Reading News
The latest Reading news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Reading Festival 2026: road closures and noise hotline
Richfield Avenue closes 10.30pm to 1am on 28, 29 and 30 August, and the council's 24-hour residents' hotline opens on Thursday. The full travel and noise plan.
More stories
Jobs
Reading claimant count: Battle 6.1%, Caversham Heights 1.5%
Reading's July claimant count is 5,390, or 4.3% of working-age residents. Battle sits at 6.1% and Caversham Heights at 1.5%. All 16 wards ranked.
Homelessness
Tap for Reading extended to 2029 after £7,400 donated
Reading's contactless donation scheme runs to 2029, with £7,400 raised for four homelessness charities. Rough sleeping in the town fell to 43 last autumn.
Weather
Reading Hits 36.9C: Hottest August Day in 118 Years
The University of Reading's observatory recorded 36.9C on 13 August, the town's hottest August day since records began in 1908 and second only to July 2022.
Licensing
Kings Food and Wine licence review: have your say by 3 Sept
Reading's licensing team has applied to review the licence of Kings Food and Wine on Kings Road, citing repeated breaches. Residents can comment until 3 September; two late-night takeaway bids close on 9 September.
Whitley
Reading Solar Mural: free painting sessions until 29 August
Anyone can help paint Reading's new solar-panel mural at New Directions College in Whitley: drop in Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, or Saturdays at Reading Bike Hub on King Street, until 29 August. No booking, no experience needed.
Planning
Station Hill Reading: 600 flats approved, 4 parking spaces
Reading approved 600 build-to-rent flats at Station Hill on 12 August: 75 affordable, four car parking spaces between them, and a December deadline attached.
University of Reading
Reading 100: the first all-British chocolate bar since 1932
A Reading master's student has made Britain's first all-home-grown chocolate bar since 1932, using cocoa raised in the University's Berkshire glasshouses.
Roadworks
Reading road closures: 17 roads resurfaced from 17 August
Reading resurfaces 17 main roads from 17 August to 28 September, starting in Caversham. The dates, the overnight closures and the £4m behind the work.