James Aldridge

Two Traveller camper vans were reported at a green space on Foxhays Road in Whitley, Reading, prompting concerns from local residents and visits by council and Thames Valley Police officers. Reading Borough Council can seek an eviction order for an unauthorised encampment but must first assess residents’ welfare and human-rights needs. The council has no permanent or transit Traveller sites after a planned seven-pitch development on Island Road was abandoned in 2024 because of flood risk, while nearby Wokingham has two designated sites.

Reading Borough Council approved Festival Republic’s application to add live music on the Thursday before Reading Festival’s main three days, increase early-arrival capacity from 20,000 to 40,000 and extend alcohol sales. After residents raised concerns about noise, sleep disturbance, traffic, harassment and broader community disruption, the organiser agreed to end Thursday music at 11:30pm rather than midnight. A £1 community donation will also be added to future tickets.

Changes have been proposed to plans for converting the former NatWest building at 13–16 Market Place in Reading into 15 flats. The amendments include revised entrances, cycle and waste facilities, an enlarged basement, an expanded extension and changes to the upper-floor building line. The article also reports the rejection of plans to convert offices above a Kings Road barbers into three flats and to add decking at a Tilehurst home, while Savers has applied to update signage at its Broad Street Mall store.

Billing Avenue in the Gorse Ride estate in Finchampstead, Berkshire, appears on Google Maps only in Cyrillic as “Биллинг авеню,” while its English name is absent from both map and satellite views. The anomaly was confirmed across browser and mobile-app versions after being discovered through the Construction Map website. The street is part of Wokingham Borough Council’s wider Gorse Ride regeneration, which is replacing 44 outdated affordable homes and creating 249 new properties, including 90 energy-efficient homes in Phase 2b being built by Wates Construction Ltd. About 74.3% of the completed homes will be affordable, including social-rent and shared-ownership properties. Google had been contacted for an explanation but had not responded.

The Morrisons Daily store and Post Office on Wensley Road in Reading’s Coley estate are due to close, leaving residents without a nearby Post Office. Morrisons says it cannot afford to keep the branch open as part of a wider programme of closures affecting former McColl’s stores. Local councillors have criticized the decision, highlighting its disproportionate impact on disabled, retired and benefits-dependent residents. The Post Office is seeking another retailer to take over the branch, and council representatives are supporting efforts to find a new operator.

Reading Borough Council leader Liz Terry encourages residents to cycle, walk and use public transport while summer traffic is lighter. She highlights consultations on dedicated cycle lanes and pedestrian improvements around Bath Road, Castle Hill and the IDR, as well as a pilot scheme for secure on-street cycle hangars. She also points to free bus travel for under-16s during August and a planned £2 cap on single bus fares in England as measures intended to reduce car use, congestion and pollution.

Reading Borough Council approved Hammerson’s plans to replace and upgrade safety equipment in non-public rooftop areas of The Oracle’s Holybrook car park, judging the changes to have negligible visual impact. Planning permissions also progressed for the council’s project to deliver 62 homes and a day care centre at the former Central Pool site, including construction management, drainage and habitat measures. A proposal for two three-bedroom homes in West Reading was refused because of cramped design, biodiversity concerns and an inadequate flood-risk assessment. The Maiden Erlegh Trust was separately granted permission for 10 low-energy LED floodlights at River Academy’s multi-use games area.

Wokingham Borough Council plans to introduce a £2.50 all-day parking charge at Ashenbury Park in Woodley to help fund footpath improvements, ongoing maintenance and future development as a local country park. The proposal has been condemned as “diabolical” by former Woodley mayor David Bragg, and a public demonstration is planned. The council says the park will remain a local green space, with any major improvements shaped by residents and users. A traffic regulation order consultation is expected to begin on August 6, while current footpath upgrades are due to finish the week of August 17.

A BP fuel station with a Marks & Spencer sales area at Sonning Cutting in Woodley, near Earley, has received approval for three additional electric vehicle chargers serving six parking spaces. The scheme will remove the existing automatic car wash and add two jet wash bays. Wokingham Borough Council concluded that the established commercial use and distance from nearby homes meant the changes were unlikely to cause significant noise or disturbance.

The Mill Lane entrance to the Fords Farm estate in Calcot was closed for SGN work upgrading old metal gas mains, causing confusion over diversion routes and reports of drivers making prohibited turns. West Berkshire Council increased signage, inspected the site daily and worked with the contractor, while Thames Valley Police were notified of traffic offences. A signed diversion via the A4 Bath Road, Charrington Road, Pollards Way, The Chase and Mill Lane was provided, and the situation reportedly improved. The closure was scheduled to remain in place until 11:59 p.m. on August 21.

Christopher Goodall, a former Labour councillor for Reading and Berkshire and longtime journalist, has died aged 84. He served on Reading councils from 1971 to 1976 and again from 1997 to 2006, chaired the housing committee, and was a Berkshire County councillor from 1981 to 1998. He was considered for Labour's parliamentary candidacy in Reading North in 1974 but was not selected. After suffering a stroke and later serious health problems, he continued to stay active with support from local community organizations. Former colleagues remembered him as a knowledgeable, compassionate representative with little ego. He is survived by his wife Jill, two children and grandchildren; his funeral is scheduled at Reading Crematorium on 14 August.

Reading Borough Council officers prepare for and monitor the Reading Festival, checking licensing compliance, alcohol and tobacco sales, taxi practices, fire safety, weights and measures, food hygiene and noise levels. In 2024, officers carried out 71 alcohol and cigarette test purchases, 68 taxi test purchases and 41 food-safety inspections. Councillors also attend and review the festival’s impact, with Glenn Dennis reporting that dealers openly advertised cocaine and other Class A drugs. Festival organisers later provide a debrief to the council’s housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee.

Wokingham Borough Council unanimously approved an Alcohol and Substance Misuse Policy after acknowledging that it lacked a clear and robust policy. The measure establishes zero tolerance for alcohol and substance misuse among anyone representing the council, including employees, volunteers, contractors, agency workers and casual workers. Council leaders welcomed the policy as standard workplace practice, while HR officials said it was intended to safeguard staff rather than address an unusually serious problem.

Revised plans for 130 flats on the former Reading gas tower site in East Reading were unanimously approved by Reading Borough Council’s planning committee. The scheme comprises three blocks with 48 one-bedroom, 73 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom flats, including 15 affordable homes. Gas boilers will be replaced with air-source heat pumps, while car parking will fall from 127 to 121 spaces. Councillors welcomed the environmental improvements but raised concerns that revised plans appeared to convert parking spaces serving the affordable block into EV spaces. A new condition requires parking priorities to be agreed with Thames ward councillors.

Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, has been appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Baroness Angela Smith, the Leader of the House of Lords. The unpaid role involves supporting parliamentary duties and communication between frontbench and backbench MPs and peers. The report also notes Smith’s tenure as Lords leader, the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act and the delayed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Morrisons Daily’s Woodley town-centre shop and its post office are due to close, ending postal services on August 19. Local shoppers say the closure will remove a vital nearby location for sending parcels, buying stamps and withdrawing cash, particularly after Lloyds Bank’s closure left Nationwide as the precinct’s only remaining bank. Residents and a local church hope another business can host the post office, while banking hubs are suggested as a way to preserve some access to financial services.

Thousands of people attended Reading’s Rathayatra Festival, organised by ISKCON, featuring a religious procession, meditation, traditional dancing and free vegetarian food at Forbury Gardens. Organisers said about 7,000 people attended, with more than 4,500 hot meals and 2,500 portions of fruit distributed. Reading Mayor Paul Gittings attended, and further Rathayatra events were planned for Newbury and Basingstoke in August.

The Biryani Lounge, an Indian restaurant and takeaway on Wokingham Road in East Reading, has applied to Reading Borough Council to sell food and non-alcoholic drinks until 4am every night. The request is intended to support later deliveries, including through Uber Eats, and is subject to a public consultation closing on August 18. The restaurant, opened by four friends in 2022, was briefly closed earlier in the year after environmental health officers identified a hygiene risk, but it reopened after sanitisation and deep cleaning.

A Sigma-HSE analysis of Department for Transport data identifies Reading as the riskiest local authority area for cyclists outside London and the 11th riskiest in Great Britain. In 2024, 80 of Reading’s 277 serious or fatal highway casualties involved cyclists. Opposition leader Rob White criticized the council’s record and warned that poor road safety could discourage cycling and undermine efforts to reduce congestion. Transport councillor John Ennis acknowledged the concern, noting that overall casualties have fallen but cyclist casualties remain too high. The council plans to seek funding for improvements including redesigned schemes on Bath Road and Castle Hill, safer crossings, junction reviews, speed-reduction measures, better links between cycle routes, and expanded cycle training.

Church Lane between Shinfield and The Six Bells in Berkshire was closed after wooden panels and cardboard were found dumped along the road. Wokingham Borough Council arranged the closure and waste removal, with works scheduled from July 23 to July 28. A diversion via Church Lane, Hollow Lane and Brookers Hill was provided for local traffic, while the section toward Three Mile Cross remained open.

Green councillor Josh Williams has called for more tree planting in Reading's densely populated neighbourhoods, highlighting that only two trees have been planted in Newtown since 2022 despite its low tree-equity score. Reading Borough Council says it planted 338 trees in 2022–23, 317 in 2023–24, 312 in 2024–25 and 304 in 2025–26, including 15 in Park Ward since 2023. The council aims to raise borough-wide tree canopy cover from 18% to 25% by 2030 and ensure every ward reaches at least 12%. Lead councillor John Ennis said planting in urban areas is constrained by underground utilities, limited highway space, pedestrian and traffic safety requirements, and potential conflicts with buildings, pavements and maintenance needs.

Reading Borough Council’s planning committee approved changes to Irongate Property’s scheme for 46 homes on Upper Crown Street, including a reduction in affordable housing from 14 units to five. The developer cited financial viability while opponents argued that the original policy-compliant affordable housing offer had been central to the scheme’s approval. Labour councillors supported the changes, while opposition councillors voted against them, producing a 5–4 result.

Creation of a new Ridgeway Council as part of a three-unitary restructuring replacing Oxfordshire County Council has drawn mixed reactions, with some residents welcoming it and leaders of affected district councils expressing disappointment over reduced boundaries and concerns about financial efficiency, service complexity and preservation of rural character. Attempts by Reading Borough Council to absorb neighbouring areas were rejected, and Liberal Democrat and Labour representatives stressed the need to safeguard local representation and services as 2028 approaches.

A startup brewery, Big Fella Brewing, plans to open a brewery and taproom at Lockey Farm in Arborfield Cross, pending final agreements and a premises licence from Wokingham Borough Council. Founders Greg Mizon and Alex Rowley intend to offer New England-style ales alongside a range of other drinks and aim to create a community-focused venue with events such as live music and tastings. A statutory consultation on the licensing application is open until July 28.

High numbers of bus lane fines in Reading prompted calls for clearer signage, with Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Thompson arguing that better markings could reduce penalties. She highlighted that Reading issues far more penalty charge notices than comparable towns. Labour councillor John Ennis responded that the figures reflect traffic volume, geography and enforcement rather than misleading signs, adding that current signage complies with national rules. He rejected a borough-wide review but said the council will monitor hotspots and consider targeted improvements where supported by evidence.

Residents are being asked for feedback on revised plans to improve cycling infrastructure along Bath Road in Reading. The scheme, supported by a £1.3 million government grant, includes rerouting cycle lanes at the Castle Street and IDR roundabout, reducing traffic lanes westbound, and shifting from stepped cycle tracks to lighter segregation methods such as bollards and delineators. Councillor John Ennis says the upgrades aim to make cycling safer and reduce emissions. The consultation is open online until August 25.

A community campaign involving councillors and residents secured the continuation of Reading’s number 22 bus route after its planned cancellation. Cross‑party pressure prompted Reading Borough Council to approve support for Reading Buses, including funding for a new electric bus and an interim timetable. Local leaders highlighted the route’s importance for older residents and daily essential travel.

A development of 13 homes is under construction on Duffield Road near Sonning Golf Club after a successful 2018 planning appeal overturned Wokingham Borough Council’s rejection. Originally proposed by Sonning Golf Club and later sold to Darcliffe Homes, the project includes detached houses and a terrace. The developer has applied to remove on-site affordable housing, offering a £355,000 off-site contribution instead after a viability assessment deemed the requirement unfeasible. The council is currently reviewing the application.

A public meeting about the planned withdrawal of Reading’s Number 22 bus service prompted conflicting accounts from local politicians. Labour MP Matt Rodda said the council would not give up on the route, while Conservative councillor Isobel Ballsdon criticised the meeting’s format and said residents felt frustrated and unheard. The service is being cut due to financial pressures at Reading Buses, with competition from the X40 and rising fuel costs cited as factors. Proposed parking charge increases further fuelled concerns among residents about transport accessibility.

Reading Borough Council continues using glyphosate for weed control, citing its effectiveness and lack of viable alternatives despite environmental and health concerns. Liberal Democrat councillor James Moore pressed the council on progress toward reducing pesticide use and adopting alternative methods, referencing commitments made in 2023. Labour councillor Finn McGoldrick stated that annual procurement allows flexibility for new technologies, glyphosate use has been reduced by 25 percent, and integrated weed‑management practices are in place, but current alternatives remain less efficient and more resource‑intensive. A report on possible alternatives will be prepared.