Reading Hailed as “A Model Council”

Many of us have waited for a long time to take control of Reading Borough Council from Labour and begin to make the changes that so many people have been calling for. It has not been an easy first 10 months so it is very encouraging to receive praise from outside organisations. Various national bodies have praised the Conservative-led Council but it was very gratifying to be sent the link to a Spectator article by David Blackburn decribing Reading under its new management as “a model Council”.

This is based on us being one of the few to increase funding to the voluntary sector, extend library opening hours and ensure better value for money. Whilst acknowledging that there is always more to be done the following quote is an excellent endorsement:

“Privately, some Tories are heralding Reading as a model council. Certainly, it’s commitment to transparency, efficiency and protecting services is commendable (and highly unusual for local government). But there is some way to go to enact that these initiatives; and, there is still yet more to trim.”