To receive Mayor’s Announcements.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

‘Today marks exactly four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The losses felt by families as a direct result of the conflict are unimaginable. I am sure Councillors on all sides of the Chamber will join me in sending our prayers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The Mayor to sign the Minutes of the proceedings of the previous Council Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2026 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

Public petitions may be submitted on any matter within the Council’s responsibilities, or on issues affecting the Borough or its residents. Submissions should be emailed to committee.services@reading.gov.uk and must be received no later than 12 noon, four clear working days before the meeting.

Peter Burt presented a petition as follows:

Reading Borough Council – No Budget Cuts

We have had enough of austerity and public spending cuts while the government helps billionaires to get richer and richer.

We call upon Reading Borough Council and other Berkshire Councils to reverse budget cuts, set a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Public questions may be submitted on any matter within the Council’s responsibilities, or on issues affecting the Borough or its residents. Submissions should be emailed to committee.services@reading.gov.uk and must be received no later than 12 noon, four clear working days before the meeting.

Questions on the following matters were submitted by members of the public:

Questions on the following matters were submitted by councillors:

(The full text of the questions and replies was made available on the Reading Borough Council website).

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report on the robustness of the Council’s 2026/27 budget.

The report noted that the process of setting a balanced budget on an annual basis was underpinned by the professional judgement of the Chief Finance Officer, who was legally required to write a Section 25  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report setting out for approval the 2026/27 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy.  The report also provided an update on the results of the budget engagement exercise, changes to the Budget arising from the publication of the Final Local Government Finance Settlement 2026/27 published on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report setting out for approval at Appendix 1 the Capital Strategy 2026/27.

The report noted that the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’ (CIPFA) revised Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities 2021 required local authorities to produce a Capital Strategy on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report a report setting out at Appendix 1 the Treasury Management Strategy Statement (TMSS) 2026/27 for approval.

The report noted that the TMSS 2026/27 reflected the Council’s Capital Programme 2026/27 – 2028/29 and set out the parameters for the Council’s planned treasury activity during  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report seeking approval for the calculations for determining the Council’s Council Tax requirement for the year 2026/27 in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992.  The report also set out the Council Tax amounts for each property valuation band in the Borough including  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

Report by Director of Finance / KPMG External Auditors

Further to Minute 20 of Audit & Governance Committee on 20 January 2026, the Director of Finance submitted a covering report on behalf of the Council’s External Auditor, KPMG, which had attached their Annual Report, providing a summary of the findings and key issues arising from the 2024/25 audit. 

The report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Report by Director of Legal & Governance

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report setting out for approval at Appendix 1 the Annual Governance Statement 2024/25.

The report noted that Council was responsible for ensuring that financial management was adequate and effective and that the Council had a sound system of internal control, which facilitated the effective exercise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

Report by Director of Finance

The Director of Finance submitted a report setting out at Appendix 1 the Statement of Accounts 2024/25 for approval.

The report noted that the Council was responsible for approving the annual Statement of Accounts. This included placing reliance on the work of the Council’s Internal Audit Team, the external auditor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.