UP to 1,000 new council homes are expected to be built across Reading in the next 30 years.

Borough council housing leaders have drawn up ambitious plans to build the new council homes — at a cost of £199m — to meet the growing need for affordable homes and the rise in the number of homeless people.

Housing leader Cllr Richard Davies stressed the cash for the new homes comes from ring-fenced Housing Revenue Account made up of tenants’ rents which is not linked to the council’s budget for services.

He said: “This is a major investment and decision for housing. This is great news for Reading.

“We believe the council is the best landlord in Reading. The rents are the cheapest, tenants can call their councillors to account through the ballot boxes and they get a lifetime tenancy as long as they pay their rent and behave.

“Council housing is the best way to build communities and give people a launchpad to develop their lives.” There are currently 9,345 families or individuals who have applied to the borough council for a home, of which 3,925 have been deemed as having a housing need.

At the same time the number of homeless has nearly trebled in the last two years. Cllr Davies said: “That’s an unacceptable number. These are not just individual people, some of these are families.” If the plans are approved by the borough council’s policy committee next Monday moves will be made to build 250 new homes in the next five years. The first phase will include 100 homes being built, including 40 at Conwy Close in Tilehurst.

The borough council currently owns enough land for 300 new homes but Cllr Davies stressed that more will need to be acquired and all the plans will have to be approved by the borough’s planning applications committee.