A report outlining the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Local Transport Grant funding for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30 and seeking approval to submit the Council’s initial Local Transport Delivery Plan to Government.

The Committee considered a report that set out the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Local Transport Grant funding allocation for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30 and sought approval to submit the Council’s initial Local Transport Delivery Plan (LTDP) to Government. The report also updated on progress and outcomes on the delivery of transport schemes and initiatives in Reading over recent years. A copy of the proposed Local Transport Delivery Plan (March 2026) was attached to the report at Appendix A. 

The report set out the Government’s new approach to local transport funding. The new approach replaced the previous competitive bidding model with a needs-based formula for allocating grant funding to local transport authorities. Under the new system, local authorities would be required to produce a Local Transport Delivery Plan setting out how the Integrated Transport Fund (ITF) grant would be prioritised, including details of proposed schemes, interventions, programmes and packages of expenditure. Initial versions of Delivery Plans were required to be submitted to the DfT by 20 March 2026, with a final version then needed by 18 September 2026.

The report also set out Reading’s grant funding allocation for capital and revenue grants. The allocation covered capital funding for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30 and revenue funding for the period 2026/27 to 2028/29. Under the new funding model, grant allocations would continue to be based on different modes, such as highways maintenance, bus services and active travel, which would be consolidated into ITF grant payments. The new approach would provide local authorities with longer-term certainty and greater flexibility to decide how best to utilise the funding, with fewer grant-specific conditions than in previous years. The report also confirmed that the Council would continue to receive a separate grant for the provision of Bikeability cycle training in schools for the period 2026/27 to 2028/29.

The report noted that whilst authorities had been provided with greater flexibility, the Government had also made it clear that the grant funding needed to be used to achieve national priorities which would be set through the Local Transport Outcome Framework. This would outline measurable priority outcomes that the Government wanted local authorities to achieve and would reflect shared national and local priorities for transport which would be aligned with the upcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy.

The report stated that the Council had made considerable progressin delivering a range of local transport schemes and improvements, in part due to successfully having secured significant amounts of external grant funding through the competitive bidding process. This had allowed the Council to improve travel options for residents, with a particular focus on sustainable transport choices, and aligned with the overall vision and objectives set out in Reading’s Local Transport Plan (LTP). A broad range of transport schemes and improvements had been delivered that included major upgrades to Reading’s railway stations, new bus and cycling infrastructure and active travel initiatives.

The outcomes achieved from the work to promote sustainable travel had resulted in Reading achieving amongst the highest levels of sustainable  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22