategic priorities, it was agreed by the Board to keep the priorities the same without any changes. However, the comments and issues discussed within the consultation have been highlighted in the wider Reading’s Domestic Abuse and Safe Accommodation Strategy 2023-2026, which has now been published, you can find our strategy here: Domestic Abuse and Safe Accommodation Strategy 2023-2026

We asked the residents of Reading to comment on the priorities we developed for the updated Community Safety and Serious Violence Strategy 2023-2026.

The majority of respondents felt the proposed strategic priorities were right (125 out of 191 responses – 64%).

There were clear themes in the feedback across the consultation. When asked ‘what would make Reading safer’, ‘what would reduce serious violence’ and ‘what measures would you like us to take’, many of the respondents made similar comments, which are themed below:

• Road safety, including dangerous driving, speeding, anti-social use of motorized vehicles and traffic violations.
• The appearance of local environments and feelings of safety, particularly cleaner, brighter and more welcoming streets.
• More police resources to provide a visible presence on the streets and to actively engage with communities.
• Tackling drug activity and begging through enforcement and rehabilitation.
• Investing into education as a means of prevention and youth services, both in terms of services and safe spaces.
• Working in partnership with community groups, to share information, access local knowledge and build trust.

We shared these findings with the Community Safety Partnership, the multi-agency partnership that works to prevent and tackle crime and disorder in Reading. The Partnership brings together Reading Borough Council, Thames Valley Police, the Probation Service, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Buckingham, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System (BOB ICS), Brighter Futures for Children, Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, and Voluntary and Community Sector partners.

The Partnership agreed to keep the strategic proposed priorities without amendment, however many of the issues highlighted in the comments are reflected in the wider Community Safety and Serious Violence Strategy 2022-2025, published on Reading Borough Council's website.

A number of respondents felt that road safety, environmental issues and additional police resources should be added to the strategic priorities. These have not been added as new priorities because they are already tackled through existing policies and activity. More information can be found in the full feedback report.

The Community Safety Partnership would like to thank everyone for their comments on the consultation.

We asked the residents of Reading to identify their concerns across Reading

The top 5 issues identified by the survey across the Borough were:

1. Drugs (1^st in 2019 & 3^rd in 2017)

2. Parking Issues (2^nd in 2019 & 1^st 2017)

3. Motorbike and vehicle nuisance (Potholes were 3^rd in 2019)

4. Flytipping

5. Burglary (4^th in 2019) Speeding was 5^th in 2019 & 2017

We have shared these results with the local Safer Neighbourhood Forums and the Community Safety Partnership

The Safer Neighbourhood Forums are now working on the priorities that were identified for their local areas.

What changes can be made to the draft SPD to improve clarity, provide helpful guidance for shop owners and improve the design of shopfronts and high streets throughout the borough?

There was widespread support for the SPD’s aim and contents. 15 written representations were made and resulted in improvements to the text. A summary of each representation and the resulting changes to the document is available here.

The amended document was formally adopted on 17^th January 2022 and is available here.

In Autumn 2021, Marketing Means were commissioned by the Council to undertake a representative sample survey of 1,000 residents via telephone and in-street interviews. The purpose of the survey was to gauge levels of satisfaction with the local area, the Council and the services it provides.

Generally, the 2021 results are either consistent with or better than those in 2020. For example, satisfaction with the way RBC runs things is up 2% to 66%; agreement that RBC provides value for money is up 10% to 54%.

Reading’s results are higher than those from the national LGA survey in terms of satisfaction with the way RBC runs things (66% compared with 56% nationally) and agreement that Reading Borough Council provides value for money (54% compared with 43% nationally).

However, satisfaction with individual services is generally lower than in 2020 (following the national trend), and broadly similar to those from the LGA survey. Highest satisfaction is with parks and green spaces; highest dissatisfaction is with road maintenance.

A summary of results can be found here at Appendix 12.

The annual Residents' Survey provides insight to the Council to ensure that service improvement is carried out and that services are designed around feedback from residents.

Residents were asked about the areas which needed most improvement. The top three - and how Reading Borough Council is responding to those concerns - are:

• 38% told the Council roads and pavement repairs were their priority: Over the past three years the Council has invested £9 million on Reading’s largest ever repair programme which will see 436 residential roads and many more pavements resurfaced. The Council is proposing a further £8 million road repair investment over the next three years in its latest budget
• 26% said level of crime concerned them the most: The Council continues to work with Thames Valley Police colleagues carrying out a strategic assessment of crime issues in the borough and putting in place a new Community Safety Plan focused on reducing the level of serious crime
• 26% also said affordable decent housing needed the most improvement: The Council is investing £88 million to build more than 300 new affordable homes over the next four years, reducing the housing waiting list and providing affordable rent properties to local residents, including provision for adult social care, sheltered housing and Reading’s essential key workers. A further £34 million is being spent on low carbon measures up to 2030 to improve energy efficiency in Council homes.

Please click here to read the full press release on the Residents Survey.

We asked for your views on our initial concept ideas on 4 schemes:

• Bath Road/Castle Hill (Southcote Lane – Inner Distribution Road (IDR)/Castle Street)
• London Road (Borough Boundary to London Street)
• Shinfield Road (Christchurch Green – Shinfield Rise)
• Southampton Street (Pell Street/Crown Street –Bridge Street/Fobney Street)

Out of the 928 responses received, the Shinfield Road scheme was the best supported and least opposed scheme.

We obtained approval from the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee on 30th June 2021 to progress the Shinfield Road scheme. We will now commence the detailed design stage.

In December 2020 we shared three potential designs for the refurbishment of Cintra Park Children’s Playground. We asked residents to vote for their preferred option and leave their comments.

The results of the public vote can be seen in the table below:

• Cintra Park is well used and in need of refurbishment, it’s tremendous news that it is receiving investment 
• Not all items of equipment are wheelchair accessible within the designs, as they do not have linking paths
• Play panels provide a range of stimuli for children of all abilities, please could more be provided
• Pleased to see accessible play facilities, it would be wonderful to see accessible play equipment for older children
• Cintra Park needs to remain secure during works on site

Based on your feedback, we awarded the playground refurbishment contract to HAGS. 

HAGS’ design already included an abundance of equipment, however we worked with them to take on board feedback provided. All items of equipment within the playground will be wheelchair accessible, through the provision of linking paths. An additional three play panels were added to the original design, giving a total of five play panels.

We ensured there is a mix of equipment, for all ages and abilities. However, Cintra Park is not a destination park, significant destination parks are: Palmer Park, Prospect Park, Christchurch Meadows and John Rabsons Recreation Ground.

We are working closely with HAGS and RBC parks team to ensure that Cintra Park remains secure throughout works.

Next steps

Works will start on site on the 19th March and take approximately eight weeks to complete.

In Autumn 2020, Opinion Research Services (ORS) were commissioned by the Council to undertake a representative sample survey of 1,000 residents via telephone. The purpose of the survey was to gauge levels of satisfaction with the local area, the Council and the services it provides.

When compared to our citizens panel survey of 2018, the results are very positive (although comparisons should be made with caution due to the different methodology used in 2018). However, the results are slightly lower than those from the Local Government Association (LGA) national survey, as they often are for more urban areas:

• 77% of residents said they are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (compared with 65% in the 2018 survey, 83% in LGA survey)
• 64% said they are satisfied with the way the Council runs things (compared with 38% in the 2018 survey; 68% in LGA survey)
• 45% agreed that the Council provides value for money (22% in the 2018 survey; 54% in LGA survey)

The things that respondents thought are most in need of improving are:

• road and pavement repairs (47%)
• the level of crime (32%)
• the level of traffic congestion (30%)
• affordable decent housing (26%)
• parking (24%)

The results have been considered in the development of the Council’s Corporate Plan for 2021/22.

Road and pavement repairs again came out as the highest priority area in terms of needing to be improved – 47% of responses, compared to 58% in 2018, which indicates an improvement in the period which correlates to the Council’s investment in highways infrastructure. The Council has committed to invest £14.5m in the Council’s local highways infrastructure (including bridges) over the period 2021/22-2023/24 to continue to address this resident priority.

We’re refreshing our Community Safety Strategy and introducing a new Housing Strategy that outlines plans to improve access to good quality housing they can afford, within a thriving neighbourhood.

Our Local Transport Plan outlines investments in walking and cycling initiatives, public transport, and electric vehicle infrastructure that will make it easier for residents to make healthy choices, and feel the benefits of clean, green neighbourhoods.

In September 2020, we shared two potential designs for the installation of a new outdoor gym and the refurbishment of the existing BMX track at Longbarn Lane Recreation Ground. We asked residents to vote for their preferred option and leave their comments.

The results of the public vote can be seen in the tables below:

•  Feedback was positive, with residents stating they were pleased to see the projects, stating that this area needed improvement.
• The provision of facilities which benefit all ages and abilities was complimented in both schemes.
• There were concerns raised by local residents over site security during works on site. The need to have precautions in place to prevent unwanted access was something which many people fed back.
• We received several ideas for other improvements we could make to the park in the future. 

Based on your feedback, we awarded the outdoor gym installation contract to The Great Outdoor Gym Company and the BMX track refurbishment contract to Clark and Kent Contractors.

We worked closely with Clark and Kent Contractors, The Great Outdoor Gym Company and RBC Parks team to ensure that the site would remain secure throughout the installation.

We have passed on additional comments / ideas to the parks team and relevant officers in case additional funding becomes available.

Next steps

The outdoor gym was installed and ready for use in December 2020, this will be completed in May 2021.

The BMX track refurbishment began in November 2020 and completed in March 2021. The contractor will return later in the year to complete reinstatement works.

More information can be found at: www.reading.gov.uk/longbarn-lane
 

We asked for your feedback into the early stages of designing a new transport strategy for Reading to last the next 15 years.

You gave a wide range of feedback about how we can make transport in Reading faster, simpler, safer, less congested, more connected, more accessible and better for the environment.

We have published the full results on the consultation page.

This consultation was the first step in designing a new transport strategy for Reading.

We are now using your feedback to inform the strategy document, and there will be a further consultation on the draft strategy in spring/summer 2020.

…for your views on three proposed priorities for Reading’s next Homelessness Strategy to shape and inform our approach regarding homelessness over the next five years. This included determining if you felt there were any gaps we hadn’t identified.

Our proposed strategic priorities were:

• Priority 1: Intervening early to prevent and reduce homelessness in Reading
• Priority 2: Increasing access to decent, suitable accommodation
• Priority 3: Supporting people who are vulnerable to recurring homelessness

…you were in overall support of the proposed priorities with 93% agreeing they are clear; 93% agreeing with using Priority 1; 92% agreeing with using Priority 2 and 93% agreeing with using Priority 3 within a new homelessness strategy. You identified areas of disagreement and where you felt that priorities or groups had been missed.

Following the closure of our on-line consultation and analysis of all stakeholder feedback, we drafted Reading’s Homelessness Prevention Strategy 2020 – 2025. The strategy will be presented to Policy Committee on 24^th August 2020 supported by a full Consultation Report.

A draft document on improving standards of sustainability in new buildings, to implement the policies of the Local Plan, was subject to consultation.

There were 17 comments on the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which dealt with various aspects of the document.  Summaries of the comments can be seen in the Statement of Consultation.

A revised version of the SPD was adopted on 16^th December 2019, which took the results of consultation into account.

Views were sought on changes to the Local Plan arising from a public examination.

There were 114 responses to various elements of the Plan.  Most of the responses related to the proposed development of Reading Golf Club.

Responses were passed to the independent Planning Inspector who conducted the examination into the Local Plan.

We asked specialist companies to submit a design for a new outdoor gym for all abilities and we put the choice of five designs to the public vote.

We wrote to 720 residents living near the recreation ground, we asked parents of pupils attending St Mary and All Saints Primary School and users of Coley Community Centre to choose their preferred option.  We also asked people to vote online.

During the consultation, you said you wanted a better description of the equipment. So we asked the companies to provide additional information which included a description of their equipment and its functions.

We received 115 votes in total, with the winning design, number 4 from TGO (The Great Outdoor Gym Company, receiving 38% the votes.

The results of the consultation are tabled below:

The winning scheme was returned to the school and community centre for the public to view. More details on the winning scheme.

It is anticipated that work on the new gym area will begin in September 2019 and be ready for use by the half term week in October.

We asked specialist playground companies to submit a design for a new play area for children up to the age of 12 years for all abilities and we put the choice of five playground designs to the public vote.

We wrote to 200 residents living near the playground, we asked pupils attending Wilson Primary School and users of Rivermead Leisure Complex to choose their preferred option.  We also asked people to vote online.

During the consultation, you said you wanted a better description of the equipment. So we asked the playground companies to provide additional information which included a description of their equipment and its functions.

We received over 800 votes in total, with the winning design, number 2 from Kompan, receiving over half the votes.  It was overwhelmingly the favourite choice of the school children.

The results of the consultation are tabled below:

The winning scheme was returned to Wilson Primary School and Rivermead Leisure Complex for the children and public to view.  More details on the winning scheme.

It is anticipated that work on the new play area will begin in September 2019 and be ready for use by the half term week in October.

We asked for views on whether changes are needed to the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which sets out how the Council will consult on planning documents.

There were 9 comments on the SCI consultation.

The Council is still considering the way forward with the SCI, and will report on the results when available.

Your views on:

• A proposed relocation of the Council’s Learning Disability respite service from its main building at 118 Whitley Wood in South Reading.
• What is important about the service, now and for the future

• You agreed that the Council should be making the best use of its resources and look to relocate the Learning Disability respite service to a more suitable building.
• You agreed the Council should take the opportunity to review the future aspirations for the service.
• You said the top priorities were: securing a suitable alternative building for the service, providing sensitivity and support to those who use the service, and that the relocation is well managed.  You also said that accessibility of the building, access to support staff, and flexibility of the service was a key priority.

• We have taken on board the feedback you’ve given us and it is being considered alongside a wider review of our buildings.  We have used the feedback to explore some of the options going forward.
• We have presented our key findings to Councillors and they have agreed to our recommendation to explore and discuss the options in more detail.

Your views on:

• A proposed relocation of the Council’s mental health accommodation service (Focus House) from its main buildings at Castle Crescent
• What is important about the service, now or for the future

• You agreed that the Council should continually improve its services, extend the Focus house service and increase access to other mental wellness activities and support.
• You’d like a mixed approach – where some residents can move together into a new location and still receive onsite access to staff, with others moving into smaller, supported living accommodation elsewhere in the borough.
• You said a ‘smooth transition’ is the biggest priority, as well as a safe and homely environment, and developing independence.

• We have taken on board the feedback you’ve given us and it is being considered alongside a wider review of our buildings.  We have used the feedback to explore some of the options going forward.
• We have presented our key findings to Councillors and they have agreed to our recommendation to explore and discuss the options in more detail.