Reading Council rejects plans to plant more trees and insulate more homes

The proposals were put forward by Green and Lib Dem councillors as amendments to the budget for 2021/22 and three-year financial strategy, which were approved last night.

The budget for this year includes a 4.99 per cent council tax increase.

READ MORE: Reading council tax increase approved – average extra £84

Green councillor Rob White asked for £120,000 to be spent over two years on employing Home Energy Conservation Officer to help private sector homeowners to get funding to insulate their homes.

While Lib Dem councillor Ricky Duveen put forward an amendment to the budget for £250,000 to be spent on tree planting over the next three years.

But both were rejected, with the Lib Dems and Greens supporting each other’s proposal but the Labour and Tory groups turning both down.

Cllr White said the insulation proposal would help to tackle fuel poverty, cut carbon emissions and provide jobs by supporting homeowners to win funding to insulate their homes properly.

Insulation

But leader of the council Jason Brock said there was a lack of a “robust plan”.

READ MORE: Reading Council denies claims it will ‘fire and rehire’ staff

Taking a less positive view on the proposal, councillor John Ennis, lead member for Housing, called the amendment “either naivety or playing games” and said the problem lay with the government for making it so difficult to get funding that 95 per cent of funds are unspent.

He questioned how the officer would achieve “what no councils have managed” and called for Green councillors to help with lobbying of government to fund private sector instead.

The Conservative group rejected the amendment. Cllr Stanford-Beale said it is down to landlords to increase energy efficient and the council should not be spending its money on private sector residents.

Cllr Duveen's amendment included £150,000 this year for a new towing vehicle and bowser (for watering trees) to help with tree planting.

Tree planting

He said the money used would be the underspend on tree planting from 2020/21 but Cllr Stanford-Beale said this money has already been allocated and the Tories would not support the extra spending.

Cllr Brock called the amendment “pointless”.

He said: “The council could put any amount of money towards tree planting in the budget and Cllr Duveen would double it.

“There is no point just putting random numbers into the budget”.

Green councillor Josh Williams expressed his party’s support, saying the council needs to invest to meet its 3,000 new trees by 2030 target.

But Labour councillor Karen Rowland, whose portfolio includes tree planting, defended the council’s record on tree planting and said RBC has increased tree planting from 200 a year to 351 this year.