Rugby News
The latest Rugby news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
St Andrew's Church Rugby: £291,000 Facelift Now Finished
The council's £291,000 clean, repair and lighting of St Andrew's Church in Rugby is done, seven months after its planned finish. What was done and what's next.
More stories
Health
Houlton GP Surgery: 12,000-Patient Centre Moves Forward
The NHS has moved a Houlton health centre for up to 12,000 patients to full business case. Clifton Road Surgery would run it, but planning waits for 2027/28.
Health
Houlton GP Surgery: 293 Signatures, 3,100-Home Trigger
Rugby councillors vote on 23 September on a Houlton GP petition. Council minutes tie the permanent surgery to 3,100 homes occupied; about 1,500 are built.
Planning
Rugby Planning: Councillor Call-In Ends on 31 October
From 31 October, Rugby councillors and objectors lose the automatic route to a planning committee hearing. What replaces it is a 21-day window and two people.
House prices
Rugby House Prices Fall £10,026, Back to January 2023
The average Rugby home lost £10,026 in a year and is back to its January 2023 value. Rugby is the only Warwickshire district falling, and flats fell hardest.
Royal Mail
Rugby Royal Mail Delays: Talking Newspaper Not Arriving
Sixty Rugby residents complained to their MP about Royal Mail, and the town's talking newspaper for blind listeners says its weekly post is not arriving.
Jobs
Rugby Claimant Count 2,245: Highest Since 2021
Rugby's claimant count reached 2,245 in August, the highest since October 2021. Women account for 125 of the 180 extra claimants over the year.
Heritage
Rare BTH Photos On Show in Rugby From 7 October
Restored photos from the BTH works, taken in the 1920s to 1940s, go on show at Rugby Art Gallery on 7 October for a year. Plus a Paula Rego date clash.
Community
Rugby Youth Hub: 500 Visits, Police Weigh Permanent Site
More than 500 visits to the free hub in an empty Rugby Central unit, and officers want it made permanent. The crime figures that will test it are not out yet.
Council
Rugby Foodbank: 5,858 Parcels, 35% to Feed Children
Council figures show 5,858 emergency parcels in 2025/26, up 3%, and 733 vouchers in Benn ward alone. Two of the council's advice contracts end in March 2027.
Council
Rugby Borough Council Abolition Paused by Government
The plan to abolish Rugby Borough Council in April 2028 is on hold. Ministers paused all 14 July decisions and told councils to stop implementation work.
Traffic
Rugby Traffic Cameras: Clifton Road and Lansdowne Place
Warwickshire wants ANPR cameras to fine drivers at the Clifton Road yellow box and the Eastlands Primary school street in Rugby. Have your say by 25 October.
Town centre
Rugby Town Centre Signs: £395,000 for 28, Vote 8 Sept
Cabinet decides on Tuesday whether to spend £395,000 replacing Rugby's town centre signs: three gateway signs, ten monoliths and 15 fingerposts.
Town centre
Rugby Town Centre Traffic Ban Could Run Until 11pm
Rugby wants to extend its 11am to 4pm town centre vehicle ban to 11pm. The application has sat with Warwickshire County Council since May, with no start date.
Town centre
Rugby's Cemex House: Demolition Starts This Month
Rugby Borough Council says the Cemex House block on Evreux Way comes down in September, clearing the way for a £5m, 1,300 sq m Aldi and 40 permanent jobs.
Housing
Rugby Landlord Fines Set to Rise to £40,000
Rugby's cabinet votes Tuesday on a new penalty policy. The cap rises from £30,000 to £40,000, and the automatic 50% cut for low-income landlords goes.
Housing
Projects Drive Rugby: 108 Homes, First Handovers This Year
Timber frames are up on the former General Electric site. 72 of the 108 homes are social rent, and Orbit will use some to rehouse Brownsover tenants.
Planning
Newton and Biggin Neighbourhood Plan: Comment by 2 October
Six weeks to comment on the parish's 51-page plan. It presumes against homes over four bedrooms, protects three green spaces and eight views, and runs to 2041.
Bins
Rugby Bins Run as Normal on Bank Holiday Monday
Rugby Borough Council collects on 31 August as usual, and its own bin-day tool shows Monday rounds unmoved. The tip is open too, but you have to book.
Council
Rugby Grants: £276,000 Open, First Deadline 28 Sept
Rugby Borough Council has opened two grant pots worth £276,000. Allotment groups can bid for up to £25,000, and any community group has a route to £3,000.
Jobs
Rugby Claimant Count: Benn 5.4%, Paddox 1.6%
Benn ward has 395 people claiming out-of-work benefits, more than any ward in Warwickshire. Paddox, under two miles away, has 70. July's figures for 16 wards.
House prices
Rugby House Prices June 2026, Revised to a £779 Fall
Revised: the average Rugby home lost £779 in twelve months, not the £440 gain first published. Rugby is bottom of Warwickshire for a second month running.
Heritage
Rugby Heritage Open Days 2026: 27 free events, 15 to book
The CEMEX tower, Rugby Gin and the Mayor's Parlour all open free from 11 to 20 September. The full Rugby programme, and the 15 events you must book first.
Business
Rugby town centre business workshops: 8 dates and times
Retail meets 14 September, hospitality the 15th, the night-time economy the 18th. The full timetable for Rugby's town centre business roundtables.
Health
Rugby GP Survey 2026: Dunchurch and Brookside top, 97% good
Two Rugby practices hit 97% good in the 2026 GP Patient Survey, while Brownsover scored 70%: all 12 local surgeries ranked on experience and phone access.
Regeneration
Rugby Central: council plans to buy it, by CPO if needed
Rugby's ten-year plan puts the council on course to buy Rugby Central: 220 homes, shops and an NHS hub to replace the malls, by compulsory purchase if needed.
Council
Rugby council shake-up: leaders unite on four demands
Rugby's three party leaders and MP have set four tests for the 2028 council merger, including a Rugby Town Council and the name North and East Warwickshire.