To receive Mayor’s Announcements.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

‘I would like to ask the Council to remember one of our former Councillors who recently passed away. Shirley Corti was a Councillor for Peppard ward between 1997 and 2000. She also worked at Reading Central Library in the music and drama section. Councillors please will you join me in standing for a minute’s silence.’

The Council stood for a minute's silence.

‘I am delighted to announce that Reading Borough Council has been formally recognised as a Council of Sanctuary by City of Sanctuary UK.

This accreditation is awarded to local authorities that demonstrate a strong and sustained commitment to welcoming and supporting people seeking asylum, refugees, and those who have experienced displacement, to working collaboratively with local partners and people with lived experience, and to ensuring that their services are accessible, inclusive, and shaped by compassion.

To help achieve this, we published our Sanctuary Strategy, in Summer 2025, along with a detailed three-year action plan, which aims to embed a culture of welcome across all Council services.

Together, we will continue to build a welcoming environment that supports people seeking sanctuary to thrive.’

The Mayor also invited Councillor Terry to pay tribute to Councillors Jo Lovelock and Debs Edwards, who were attending their last full Council meeting before standing down at the 2026 local elections.  Councillors Lovelock and Edwards also addressed the meeting.