Reading Central
Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyBerkshire
Electorate71,283 (2023)[1]
Current constituency
CreatedNext general election
Member of ParliamentNot yet contested
SeatsOne
Created fromReading West and Reading East

Reading Central, initially called simply Reading, is a proposed constituency[n 1] in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was formed as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. It subsumes parts of the, soon to be former, Reading West and Reading East constituencies but, unlike them, the whole of the new constituency will be within the Borough of Reading. It will be first contested at the next general election.[1][2][3]

History

At the time of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, there were eight constituencies in the county of Berkshire. Of these constituencies, only three (Reading East, Reading West, and Windsor) were within the permitted electorate range of no fewer than 69,724 electors and no more than 77,062. All of the remaining constituencies were above the upper limit. The Boundary Commission for England therefore proposed the addition of a ninth constituency within the county.[3][4]

Whilst both Reading constituencies could have remained unchanged, the boundary commission instead proposed a reconfiguration to account for the increased electorates of the surrounding constituencies, and to better reflect local ties in the surrounding communities. This involved the creation of two new constituencies, Earley and Woodley and Mid Berkshire (since renamed Reading West and Mid Berkshire), both with the bulk of their electorate outside the Borough of Reading but including outer wards of the borough, together with a new Reading constituency entirely within the borough.[3]

During the process of acceptance of these proposals, the constituency known as Reading was renamed to Reading Central.[1][3]

Boundaries and boundary changes

As proposed

As proposed, the constituency will comprise the wards of Abbey, Battle, Caversham, Katesgrove, Mapledurham, Minster, Park, Peppard, Redlands, Southcote, and Thames.[n 2][1]

The constituency will be bordered by the seats of Reading West and Mid Berkshire, Henley, and Earley and Woodley.[5]

Constituency profile

Electoral Calculus characterises the proposed seat as "Progressive", with soft left or liberal views and high levels of university education.[6] Incomes and house prices in the seat are slightly higher than UK averages.

Notes

  1. ↑ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ↑ For the purposes of this definition, the Electoral Commission appears to have used the borough ward names and definitions as existed prior to 2022 rather than the current names and definitions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "South East | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Background to the 2023 Review". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Revised Proposals for the South East Region" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Reading+Central
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