New Political Map of Reading
Reading Borough Council to get two new councillors
Reading Borough Council is set to get two extra councillors after a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission.
The Commission is an independent body that makes sure councillors on Reading Borough Council represent about the same number of electors, and that ward arrangements will help the council work effectively.
The Commission has published final recommendations for changes in Reading. It says residents should be represented by 48 councillors. This is two more than current arrangements.
There will be 16 wards, and three councillors per ward. All wards except Park ward will change.
Publishing the recommendations Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said:
“We are very grateful to people in Reading. We looked at all the views they gave us. They helped us improve our earlier proposals.
“We believe the new arrangements will guarantee electoral fairness while maintaining local ties.”
49 people and organisations made comments to help decide the new wards. Changes in response to what local people said include:
The centre of Caversham moves from Thames ward to Caversham ward stretching from the St Martin's shopping precinct to Caversham Court Gardens.
All residential properties on Northcourt Avenue will be within Church ward, while the university buildings will remain in Redlands ward.
Council Leader Jason Brock said:
“The development of major new housing schemes in some parts of Reading mean it is only right that ward boundaries should be periodically reviewed. The proposed changes will mean that each councillor would represent a more equally-sized electorate. This is important because we want everyone’s vote in council elections to count, regardless of where they live.
“I’d like to thank the Commission for its detailed work in Reading to ensure proposed new boundaries reflect the identities of local communities across the town.”
The Commission has made further changes to its earlier proposals. Details can be found on its website at http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/south-east/berkshire/reading
Parliament now needs to agree the changes. The new arrangements will then apply for the 2022 council elections.