Latest news with #ReadingBoroughCouncil
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Reading glass kerbside recycling collections set to begin in 2026
Kerbside glass recycling collections are set to be introduced in Reading late next residents must recycle glass by using one of 49 bottle bank introduction of kerbside glass collections has been prompted by the government's Simpler Recycling Borough Council has agreed to fortnightly collections after waiting for funding arrangements to be clarified. The Simpler Recycling initiative requires all local authorities to collect from the kerbside the same core recyclable materials, including glass, paper, card, metal cans, plastic bottles, tubs and trays and food waste, by March kerbside glass recycling in Reading is set to begin next autumn, according to the Local Democracy Reporting bank locations in the town have become focal points for fly-tipping, with bad examples of rubbish dumping at Kensington Park and a bottle bank being removed in Erleigh Road due to persistent the Environment Act of 2021 set out the Simpler Recycling agenda, councils have been waiting for secondary legislation to determine how new recycling schemes will be funded - so-called new burden Rowland, lead councillor for environmental services said the authority would have to order trucks to allow glass to be collected from homes."I've constantly responded that we were not going to be spending taxpayers' money, that we were not going to move forward with it until we had new burdens funding and a specific outline of how we were going to take this forward so there is no risk there."Although "co-mingling" recycling in one collection was considered, this option was not deemed viable as it would have required changes to the Smallmead recycling centre that would cost £ agreed to introduce kerbside glass recycling at a recent meeting of its policy committee. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook and X.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Reading council accused of 'hostile' takeover consultation
A council has been accused of a "hostile act" for asking people living in five West Berkshire villages how they would feel about coming under its Pangbourne, Calcot, Purley-on-Thames and Tilehurst all currently sit under the umbrella of West Berkshire Reading Borough Council says it wants to take responsibility for them instead, and has launched a is a move opposed by West Berkshire Council, but Reading says it would never have suggested it had its neighbour not announced it wanted to merge with two Oxfordshire authorities. Reading will now consult with the 32,000 or so people living in the five villages on its western will ask what they think of its plan to absorb them into what it is increasingly keen on calling Greater Reading. At a meeting to discuss its next moves, Reading councillor Adele Barnett-Ward said they had never planned to be in this position."I just find it bizarre - West Berkshire started it. We've just commented on it," she fellow councillor Rachel Ward said: "I don't think any of us in a million years would have suggested this proposal if it hadn't been for Ridgeway Council being created out of the ether."No matter how we got here, the people living in these villages now find themselves in the middle of a war of words between the two the next few months the people living in the villages at the heart of this political row can expect to be hit by a blizzard of councils will be eager to hear their views and get their points across, no doubt be couched in neutral with the leader of West Berkshire Council having already accused Reading of trying to pull off a "land grab" and a "hostile act", and Reading councillors calling its neighbour's behaviour "bizarre", neutrality does not appear to be the order of the day. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Reading shop fined over 'unattractive' roller shutter
A shop has been fined and ordered to remove an "unattractive" roller shutter after failing to comply with conservation area regulations.J&B Shisha & Charcoal on Reading's Oxford Road was prosecuted after repeatedly ignoring warnings from the borough authority said it did "not want to see any local business taken to court" but that planning legislation was in place "to promote and preserve the character of our high streets".The business, which pleaded guilty to ignoring an enforcement notice, was fined £666 by Reading magistrates and ordered to pay £1,505 in prosecution costs and a £266 victim surcharge. Councillor Micky Leng, of Reading Borough Council, said: "While they have a purpose, roller shutters are an unattractive addition to conservation areas and will be strictly controlled by the council's planning enforcement team."A well designed shopfront is one of the most effective advertisements to residents and visitors."The council said it had suggested the installation of an internal shutter to reduce the risk of crime without compromising the area's character. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook and X.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Reading's carbon emissions have fallen by 57%, data shows
Carbon emissions in Reading have fallen by more than half over an 18-year period, new government figures Berkshire town has seen the 12th biggest reduction in emissions out of the UK's 384 local authorities between 2005 and 2023, according to the Borough Council said it was currently working on "major projects" to reduce its own carbon footprint and "create a net zero borough".John Ennis, the authority's climate lead, said the government figures showed "Reading's commitment to taking positive climate action". "It is only through organisations, businesses, communities and residents working together that Reading has achieved a 57% drop in emissions and maintained its position as 12th in the country for carbon reduction," he Ennis said the council was "leading by example", including the work to upgrade the Hexagon major construction project, which started this week, includes plans to install ground and air source heat pumps across the building, replacing gas council said it has cut its own emissions by almost 75% since 2009, adding that it only accounts for roughly 2% of the town's overall Reading Climate Change Partnership, of which the council is a key member, is also currently asking people for their thoughts on how the town can achieve net zero."We all need to keep up the momentum in the face of rising temperatures, wetter winters and extreme weather conditions occurring more frequently," Mr Ennis said. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Greater Reading council could like if expansion goes ahead
An enlarged Reading council could expand into the suburbs and even incorporate a village if local government reorganisation plans are accepted. Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), the leader of Reading Borough Council, has suggested incorporating Calcot, Tilehurst Parish, Theale and Pangbourne into the council's jurisdiction. These areas are currently governed by West Berkshire Council. Moving them over to Reading council would create a 'Greater Reading' borough of more than 200,000 residents. The proposal is a counteroffer to the creation of 'Ridgeway Council', which would merge South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Berkshire Council. Ridgeway Council has been invented as Oxfordshire County Council could be abolished in 2028. In order for the Greater Reading proposal to go ahead, Reading Borough Council's policy committee would have to agree to call for a boundary review in a submission to Angela Rayner, the Labour secretary of state for local government. But what would a Greater Reading council look like? Geographically, not a great deal would change. Calcot and Tilehurst Parish are already in the Reading urban area, with the M4 separating Theale. Although Pangbourne is a settlement of its own, it is only divided from Purley by a few fields. Notably, the Greater Reading proposal would not include Earley, Woodley and Shinfield, all suburbs that are in Wokingham Borough Council's jurisdiction. Politically, Greater Reading would see more representation from opposition parties. Reading has been a Labour stronghold for more than a decade, with the council being controlled by Labour since 2012. The Conservatives have been on the retreat since the all-out election in 2022, with Labour taking seats from the Tories in Caversham Heights in 2022 and 2023 and Emmer Green in 2024. But if the five West Berkshire council wards that Reading Borough requested are incorporated into 'Greater Reading', the Conservatives would gain five seats and the Liberal Democrats would gain three. Assuming these wards are added as they are currently constituted, the Greater Reading council would have 57 councillors representing 22 wards. Labour would retain control with 33 councillors, requiring 29 councillors for a majority. Assuming voting habits in Tilehurst Parish remain, the Conservatives would pip the Green Party to be the leaders of the opposition. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat representation would double to six. You can see the current representatives of the five wards Reading Borough Council is asking for below: Tilehurst & Purley (three-member ward) Cllr Paul Kander - Conservative Cllr Jane Langford - Conservative Cllr Janine Lewis - Liberal Democrats Tilehurst South & Holybrook (two-member ward) Cllr Biyi Oloko - Conservative Cllr Richard Somner - Conservative Our Summer Sale is LIVE! Get 6 months of trusted local news for just £6! Subscribe now 👇 — Reading Chronicle (@rdgchronicle) July 3, 2025 Tilehurst Birch Copse (two-member ward) Cllr Joanne Stewart - Conservative Cllr Clive Taylor - Labour Pangbourne (one-member ward) Cllr Matt Shakespeare - Liberal Democrats Theale (one-member ward) Councillor Alan Macro - Liberal Democrats
