Council to propose boundary change with West Berkshire

Reading Borough Council plans to ask the Government to review the boundary between Reading and West Berkshire.

The request is in response to proposals in Oxfordshire. Two out of three options suggest creating a new council called ‘Ridgeway’, which would include West Berkshire.

Reading’s boundary has not changed since 1911. Since then, the town has grown. It is now one of the biggest towns outside London, with many people from nearby areas coming into Reading for work, education, leisure, or services.

What's being proposed

Reading Borough Council believes parts of West Berkshire that are close to Reading feel more like Reading than rural Oxfordshire. These include Calcot, Tilehurst, Theale, Pangbourne and Purley-on-Thames.

They are all on or near Reading’s edge and are mostly urban.

The council says these areas could be better served by being part of Reading. They plan to study this further before making a final proposal later in the year.

Why the change is needed

The Government says that any reorganisation of local councils should reflect “sensible economic areas”.

Reading believes that joining these areas to a mainly rural council could harm local services.

The council is asking the Secretary of State to review the current boundaries as part of any future changes.

Councillor Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council

"There is no doubt many residents on the western fringes of Reading look to the town, whether for work, transport connections, higher education, shopping or to use other facilities. In that respect, these are already suburbs of Reading and clearly fall within its economic catchment area.

It isn’t clear where the new ‘Ridgeway’ council will be based, but I doubt people will want to travel into Oxfordshire to a location potentially 20 plus miles away, when Reading town centre is no more than six miles away with an excellent bus service.

The government’s clear guidance is that reorganisation plans should focus on sensible economic areas, and it is important proposals do not ignore the natural boundaries and connections of the town. It therefore makes more sense to link these urban areas to Reading, which we would argue is a better match.

None of the Berkshire authorities, including West Berkshire, have been asked by Government to submit reorganisation plans at this time, but it is very clear that the proposals for a new ‘Ridgeway’ council would have a material impact on any proposals Reading may be required to submit in the future.

Our belief is that Oxfordshire’s final reorganisation proposals for the creation of a new ‘Ridgeway’ council should be considered by the Secretary of State in conjunction with a review of existing boundaries between Reading and West Berkshire, because one markedly affects the other.

The Government responded to Oxfordshire’s three interim reorganisation proposals in June by stressing the importance of proposals meeting the criteria for reorganisation, and the need to consider the implications of any proposal on the wider area. In response, we will be making the case that only an expanded Reading can properly reflect its economic geography.”