The Reading Climate Action Network (RCAN) has released the draft Reading Climate Emergency Strategy & Action Plan 2025–2030, a five-year roadmap designed to help Reading, Berkshire, bridge the final gap to becoming net‑zero by 2030. The document outlines proposed changes to transport, energy use and nature and open spaces over the coming years to better protect the local environment and increase climate resilience.
The strategy focuses on several priority themes, including how residents heat their homes, how people travel around the town, and how the borough manages green and open spaces. Local leaders say the plan accelerates ‘hard‑to‑reach’ actions such as retrofitting older housing with energy‑saving measures and overhauling transport corridors to improve public transport and reduce car trips. It also places new emphasis on protecting local wildlife and increasing resilience to heavier rainfall and flooding.
Reading has already made substantial progress: borough‑wide emissions are reported to have fallen by 57% since 2005, and Reading was ranked 12th in the country for the size of its emissions reduction, according to Reading Today (based on government figures). Officials say the next steps will focus on the more difficult parts of the plan, such as retrofitting older terrace houses and transitioning domestic heating to low‑carbon alternatives (for example, heat pumps).
Residents are invited to read the draft and share feedback during a public consultation that is open through spring 2026. Reading Borough Council (RBC), the Reading Climate Change Partnership (RCCP) and other local partners say they will use consultation responses to inform the prioritisation and delivery of actions and projects in the coming years.
The draft and affiliated documents emphasise that, while reaching net‑zero by 2030 is a significant challenge, there are clear co‑benefits: the draft preface from the Reading Climate Change Partnership highlights potential benefits for health, the local economy and the environment. A final version of the strategy will be prepared after the consultation in 2026, with implementation of actions taking place across the 2025–2030 period.
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