More than £20 million is being spent on improving council housing throughout Reading, with projects including external works and fitting new windows, kitchens and bathrooms.

Reading Borough Council is one of the biggest landlords in the town, and is responsible for maintenance and repairs for the 5,835 homes it manages.

The total budget for works to its housing stock is £20.340 million for the current 2024/25 financial year.

The largest projects the council has involve improvements to blocks built in the 1960s, repairs and heating installation for homes in Tilehurst, and installing new kitchens and bathrooms for tenants.

The council is spending £3.300 million on improvements to its 'crosswall blocks' that were built in the 1960s.

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A report by Mike Carpenter, the council's housing project manager, states: "These properties are amongst the poorest of all our stock in terms of energy efficiency, in many cases the external walls are tile hung with no additional insulation."

Therefore, the council is conducting external works to improve insulation. It has 'in the region of' 70 crosswall blocks, with a focus on work being conducted on two-storey blocks.

The project will focus on the homes in Redlands ward, particularly the Hexham Road estate.

The council houses will also benefit from alternative heating installation. However, in Bamburgh Close ground source heat pumps have been swapped for air source pumps as they are currently more affordable.

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Elsewhere, £2.415 million is being spent on improvements to council homes in Kentwood ward.

This project involves structural repairs, improved external insulation, external rendering and triple-glazed window installation.

If heaters need to be replaced, they will be replaced with air-source heat pumps and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems.

The third most expensive scheme the council is undertaking is a £1.650 million to improve kitchens and bathrooms, which are replaced depending on the condition of the existing facilities for tenants.

Mr Carpenter's report states: "New kitchens take account of the size and range of tenant’s ‘white goods’ and are individually designed to accommodate these.

"The kitchens... are designed to last using a modern look that we hope will stay
in vogue whilst offering good tenant choice.

"All taps for kitchens and bathrooms are lever taps, these permit easier use for tenants who suffer with hand mobility."

The  £1.650 million amount being spent is based on a 25-year lifecycle for kitchens and 35 years for bathrooms.

A range of other required works feature in the council's plans for works as well.

They include £175,000 to ensure sprinklers are serviced, and £320,000 to service gas supplies and carbon monoxide smoke detectors.

Mr Carpenter's report on spending for upgrades to council housing and the programme of works will be discussed at a housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee meeting on Wednesday, November 13.