Battle is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated to the west of the town centre, south of the River Thames, and is bordered by Kentwood, Caversham Heights, Thames, Abbey, Coley, Southcote and Norcot wards. Most of the ward lies within the parliamentary constituency of Reading Central, although two small portions at its western boundary are within Reading West and Mid Berkshire. [1]
The ward takes its name indirectly from the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest of England. William the Conqueror gave land in and around Reading to his foundation of Battle Abbey, and this led to the naming of Battle Farm and the, now closed, Battle Hospital, both of which were within the ward's boundary. [2]
The ward covers a large stretch of the town's Oxford Road and its largely terraced side streets, although it also includes a large area of uninhabited flood plain between the railway and the River Thames that is best known as the site of Reading Festival. [1] [3] The area is ethnically diverse and has significant Afro-Caribbean and South Asian populations.[ citation needed ]
As with all Reading wards, the ward elects three councillors to Reading Borough Council. Elections since 2004 are generally held by thirds, with elections in three years out of four, although the 2022 elections were for all councillors due to the boundary changes. The ward councillors are currently Wendy Griffith and Amjad Tarar, who are members of the Labour party, and Sarah Hacker, a former Mayor of Reading and member of the Labour Party who now sits as an independent. [3] [4] [5]
Reading East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. In the 2019–2024 Parliament, it was one of two Labour seats from a total of eight seats in Berkshire.
Reading West was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Katesgrove is an inner-town district and electoral ward situated immediately to the south of the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The district and ward are largely, but not entirely, coterminous.It is outside the town centre and Central Reading.
Reading was a parliamentary borough, and later a borough constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950 and 1955 to 1974. Until 1885, the constituency comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire; after 1885, it was centred on the town but the exact boundaries differed.
Reading Borough Council is the local authority for Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. Reading has had a council since at least 1542, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1998, the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
Abbey is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The ruins of Reading Abbey lie within the boundaries of the ward, a fact from which it derives its name. The ward covers the centre of the town, south of the River Thames, and is bordered by Battle, Thames, Redlands, Katesgrove and Coley wards. The ward lies entirely within the Reading Central parliamentary constituency.
Caversham is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is to the north of the town centre, in the suburb of Caversham to the north of the River Thames. It is bordered by Caversham Heights, Emmer Green and Thames wards of Reading Borough Council, and by the civil parish of Eye and Dunsden in South Oxfordshire. The whole of the ward lies within the Reading Central parliamentary constituency.
Church is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is covers an area south and south-east of the town centre, and is bordered by Whitley, Katesgrove and Redlands wards of Reading Borough Council, and by the civil parishes of Earley and Shinfield in Wokingham. The whole of the ward lies within the Earley and Woodley parliamentary constituency.
Kentwood is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It consists of the northern part of the suburb of Tilehurst, in the west of Reading, south of the River Thames. The ward is bordered by Caversham Heights and Battle wards to the east, and Norcot and Tilehurst wards to the south. To the west the ward is bordered by the reduced civil parish of Tilehurst in the district of West Berkshire which is the remainder of the larger ancient parish, before the expansion of the Borough of Reading. The ward has schools and churches bearing a Tilehurst, rather than Reading name.
Mapledurham was an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, which was abolished in the boundary changes prior to the 2022 Reading Borough Council election. The ward's area was joined with part of that of the former Thames ward to form the new Caversham Heights ward.
Coley is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Until the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, it was known as Minster ward and had slightly different boundaries.
Park is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It takes its name from Palmer Park, which lies at its centre.
Redlands is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated to the south-east of the town centre, and is bordered by Abbey, Park, Church and Katesgrove wards.
Tilehurst is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It forms part of the larger Reading suburb of Tilehurst, which also includes parts of the borough's Kentwood and Norcot wards, together with the civil parish of Tilehurst Without that is outside the borough boundary in the district of West Berkshire. The ward is bordered, in clockwise order, by Norcot ward, Tilehurst Without civil parish and Kentwood ward. It lies entirely within the constituency of Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
Reading Borough Council is the council for the unitary authority of Reading in Berkshire, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district. Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time for a four-year term.
The 1979 Reading Borough Council election was held on 3 May 1979, alongside local elections across England and Wales and the general election. All 49 seats on Reading Borough Council were contested.
Thames is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It includes areas on both sides of both the River Thames and the River Kennet, to the north and east of the centre of Reading on the south bank, and to the east of the centre of Caversham on the north bank. It should not be confused with the ward of the same name that existed prior to the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, with which it has no area in common.
Caversham Heights is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The ward was created by a boundary reorganisation prior to the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, and has replaced the Mapledurham ward, with the addition of parts of the old Thames and Peppard wards. During the reorganisation process, the ward was known as The Heights, but the name was subsequent changed as a result of public consultation.
Earley and Woodley is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Following the completion of the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. It is represented by Yuan Yang of the Labour Party.
Reading Central is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Created as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. Since 2024, it has been represented by Labour's Matt Rodda, who was MP for Reading East from 2017 to 2024.