Holding Labour to account
Reading's Liberal Democrat councillors regularly ask questions at Council meetings to challenge the Labour administration and get answers on behalf of residents. This page is an archive of those questions — so you can see exactly what we're asking, and judge for yourself whether Labour is giving Reading the answers it deserves. Browse by topic below, or visit us at a council meeting to see us in action.
Pesticide Use in Reading's Public Spaces
Asked: 30th June 2026
Reading Borough Council ran a trial of alternative weed control methods in 2022, but by 2023 had approved the continued use of glyphosate while requiring future contractors to work toward alternatives. We asked the Lead Councillor to confirm whether that commitment was included in any subsequent contract and what progress has been made — and to commit to developing a formal, time-bound pesticide reduction plan, as Lib Dem-led councils including Bath & North East Somerset have already done.
Answer: Meeting pending.
Reading's Preparedness for Climate Change
Asked: 30th June 2026
Following Reading Borough Council's own screening of the National Emergency Briefing — a landmark presentation by ten leading UK scientists on accelerating climate breakdown — we asked the Lead Councillor whether the council's flood infrastructure is planned against 2050 projections, whether emergency planning has been stress-tested for cascading climate events, and whether the council will commit to annual public reporting against the Climate Change Committee's local authority indicators.
Answer: Meeting pending.
Sewage Discharges into the Foudry Brook
Asked: 23rd June 2026
Thames Water recorded 14 sewage spills into the Foudry Brook totalling 168.5 hours in 2025 — far above their own stated long-term average of 8 spills per year. We asked the committee to request a written officer report on discharge levels since 2023, and to invite Thames Water back to attend the committee, having not appeared since November 2023.
Answer: Meeting pending
Reading Borough Council's Use of X (formerly Twitter)
Asked: 24th March 2026
A growing number of councils — including Southampton, Devon, Rugby, Solihull, Wokingham, and Oxfordshire — have withdrawn from X, citing declining engagement and concerns about the platform's direction since Elon Musk's acquisition. We asked the Lead Councillor to set out RBC's current engagement metrics on X and how they have changed over the past 12–18 months, whether any review has been undertaken of whether the platform remains appropriate, and whether the council has plans to withdraw and redirect resource to channels where residents are more actively engaged.
Answer: Rejected by Labour.