A new forum that will help the council tackle the climate emergency will kick off on September 9 this year but concerns have been raised over how cycling will be affected.

Reading Borough Council's (RBC) new Cleaner Air and Safer Transport Forum was officially approved at Monday's (July 15) Policy Committee.

The forum will call on organisations and individuals across the town to come together to help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality and the safety of transport in Reading.

Green Party councillor Rob White, speaking to the LDRS, said: "The forum sounds like a good idea, but the council is scrapping the Cycle Forum to create it.

"The council is therefore disappointingly losing focus on healthy, sustainable cycling.

"This new forum has no extra money and the lead councillor for transport remains the same.

"Until there is a change at the top I am not confident Labour will give cycling the priority it deserves or succeed in making our air cleaner or improve road safety."

Councillor Adele Barnett-Ward will chair the forum, which will incorporate the work of Reading’s long-established Cycle Forum.

The forum will focus on a range of transport based topic areas that discuss, review best practice and seek to recommend ways forward.

Key areas will include air pollution; education and school initiatives and finalising Reading's local cycling and walking infrastructure plan.

The forum will include Labour councillors Debs Absolom, Paul Gittings and Graeme Hoskin, lead member for Health, Wellbeing and Sport.

Councillor Ricky Duveen will be the Lib Dems' representative.

Cllr Duveen, speaking at the Policy committee meeting, said: "I hope this doesn't mean pushing the work of the Cycling Forum aside in any way, shape or form because I think that has been a useful addition to our transport policies in Reading. I wouldn't like to lose it or its focus."

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment and Transport, responded: "The intention is to ensure that the cycling agenda is mainstreamed alongside walking and other transport initiatives.

"The government has given us money to develop a local cycling/walking infrastructure plan.

"They are rightly recognising that cycling and walking need to be viewed more closely.

"A lot of the work that the Cycling Forum did will be included in this forum."

He said he envisaged there will still be an annual cycle-focused meeting.

The Conservatives will be represented by councillor Jane Stanford-Beale.

The Green Party representative will be Jamie Whitham.

Progress will be reported to the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport committee primarily but will also go to other committees such as Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure.