What Greater Reading council could like if expansion goes ahead
Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), the leader of Reading Borough Council, has suggested incorporating Calcot, Tilehurst Parish, Theale and Pangbourne into the council's jurisdiction.
These areas are currently governed by West Berkshire Council.
Moving them over to Reading council would create a 'Greater Reading' borough of more than 200,000 residents.
The proposal is a counteroffer to the creation of 'Ridgeway Council', which would merge South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Berkshire Council.
Ridgeway Council has been invented as Oxfordshire County Council could be abolished in 2028.
In order for the Greater Reading proposal to go ahead, Reading Borough Council's policy committee would have to agree to call for a boundary review in a submission to Angela Rayner, the Labour secretary of state for local government.
But what would a Greater Reading council look like?
Geographically, not a great deal would change. Calcot and Tilehurst Parish are already in the Reading urban area, with the M4 separating Theale.
Although Pangbourne is a settlement of its own, it is only divided from Purley by a few fields.
Notably, the Greater Reading proposal would not include Earley, Woodley and Shinfield, all suburbs that are in Wokingham Borough Council's jurisdiction.
Politically, Greater Reading would see more representation from opposition parties.
Reading has been a Labour stronghold for more than a decade, with the council being controlled by Labour since 2012.
The Conservatives have been on the retreat since the all-out election in 2022, with Labour taking seats from the Tories in Caversham Heights in 2022 and 2023 and Emmer Green in 2024.
But if the five West Berkshire council wards that Reading Borough requested are incorporated into 'Greater Reading', the Conservatives would gain five seats and the Liberal Democrats would gain three.
Assuming these wards are added as they are currently constituted, the Greater Reading council would have 57 councillors representing 22 wards.
Labour would retain control with 33 councillors, requiring 29 councillors for a majority.
Assuming voting habits in Tilehurst Parish remain, the Conservatives would pip the Green Party to be the leaders of the opposition.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat representation would double to six.
You can see the current representatives of the five wards Reading Borough Council is asking for below:
Tilehurst & Purley (three-member ward)
Cllr Paul Kander - Conservative
Cllr Jane Langford - Conservative
Cllr Janine Lewis - Liberal Democrats
Tilehurst South & Holybrook (two-member ward)
Cllr Biyi Oloko - Conservative
Cllr Richard Somner - Conservative
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Tilehurst Birch Copse (two-member ward)
Cllr Joanne Stewart - Conservative
Cllr Clive Taylor - Labour
Pangbourne (one-member ward)
Cllr Matt Shakespeare - Liberal Democrats
Theale (one-member ward)
Councillor Alan Macro - Liberal Democrats
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