A Council that works for you

We will publish our performance openly, involve residents in decisions before they're made, and be honest about what the Council can deliver and what needs to change.

National politics has never felt more distant from the decisions that shape people's daily lives. Ed Davey has called for proper devolution, so that local communities - not Whitehall - have a real say over what happens where they live. Reading Liberal Democrats believe that starts at home: a Council that treats residents as decision-makers, not an audience to be managed. Real devolution isn't just about power moving from Westminster to the town hall - it's about power moving from the town hall to you.

When the Government's new Local Outcomes Framework data is published, we will make sure Reading's performance against the Neighbourhood Guarantee is reported back to residents in full - not buried in a committee paper, but set out clearly so people can judge for themselves whether this Council is meeting the standards it's now expected to meet.

Reading Borough Council owns Reading Buses through its wholly-owned subsidiary Reading Transport Limited. While a shareholder committee exists to oversee the company, its work takes place largely behind closed doors - residents have no visibility of how the company is performing on their behalf, and significant decisions such as service changes can be made without any prior public scrutiny. A Liberal Democrat administration would change that, ensuring that Reading Buses reports publicly to councillors and residents on its service performance on an annual basis - making accountability real, not just a matter of internal process.

We will also make sure the Council is genuinely accessible to all residents - not just those who are comfortable online. For elderly and disabled residents who rely on phone or face-to-face contact, digital by default must never mean digital only.