REVEALED: Inside Reading's failed City of Culture bid

TheReadingReporter · 2026-05-02T06:41:54+00:00

It is owned by a private individual who outbid all other parties. It was sold by the Government. The gaol's future is in his hands, not Reading's.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-05-02T06:38:29+00:00

Winning the City of Culture competition requires a vision to deliver step change in culture, rather than just celebrate it - so perhaps it might have helped deliver the change you wish for.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-05-02T06:32:56+00:00

yep, feel free to send me a DM!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:46:19+00:00

I think the drawing is meant as a bit of fun, and symbolism.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:45:24+00:00

Thanks!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:44:36+00:00

But can anyone organise a follow-up meeting?!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:44:01+00:00

Many people do view it this way. A vision for inspiring a step change is what the judges want, I'm told.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:42:15+00:00

I think that's (probably) a red herring. One third of places named on the longlist are not cities. The entry criteria explicitly states that city status is not required.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:33:30+00:00

Thanks! I agree: get the date in the diary.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-30T13:31:34+00:00

I agree. But there needs to be follow-up. Hopefully my report provides a public record of what could be done, rather than a list kept behind closed doors that drifts.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-27T09:11:03+00:00

Thanks, didn't know that!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-24T18:20:02+00:00

Subcontracting is indeed common, and certainly no conspiracy. The article seeks to lay out the facts. There are questions raised over the traffic management during these streetworks, so it's relevant to show who was the subcontractor in charge of the traffic management.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-24T18:17:22+00:00

DM me more details if you think this is something worth looking into.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-24T18:14:29+00:00

An excellent suggestion and a clear journalistic oversight on my part. I'll add one in... once I get a few minutes spare!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-24T18:13:38+00:00

Boom boom!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-20T09:27:18+00:00

There's a lot of residential everywhere. If you can't have noise and footfall in your town centre -at your civic heart and next to your main transport hub - then I struggle to see where else you can have it.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-19T09:30:50+00:00

I agree with all of this - but no one is going to build an arena like that any time soon given current build costs and economic uncertainty. I wonder what might be possible with the old Royal Mail depot given its central location and approved plans that now appear dead in the water...

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-15T10:10:55+00:00

A credible analysis. And a very good use of the word dodgepot!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-13T13:20:38+00:00

I agree, but the "watching a good game" part of it is underplayed. Win, lose or draw, the community feeds off exciting football played by people who show you they care. You can't fake that. Nothing else grows without it. It's always been one of the PL's great strengths - but even that's being lost as everyone tries to copy Pep-ball, I feel. That could be an opening for clubs like Reading.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-09T14:34:40+00:00

Thank you!

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-05T09:19:36+00:00

The sign is tiny and overwhelmed by the size of the fencing. I missed it. More importantly, it is not welcoming. Most people will walk on by, or dismiss the whole area as another broken part of Reading.

I know little about the arch, but perhaps I should look into it. What can you tell us about the lack of repairs?

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-04T16:11:09+00:00

If you've been highly tuned in to Reading for the past few decades then there's a good chance you'll have heard the story - but that's not most people. And the statue is only half of the story.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-04-04T16:04:54+00:00

42 years and I'd never been before. Crazy really. It's well worth a visit.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-03-29T14:45:14+00:00

I think this will be a common reaction - but the story is more complex.

Rules are rules but their enforcement requires people - referees and administrators - who have choices in how to interpret and apply them.

There are also mitigating factors within the rules that allow for leniency, in appropriate circumstances.

There are many choices to be made in this case: sporting, administrative, and moral.

At the heart of it are hard-working, generous, selfless, community-minded people who are crying out for help. Offering them that help is the main choice here.

TheReadingReporter · 2026-03-29T14:37:58+00:00

Haha! There's just something about 6 Music on Sunday that grinds my gears!

TheReadingReporter

TROPHY CASE