Reading to restate case to keep all of Tilehurst in Berkshire

Consultation now open

Reading Borough Council will strongly restate its case that all of Tilehurst should remain in Berkshire, in response to the government’s consultation on Oxfordshire local government reorganisation.

On 5 February, the government opened a seven-week consultation on three Oxfordshire proposals for local government reorganisation. Two options would see West Berkshire council abolished and its residents moved into a new ‘Ridgeway’ council.

Reading’s position

Reading council believes the West Berkshire wards of Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst & Purley, and Tilehurst South & Holybrook should be brought into Reading.

Moving these established suburbs of Reading into a largely rural ‘Ridgeway’ council would conflict with government guidance that reorganisation should be based on sensible economic geography.

An outdated boundary

The existing boundary was drawn more than a century ago to divide open land. As Reading has grown, that line now cuts through connected communities whose residents often see themselves as part of Reading.

The government has confirmed it can modify reorganisation proposals following consultation. As a statutory consultee, Reading Borough Council will resubmit its case that, if a ‘Ridgeway’ council proceeds, Reading’s boundary should be updated to better reflect its urban geography and economic footprint.

photo of Reading Borough Council leader, Councillor Liz Terry

“We have now had confirmation of the government’s position; that neither West Berkshire Council or Reading Borough Council were invited to submit bids as part of this phase of Local Government Reorganisation, which is something we have emphasised from the outset.

At the same time, the government has confirmed that it retains the option to modify any of the Oxfordshire proposals following this consultation and, as a statutory consultee, Reading Borough Council is encouraged to submit its representation as part of the consultation, which we now intend to do.

To pretend that these three Tilehurst Wards are anything other than suburbs of Reading flies directly in the face of the government’s prescribed criteria that proposals should be based on ‘sensible economic geography.’ From speaking to these residents’ face to face, and from our own independent surveys, residents living in these areas see themselves as part of Reading and often rely on services provided by Reading Council.

It is important to emphasise that West Berkshire would cease to exist if proposals for a new ‘Ridgeway’ council are agreed. Residents of these three wards would find themselves on the outer fringes of a significantly larger and predominantly rural new council where their needs would not necessarily align with those of the rest of their new area. Reading’s proposal on the other hand fundamentally strengthens local democracy by aligning where people pay their Council Tax and where decisions are made, with local identity, local services and patterns of daily living. We do not believe clinging to boundary lines which were drawn up over a century ago and are now well out of date is a sensible approach to setting a boundary for a new authority which is likely to exist for decades to come.”

Evidence from resident research

Last autumn, Reading Borough Council carried out public consultation, modelling and data analysis to support its case. This included an independent and representative survey of residents living in the three Tilehurst wards.

The survey showed residents regularly use Reading services and facilities, including Reading Buses, Reading car parks, the Hexagon Theatre, Rivermead Leisure Centre, Tilehurst Library, Meadway Sports Centre, Arthur Newbery and Prospect Parks, Tilehurst Community Centre, and nearby children’s centres.

Reading town centre is around three miles from the Tilehurst wards, compared with 18 miles to Newbury. As a result, residents are more closely connected to Reading for work, travel, leisure and services.

Survey findings

The independent survey found that:

  • residents of the three wards use Reading’s culture and leisure facilities as much as Reading residents, and in some cases even more
  • 34 to 37% of these residents used Reading’s leisure centres. Around 10% of all visits to Reading leisure centres come from West Berkshire residents, with the proportion rising to 30% for Meadway Sports Centre
  • use of Reading’s Tilehurst Library was also high, reflecting it is the nearest library to these wards and that no local library provision is offered from West Berkshire for these residents
  • two thirds of these residents have used Reading Buses over the last year, and more than half have made use of Reading car parks

The survey also showed strong support for decisions about local services being made in Reading. Sixty per cent of residents in Tilehurst Birch Copse preferred decisions to be made in Reading, compared with 37% for Newbury and 3% for Abingdon. Around half of residents in Tilehurst & Purley and Tilehurst South & Holybrook expressed the same preference. Support was strongest among people aged 18 to 44.

Last updated on 06/02/2026