Reading

14°CLight rain

• Today: 16° / 7° · 89% rain
• Tomorrow: 12° / 6° · Sunny

Source: WeatherAPI

Sunrise 07:43Sunset 17:52

10h 9m of daylight today

Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec

Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk

23US AQI · Good

Main pollutant: ozone

Source: WAQI · Brent - Ikea, United Kingdom

• 7.1 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
• 5.3% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution

Lower is better for both figures.

Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024

960 reported · August 2026▼ 7% YoY

• Violence & sexual offences269
• Shoplifting200
• Anti-social behaviour96
• Other theft92

137 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs

Neighbourhood team: Abbey and Battle · Thames Valley

Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)

250 reported road collisions (2025)

46 killed or seriously injured · 281 casualties · 14.3 collisions per 10,000 residents

Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)

500+ food businesses within 2 miles

• 365 rated 4–5 ★ (287 top)
• 32 rated 0–2 (poor)

Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500

• Nearest station: Reading (0.3 km)
• 96 bus stops within ~½ mile

Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail

£349,550 average▼ 1.2% YoY

Across Reading · to 2026-07

Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)

£1,574 average monthly rent▲ 1.4% YoY

• 1 bed £1,116
• 2 bed £1,393
• 3 bed £1,671

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08

7.1× house price to earnings

A typical home costs 7.1 times median annual pay (8.2× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).

Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025

1,833 property sales in the last 12 months

12 months to May 2026

A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05

• Cheapest petrol: 156.9p · BP (1.3 km)
• Cheapest diesel: 189.9p · BP (1.3 km)

19 stations within ~8 miles

Source: CMA fuel price scheme

106 charging locations within ~8 km

• 29 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
• Fastest nearby: 360 kW
• Nearest: Novotel Reading Centre (0.1 km)

Source: Open Charge Map

• Sports centres8
• Gyms15
• Swimming pools3
• Sports pitches45
• Playgrounds27

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

174,224 residents in Reading · 4,313/km²

• Under 16: 19%
• 16–64: 69%
• 65+: 12%

Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)

• Moves in from elsewhere in the UK16,941
• Moves out to elsewhere in the UK18,803
• Net moves−1,862

Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025

Around the average in England

Ranked 147 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025

£2,613 a year · Band D, 2026-27

Most homes here are Band C (41% of 77,290)

Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27

72 schools · 26,837 pupils

41 primary · 11 secondary · 20 other

Ofsted: 24 of 26 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (92%)

62 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)

Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Reading

190 CQC-registered services

• Care homes32
• GP practices33
• Dentists34
• Homecare agencies61
• Hospitals & hospices8

CQC ratings: 88% of rated services Good or Outstanding

Source: Care Quality Commission · Reading

• Not in the Green Belt
• 410 listed buildings within ~1.5 km

Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)

184 applications decided

88.6% granted · 163 granted, 21 refused

Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2

Matt Rodda

Labour

Reading Central

Source: UK Parliament

Labour majority

• Lab 29
• Con 5
• LD 3
• Grn 11

Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)

• Schools22
• GPs & clinics17
• Pharmacies11
• Supermarkets13
• Parks & greens37
• Restaurants & cafés261

Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)

8,230 active business enterprises in the area

Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)

5,484 jobs advertised · £42,388 avg

e.g. Mobile Vehicle Technician, Delivery Driver - Weybridge, Superflex Roadside Technician

Source: Adzuna

£805 median full-time weekly pay

4.2% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits

£25,812 disposable income per head (2024)

Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI

48% of homes rated EPC C or above

Most common band: D · 89,722 certificates

10.4% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)

Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty

51% low-carbon electricity

Gas 49% · Wind 40% · Nuclear 8% · Biomass 3%

198 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity

Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO

Life expectancy: 83.5 yrs women · 78.9 yrs men

Healthy life expectancy: 63 women · 61.7 men

63% of adults overweight or obese

Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025

• Life satisfaction7.4
• Feeling worthwhile7.8
• Happiness yesterday7.4
• Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2

Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23

9 GP surgeries · 7 pharmacies in RG2

• Milman & Kennet Surgery
• Long Barn Lane Surgery
• University Medical Group

Source: NHS Organisation Data Service

Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Reading Central:

• Offer MenB vaccine to under 22s born before 2015550 local signatures · 3,919 nationwide
• Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks293 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
• Protect legal right to support for children with SEND163 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
• Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills143 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
• Make statutory maternity pay 90% of wage for first 12 weeks & minimum wage after137 local signatures · 58,157 nationwide

Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05

• 
  Statue of Queen Victoria, Reading · 0.1 km

  The statue of Queen Victoria stands at the eastern end of Friar Street outside the Town Hall of Reading, Berkshire, in southern England.

• 
  Queen Victoria Street, Reading · 0.1 km

  Queen Victoria Street is a pedestrianised thoroughfare in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. It connects Broad Street with Friar Street and Station Road.

• 
  Broad Street, Reading · 0.1 km

  Broad Street is a main pedestrianised thoroughfare and the primary high street in the English town of Reading. The street is situated in the town centre, running for approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km), from west to ea…

• 
  Reading Town Hall · 0.1 km

  Reading Town Hall is the town hall of Reading, Berkshire, England. The town hall was built in several phases between 1786 and 1897, although the principal facade was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1875. Situated clo…

• 
  Corn Exchange, Reading · 0.1 km

  The Corn Exchange is a former commercial building in Reading, Berkshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange, is a Grade II listed building.

• 
  Heelas of Reading · 0.1 km

  Heelas is a major department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It was known as Heelas until 2001 and that name is still in common usage. The store fronts on to Reading's main pedestrianised shopping…

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)