More affordable homes built to last

Thanks to Liberal Democrat MPs, all new homes built from 2028 will come with solar panels and low-carbon heating as standard — and we will use every planning tool available to go further on sustainable design, contributing to Reading's goal of becoming a carbon-neutral town. We will use Section 106 agreements and planning conditions to ensure infrastructure contributions are secured upfront — so that residents don't bear the consequences of growth before the services to support it are in place.

Housing is one of the biggest single factors shaping people's health — cold, damp, poorly insulated homes drive up GP visits, respiratory illness and winter deaths, and councils have a statutory responsibility to improve the health of their local population, not just build homes. That's why fixing Reading's housing stock isn't just about bills; it's about health.

New build standards only go so far. Independent data shows that nearly two-thirds of Reading's existing homes are poorly insulated — below EPC C — leaving residents paying more to heat homes that leak warmth and drive up energy bills. The Government's Warm Homes Local Grant scheme is welcome, but it reaches only the lowest-income households. We will push the Council to maximise every pound of available retrofit funding, extend outreach beyond the most deprived areas, and set a transparent target for improving the energy efficiency of Reading's existing housing stock — so that cutting energy bills isn't just for those who qualify for means-tested support.

We will hold developers to account in a way Labour has failed to do. With thousands of families on Reading's housing waiting list, it is unacceptable that developers delivered just 11 affordable homes against a target of 169 in 2024/25. Liberal Democrat-run Sutton Council is currently consulting on what it calls its most ambitious Local Plan ever — one designed to tackle the housing crisis responsibly, with strong sustainable design standards and genuine developer accountability built in from the start. That's what plan-led housing looks like when a Council is actually on the side of residents. We will push the Government to close the loopholes that allow developers to avoid their affordable housing obligations.

Reading residents deserve a proper say on major developments before it's too late to change anything — not after. In Southwark, Liberal Democrats pushed to secure real concessions for residents affected by a major housing scheme, even after the plans were already well advanced, improving the deal on construction impact and community facilities.

We will not tolerate homes sitting empty while people have nowhere to live. We will set a significantly more ambitious target for bringing empty homes back into use, and publish a transparent annual report so residents can hold us to account for delivering it.

With rough sleeping in Reading at an all-time high despite years of investment, we will go further — committing to a permanent, purpose-built homelessness facility that gives people the stable base they need to rebuild their lives, following the example of Lib Dem-run Windsor and Maidenhead's John West House.