Six Berkshire councils have moved to tighten their joint grip on regional economic planning, launching an official shared portal on 2 October 2026 and bringing in a dedicated devolution director to lead negotiations with central government in London.

The launch of the Berkshire Prosperity Board portal gives the county its first centralized digital hub for regional growth, housing policy, and net zero projects since local authorities took over regional economic duties from the former Local Enterprise Partnership in 2024. One day after the website went live, the board confirmed that Saba Tahzib has been appointed Director of Devolution and Growth on a one-year fixed-term contract worth £130,000.

The two moves represent a deliberate strategy by Reading Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, Wokingham Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Council, Slough Borough Council, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to present a single, coordinated front to Whitehall. By pooling resources across the six unitary authorities, local leaders are bidding to secure major funding packages for transport, skills, and affordable housing that individual councils would struggle to land on their own.

Whitehall experience and a cost-neutral budget

Tahzib takes on the director post after spending ten years inside central government between 2015 and 2025. His background includes two years at the Department for Transport and eight years at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, where he served as Deputy Director for local growth strategy and worked on the national Covid-19 response between March and August 2020. He attended his first official board meeting in his new capacity on 21 September 2026 at Observatory House in Slough.

Recruitment for the role was managed by Wokingham Borough Council on behalf of the six authorities, following an initial decision by council leaders in August 2025 to create a dedicated devolution directorship. Tahzib succeeds Paul Patterson, who held an interim devolution director post from September 2025 until April 2026. The £130,000 contract was benchmarked against senior civil service grades and equivalent growth directorships across English combined authorities.

Despite the high-profile salary, papers approved by the board on 21 September 2026 show that the directorship and ongoing operational costs will place no extra burden on council tax payers. Authorities agreed to consolidate existing, separate budget lines for devolution and economic growth into a single structure. The merged framework funds the strategic director post without requesting additional contributions from constituent council budgets.

A similar emphasis on public value shaped the creation of the new website. Local authority officers rejected an initial private agency quote of £16,000 to build the platform. Instead, West Berkshire Council built the site in-house for £5,085, saving local taxpayers more than £10,000. Operational maintenance will run at £2,775 annually, with day-to-day website editing handled under the direction of Louisa Dean, Head of Communications and Marketing at Reading Borough Council.

Councillor Jeff Brooks, Leader of West Berkshire Council, pointed to the digital build as proof of cross-border collaboration between neighbouring authorities. "I am delighted that West Berkshire was able to create this platform for the whole of Berkshire to take advantage of," Brooks said. "The new site will shine a light on the important work being undertaken by councillors and officers, across all six councils, to improve outcomes for residents, businesses and other key stakeholders. It will be continuously updated as work progresses and as we continue to work towards building on Berkshire's economic success. This has been a great example of collaboration across the county with colleagues from Reading, working closely with West Berkshire colleagues to create the website with input from the other four councils."

Housing pressures, skills grants and local action

The joint board operates as a formal committee hosted by Wokingham Borough Council under Section 101 of the Local Government Act 1972, with Slough Borough Council Leader Cllr Wal Chahal serving as Chair and Reading Borough Council Leader Cllr Liz Terry as Vice-Chair. [QUOTE NEEDED: Reading Borough Council Leader on the appointment of the Devolution Director]. The combined body oversees six core priority areas: strategic infrastructure, skills and education, affordable housing, sector development, net zero, and health inequalities.

The need for coordinated action on housing and wages is sharply reflected in local figures. Official data submitted to the board shows the average ratio of house prices to annual earnings across Berkshire stands at 8.9, compared to an England national average of 7.6. Within the county, affordability pressures vary significantly, ranging from 7.8 in Reading to 10.4 in Windsor and Maidenhead. Local authority leaders argue that negotiating with Homes England and central government as a unified region of 900,000 residents will provide the scale needed to unlock government infrastructure grants and speed up housebuilding.

Even before launching the central portal, joint working across Berkshire had secured substantial government funding for employment and training. The six councils pulled in £9.5 million over five years for the regional Connect to Work scheme, which has already supported 116 people into jobs. The board has also secured £1.8 million anually for technical skills bootcamps and just over £1 million over three years to fund the Berkshire Growth Hub business advisory service, alongside running 152 targeted business support sessions.

On environmental targets, joint council programmes have financed 17,251 energy efficiency installations in homes and buildings across the county, alongside managing the Berkshire Electric Vehicle Programme and drafting a county-wide Natural Recovery Strategy. The economic stakes are high: visitor spending in Berkshire generates £1.4 billion every year and supports almost 18,000 local jobs, making transport links and regional branding vital to commercial trade.

Private sector leaders are aligning their own regional networks with the board's structure. The Berkshire Business Board held a major strategic gathering at Slough & Langley College to review devolution goals. Penny Rinta-Suksi, a commercial partner at Reading law firm Blake Morgan LLP, based in Apex Plaza, took office as Chair of the business board.

"I am really pleased to be involved with the BBB as I believe that as a long-term resident in the Thames Valley and business owner in Reading and Oxford, I believe passionately in the business environment in the region and its continued success both now and for our families in the future," Rinta-Suksi said following the college meeting.

Berkshire leaders are also looking beyond county boundaries. Discussions are underway to explore sub-regional economic partnerships with Oxfordshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council, creating a broader Thames Valley alignment capable of competing for strategic funding against mayoral combined authorities in the Midlands and North.

For Reading businesses, employers, and residents, the shift to consolidated governance means economic strategy, grant applications, and major infrastructure plans will increasingly run through joint Berkshire channels. The newly launched portal provides direct access to committee reports, strategic decision logs, and business support opportunities previously scattered across six different civic websites.

The next major public test for the unified board takes place in Reading on Thursday 5 November 2026, when local council leaders, economic officers, and commercial developers gather at Reading Town Hall on Blagrave Street for the BerksProp Summit. A further business assembly will follow in December 2026 at Newbury Racecourse.

Local business owners seeking funding guidance or workforce development can access current schemes through Reading Borough Council's economic development team or inspect published decision papers on the new portal. To explore local commercial opportunities, track local development proposals, or arrange business growth consulting in Reading, contact our team to discuss your next steps.