Council to protect three Tilehurst wards from moving to Oxfordshire

In the event that West Berkshire’s decision to join plans to create a new ‘Ridgeway’ is agreed by Government, Reading Council has confirmed today that it will submit a proposal to keep all of Tilehurst in Berkshire.

The recommendation - which will be moved by Leader Councillor Liz Terry at a Council meeting later this month - is that Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst & Purley, and Tilehurst South & Holybrook wards move to Reading in a change to the existing boundary which more accurately reflects the town’s geography and its economic footprint.

It follows an extensive period of work by Reading Borough Council over the past few weeks, including public consultation and data analysis, with face-to face drop-in events attended by Cllr Terry in person, as well as an independent survey, both of which demonstrate significant support for the proposal from residents in the urban areas of Tilehurst and Calcot, who already have a strong connection to the town and who are regular users of Reading’s facilities and services.

While data and modelling carried out by the Council demonstrates there is a good case for including Pangbourne and Theale in the proposed modification, Reading Council has listened to the views of residents as part of a wide-ranging consultation and Pangbourne and Theale will not be included.

Councillor Terry, Reading Borough Council Leader, said:

“My number one priority is securing the best services and outcomes for Reading residents. Many of the people I have spoken to did not want to see Tilehurst and Calcot moving into Oxfordshire and having to go as far as Abingdon to access services.

“This whole process was kicked off by West Berkshire’s decision to join Oxfordshire’s Local Government Reorganisation proposals. No councils in Berkshire were invited by the Government to do this.  Once West Berkshire made that decision, it was important for the future of Reading, and in the interests of people living in parts of West Berkshire, to consider making a case.

“I would like to thank everybody who took the time to attend our consultation events. Myself and Councillor Leng, Deputy Leader, enjoyed talking to everyone, even if some of those conversations were challenging. The events prompted many constructive and engaging conversations, and it was useful for me to hear what people believe the local issues are in their communities. I know people also walked away with a much better understanding of the Oxfordshire and West Berkshire proposals for a considerably larger new ‘Ridgeway’ council, which many did not seem to be informed on.

“West Berkshire currently receives £16 million of Exceptional Financial Support from Government as it does not raise sufficient funding to pay for the services it provides. Only recently it stated that it may run out of money this year. I can see that the opportunity to join forces with Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils must seem like an offer too good to refuse, given these financial challenges.

“It is disappointing that - despite the Government requiring councils to work with neighbouring authorities who may be impacted by any reorganisation proposals - minimal information was shared by West Berkshire with Reading officers working on the Council’s proposal. I was dismayed to learn that officers had to resort to Freedom of Information requests to try and collect the data required to build Reading’s submission, after responses from West Berkshire provided only limited information.

“Having reviewed the work of officers, and reflecting on the conversations with residents, my view is that the Council should move ahead with a submission for Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst & Purley, and Tilehurst South & Holybrook to move across into Reading. These are urban areas of Tilehurst and Calcot who have an existing and very strong connection to the town and whose residents clearly look to Reading for work, transport, education, shopping or to use its many facilities. 

“They very clearly fall into the town’s economic catchment area, have done so for many years, and it was encouraging to hear significant support for Reading’s proposal from residents of these wards, which is backed up with the results of an independent survey.”

With the November 28 deadline approaching for Local Government Reorganisation submissions, two out of the three proposals from Oxfordshire councils favour the creation of a new ‘Ridgeway’ council.

While no Berkshire council has been asked to submit reorganisation plans at this time, West Berkshire’s decision to form part of Oxfordshire’s reorganisation plans has prompted Reading Council to act, as proposals for a new ‘Ridgeway’ council would have a material impact should Reading be required to submit reorganisation proposals in the future.

Reading’s current borough boundary was drawn over a century ago. The town has since grown to become one of the largest outside of London, with one of the most dynamic economies, and whose influence and economy extends beyond existing boundary lines.

Over the past few months, the Council has carried out detailed data analysis and modelling ahead of its submission to Government in order to establish how residents living just outside of its western boundary use Reading’s services and facilities, as well as the financial implications of any future submission.

Councillor Terry added:

“The Council was clear from the outset the final submission would consider the views of local people and the independent market research. Just as there was a strong consensus from Tilehurst residents that the move to Reading would be beneficial and would make sense, that was not as strong for Pangbourne and Theale.

“I am nevertheless extremely grateful to residents of those wards for taking the time to speak to us about an alternative to the ‘Ridgeway’ council proposal.”