The Labour party which has kept control of Reading Borough Council has announced which councillors will be guiding its policies for the next year.

Following its success in the local elections, Reading Labour has retained power and control of the council administration.

The council is run in a committee system with decisions made by these committees and policies formed by lead councillors.

Now, Reading Labour has announced which councillors will take key positions.

Recently, it was announced that councillor Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) would be stepping down as deputy leader and is Labour’s nominee to be Mayor.

The deputy leader position is set to be taken by cllr Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), who will also keep her role as lead for corporate services & resources.

READ MORE: Reading councillor who has 50 years of service set to become mayor

In another change, clr Paul Gittings (Labour, Coley) will be taking over from cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote) who will take the role as lead councillor for transport & climate strategy.

Many of lead councillors will be retaining their current briefs.

Cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley) will stay as lead for planning & assets, and cllr Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) will keep her position as lead for environmental services & community safety.

Similarly, cllr Ellie Emberson (Labour, Coley) will retain her role as lead for housing, and cllr Graeme Hoskin will stay on as lead for children.

Cllr Ruth McEwan (Labour, Church) will keep her position as lead for education and public health and cllr Adele Barnett-Ward (Labour, Thames) will retain her brief as lead for leisure & culture.

These lead councillors are set to be confirmed in their positions at the annual general meeting on Wednesday, May 24.

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The team has been assembled by cllr Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote) the leader of the council.

Cllr Brock said: “This is a strong and vastly experienced front bench team, all with years of service as lead councillors previously, which brings with it a wealth of knowledge about our town, our residents, our communities and the Council services we deliver.

“It promises to be another busy year ahead and it is incumbent on us to deliver against the trust once again put in myself and my colleagues by the electorate.

“It means pushing ahead with our ambitious programme of delivering new flagship facilities for residents, whether that be new or refurbished train stations like at Green Park or Reading West, modern new pools and leisure centres like at Palmer Park and Rivermead, new playgrounds like at Prospect Park, and new cycle infrastructure being built along Shinfield Road and Bath Road.

READ MORE: New councillors in Reading welcomed by leader as Labour gears up to rule again

“We are determined to redouble our efforts in tackling the important issues in our town, building even more affordable council homes, working with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour, taking strong action on flytipping and graffiti, and continuing to build on our tremendous progress in driving towards net zero by 2030.

“All the while, we will continue to strive for excellence in all of the day-to-day services we deliver, including those that many residents do not see but that we know a great many people rely on – like caring for Reading’s vulnerable adults and children, for example.

“And, at a time when the on-going cost of living crisis continues to impact on the communities which need the most help, we will continue to do everything we can to support these residents, making full use of Reading’s buoyant economy to create new opportunities for people to share in the town’s success.”

The administration has also announced its proposed committee chairs.

Cllr Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood) is set to take over as chair of the housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee following current chair cllr Sarah Hacker (Independent, Battle) being expelled from the Labour Party.

The vice chair is to be determined.

Cllr Will Cross (Labour, Redlands) is due to be chair of the influential strategic environment, planning & transport committee alongside vice-chair nominee cllr Andrew Hornsby-Smith.

The traffic management sub-committee is set to be chaired by cllr Mohammed Ayub (Labour, Abbey) again with cllr Jacopo Lanzoni (Labour, Caversham) being vice chair.

The planning applications committee will be chaired by cllr Jo Lovelock (Labour, Norcot) with cllr Matt Yeo (Labour, )taking position as vice chair.

Cllr Paul Woodward (Labour, Church) will remain as chair of the licensing committee, alongside vice chair cllr Debs Edwards (Labour, Southcote).

Finally, the adult social care, children’s services & education committee is set to be chaired by cllr Alice Mpofu-Coles (Labour, Whitley) with cllr Jan Gavin (Labour, Caversham) serving as vice chair.