Berkshire News

People in Reading generally support a new team being given the power to crack down on littering and fly-tipping as they begin work this week.

Thames Valley’s police boss has hit back at Green Party leader Zack Polanski after he said some people in poverty may have no option but to shoplift.

A councillor has spoken with frustration over a debate about free speech in Bracknell that occurred on the day that American activist Charlie Kirk was killed.

A huge golf club near Ascot could be creating an American gold rush-themed adventure course in the near future.

A councillor has criticised a police boss after he urged the public to do more to stop shoplifting, warning it could put people at risk.

Delivery robots have been spotted travelling along pavements in Reading, marking a first for the area.

Changes are coming to a chain bakery that serves workers at one of Bracknell’s business parks.

A councillor in Bracknell has claimed freedom of speech is ‘under attack’ in a debate over the right to expression and democracy.

A contentious project for an annexe has reluctantly been given the go-ahead despite fears it could be turned into a new home.

A plan to convert offices near Reading town centre into a court has been given the go-ahead.

Land in Wokingham could be sold off for millions of pounds to provide new affordable homes and a vital cash boost.

The Reform UK party in Bracknell has mourned the loss of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was killed yesterday.

A new team of enforcers has been assembled to crack down on littering and flytipping in Reading.

A neighbour in Bracknell has blasted the loud noise coming from a music event to celebrate the anniversary of The Lexicon.

A decision is due on whether the car park at one of the biggest shopping centres in Reading will be sold off to its owner and developer.

A burger joint and dessert parlour in Reading has been allowed to stay open later during the weekend.

Progress is being made on the construction of a new fashion store that is set to open at a busy retail park in Reading before Christmas.

A search is on for a manager to run a post office in Caversham following a recent closure.

The financial position of Bracknell Forest Council is stable with an underspend despite pressures on caring for adults and children.

A secondary school on the outskirts of Reading that was rated ‘Inadequate’ has been taken over by a new educational trust.

A letter has been sent to all councillors in Berkshire pushing for a public sector pensions scheme to ‘divest’ from Israel.

A clash is looming over plans for the McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant in Bracknell, as council officers have opposed changes.

The status of a hotel along a major road on the outskirts of Reading has been clarified ahead of its eventual demolition.

A new Mediterranean restaurant is gearing up to open at a shopping area for neighbours in Bracknell.

Alarm has been expressed by neighbours and councillors alike over the flying of flags and graffiti as part of ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ in Reading.

Wranglings over the new Old Town proposal for the replacement of the Kennet Shopping centre have started – with Thames Valley Police and the council housing team objecting to the scheme.

West Berkshire Council has sent in the cavalry to rescue Hermitage Parish Council after more than half of its members resigned.

Progress is being made to transform a closed pub in a pretty village in Berkshire into a wine bar, B&B and shop.

Changes have been made to ease alcohol sales at a fuel station along a busy road in Wokingham.

The name of an upcoming care home that replaces a Catholic church in Bracknell has been selected.

A veteran landlord has slammed one of the biggest brewery companies in the country for selling one of its pubs in Reading to be converted into a Greggs.

A query over whether planning permission should have been sought to use a hotel in Bracknell to house families from Afghanistan has been cleared up.

Issues have been found with driving and parking restrictions that have been imposed throughout Reading.

A request by neighbours for a pedestrian crossing along one of the busier roads in Reading is set to be explored.

A councillor has made a call for Bracknell Forest Council to commit to protecting free speech in the wake of questions over immigration policies.

The incorporation of more than 1,500 upcoming homes south of Wokingham has been welcomed amid a clash over which area new residents will belong to.

UK local authorities are looking at people’s social media accounts as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics.

West Berkshire Council is leading a charm offensive – to tell people in the east of the district why it is better to stay with them than to join up with Reading.

Work is taking place to remove St George’s crosses that have been painted onto speed bumps and road markings in Reading.

A plan to convert a prominent office building in Reading town centre into dozens of flats has been rejected over flooding concerns.

A neighbour is pushing for safety measures to be introduced at a crash-prone junction where a cyclist was recently hit and remains in a critical condition.

The new ‘Old Town’ version for the Kennet Centre redevelopment in Newbury has just been listed for discussion with West Berkshire Council planners.

A German supermarket giant is due to take over from a home-ware store that closed earlier this year in Bracknell.

A huge project to replace a former Ministry of Justice building in Reading town centre with more than 260 flats has cleared a crucial hurdle.

A water company in Reading is being pushed to give out more compensation to people who lost water for hours during major outages.

A plan for an annexe that was rejected over concerns it could be turned into a new home in Woodley could still be approved.

Work on introducing doorstep glass recycling and determining the future of getting about in Bracknell are among the key projects the council has been doing over the last few months.

A music venue in Bracknell has had to permanently close down after a decade as the space it occupied in the town centre is due to be demolished.

A school in Bracknell that has been closed for three years is set to be redeveloped to provide a place to teach pupils with special educational needs.

HERMITAGE Parish Council has had a coup.

Bracknell Forest Council has clarified why it is calling a hotel used to house Afghans as ‘transitional accommodation’ and why it is wrong to call the people staying there asylum seekers.

The main court for the whole of Berkshire is due to undergo a major project to make better use of its space.

No action has been taken on the possibility of evicting asylum seekers staying at hotels in Reading.

A hub for people to store their bikes securely in Reading town centre has been scrapped in favour of other cycle security projects across the town.

Progress is being made on a project to redevelop a closed school in Bracknell to teach children with disabilities.

Street art honouring the woman who was a ground-breaking computer programmer has been removed alongside England flag graffiti in Reading.

The MP for Wokingham has come out in support of his party leader, Sir Ed Davey, who plans to boycott next month’s state banquet for Donald Trump at Windsor Castle.

Plans for 20mph speed limits in Wokingham have been blasted as ‘ill-conceived’.

Changes have been made to a plan for dozens of new homes on the northern outskirts of Reading that has been hit with objections.

A vital respite care service for disabled people could move into a new community centre in Wokingham.

Newbury Town Council has welcomed the rejection of the Kennet Shopping centre appeal.

The Bishop of Oxford has said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is ‘deeply disturbing’ for seeking to play on the fear of the stranger to ‘stoke division for political advantage’.

A plan for a cafe chain to take over an upcoming drive-thru takeaway has apparently been put on hold near one of the busiest roundabouts in Reading.

England flags have been painted on roundabouts in West Berkshire.

Hundreds of saplings which sprang up through pavements and drains in Stroud Green in Newbury have been chopped down.

A neighbour has expressed frustration over ‘never being consulted’ on changes to a home and a hotel in a suburban village north of Bracknell.

The rules about flying the England and Union flags and using spray paint have been clarified as flags and graffiti have spread across Berkshire.

A huge office building in Reading town centre is set to be converted into more than 100 flats.

One of the nation’s most loved coffee chains is set to open a new cafe in Reading town centre.

A games room for a house in Bracknell has been narrowly approved despite concerns it could be rented out as a separate home instead.

Road signs have been hit with red England flag graffiti in Reading at night as part of Operation Raise the Colours.

Wokingham Borough Council is at risk of ‘underperforming’ if a rule about planning appeal decisions is changed by the government.

A huge development of more than 700 homes and a primary school has finally been completed north of Bracknell.

A neighbour has expressed her frustration over poor parking along a road near homes and businesses in Bracknell.

Progress is being made to convert a closed pub and restaurant in Bracknell into more hotel rooms.

Conservationists have applauded the rejection of the appeal made by developers who wanted to put up multi-storey blocks of flats to replace Newbury’s Kennet Shopping centre.

Plans for a large egg farm housing tens of thousands of hens have been stopped after environmentalists stepped in.

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A pizza chain that had no restaurants in Reading for years has made its return to the town with its opening at a busy retail park.

Neighbours have expressed anger over being ‘overcharged’ for the maintenance of their green spaces in Shinfield.

Progress is being made on the construction of new flats and a care centre for vulnerable people in Whitley.

A plan to install TV screens to assist worship inside the oldest church in Bracknell has been given the go-ahead.

The upcoming scrapping of Ofwat in favour of a tougher water regulator has been celebrated in Reading, with hopes it will end the ‘sewage scandal’.