Bracknell & district · Local news you can trust
Ascot's Christmas Fair runs 12 to 15 November, £7 online. South Hill Park's free craft fair is 14 and 15 November, Crowthorne's late night shopping 4 December.
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Schools
The Pines School to get 50-place unit for autistic pupils
Bracknell Forest is hiring a builder to create 50 places for autistic pupils and those with learning needs at The Pines School in Hanworth, open by March 2028.
Events
What's On in Bracknell: Romesh Ranganathan, Then Fireworks
Romesh Ranganathan plays South Hill Park on 8 October; Bracknell RFC's fireworks are Sunday 8 November, £8 early bird. Over forty listings, each linked.
Planning
Lidl at The Point: Bracknell's Plan Wanted Homes There
Lidl wants to replace The Point with a foodstore. The Local Plan earmarks the site for a residential-led scheme. Officers decide; the deadline is 20 November.
Schools
Bracknell Schools Lockdown: Email Threat Not Credible
Police say the emailed threat that put Bracknell Forest schools into lockdown on Thursday was not credible. Nobody was harmed; the investigation continues.
Council
Bracknell care alarms: weekly charge to rise to £6.19
Forestcare lifeline users in Bracknell Forest face a £6.19 weekly charge, up from £5.08, once their alarm goes digital before the January 2027 phone switch-off.
Christmas
Lapland UK Ascot 2026: 7 November to 24 December, Sold Out
Lapland UK Ascot runs 7 November to 24 December 2026 in Whitmoor Forest. Standard tickets are sold out; Golden Experience from £299. Prices, parking, timings.
Housing
Bracknell house prices: £395,413 in July, flats down 3.6%
The borough average fell £5,464 in a year to £395,413, the weakest annual reading since February. Flats dropped 3.6%, while Surrey Heath next door rose 4%.
Council
Bracknell parking: 10-year contract, decided in private
Cabinet is asked on 22 September to approve a ten-year parking enforcement contract from 2028. The terms sit in a confidential annex.
Sport
Bracknell Muay Thai fighter in London bout on 8 November
A Bracknell Muay Thai fighter meets an opponent from Greece in London on 8 November, and is asking businesses in the town to sponsor the fight.
Motoring
Bracknell tyre checks: 10 of 57 cars needed urgent work
Merityre and Bridgestone checked the tyres on 57 cars free at Waitrose in Bracknell on 18 September. Ten needed urgent attention, with bulges and penetrations found.
Jobs
Bracknell Claimant Count at 2,360, Highest Since 2021
August's count reached 2,360, a five-year high. Under-25s drove it: 440 claimants, up 54% in two years, the steepest rise of 19 South East areas.
Events
Bracknell Communities Festival: Free, Bond Square, 26 Sept
Free live music and more than 25 community groups in Bond Square, midday to 5pm on Saturday 26 September. No ticket needed, and the full stage times are below.
Bracknell was designated a new town after the war and built out from a village into what it is now, which is why so much of it is planned: the roads, the estates, the town centre that has been rebuilt more than once. Around it are Binfield, Warfield and Winkfield, and to the south Crowthorne and Sandhurst, tucked into the pines on the Berkshire and Surrey border.
Bracknell Forest Council has run all of it as a unitary authority since 1998, so planning, bins, roads, licensing, council tax and schools all sit with one body. It publishes the evidence for its decisions, and hardly anybody reads it. That is what this site is for. We read it and write down what it says, with a link to the document every time.
If we cannot point you at the source, we do not print the figure.