Constituency profile
Earley and Woodley is a suburban constituency located in Berkshire. It covers the suburban towns of Earley and Woodley which lie on the outskirts of the large town of Reading. It also contains the Reading suburb of Whitley Wood and the outlying villages of Shinfield, Three Mile Cross and Spencers Wood. The constituency contains the University of Reading and thus has a large student population. There is some deprivation in Whitley Wood, but most of the constituency is highly affluent and falls within the top 10% least-deprived areas in England. [3] House prices are high compared to the national average. [4]
In general, residents of the constituency are young and well-educated. They have very high levels of income and are likely to work in professional occupations. [4] At the 2021 census, White people made up 70% of the population, with Asians (primarily Indians) forming the largest ethnic minority group at 20%. [5] At the local council level, most of the constituency is represented by a mix of Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors, with some Labour Party councillors in Shinfield and Whitley Wood. An estimated 54% of voters in the constituency supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum compared to 48% nationwide. [4]
History
At the time of the 2023 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. [6] [7]
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 (renamed Reading West and Mid Berkshire in the final proposals), both with the bulk of their electorate outside the Borough of Reading but including outer wards of the borough, together with a new Reading Central constituency entirely within the borough. [6]
In June 2023, the Conservatives selected Pauline Jorgensen, the leader of the opposition group on Wokingham Borough Council, as their prospective parliamentary candidate for the seat. In December 2023, the Labour Party selected Earley resident Yuan Yang, a Financial Times journalist and social campaigner, as their candidate. On 5th February 2024, the Liberal Democrats announced they had selected Tahir Maher, a former Mayor of Earley, as their candidate. [8] [9] [10]
Boundaries
Under the 2023 review, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following, as they existed on 1 December 2020:
- The Borough of Reading wards of Church; Whitley.
- The Borough of Wokingham wards of Bulmershe and Whitegates; Coronation; Hawkedon; Hillside; Loddon; Maiden Erlegh; Shinfield North; Shinfield South; Sonning; South Lake. [11]
Following local government boundary reviews in Reading [12] and Wokingham [13] which came into effect in May 2022 and May 2024 respectively, the constituency now comprises the following from the 2024 general election:
- The Borough of Reading wards or part wards of: Church; Redlands (small part); Whitley.
- The Borough of Wokingham wards or part wards of: Bulmershe & Coronation; Hawkedon; Hillside; Loddon; Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates; Shinfield; South Lake; Spencers Wood & Swallowfield (majority); Thames (small part comprising Sonning parish). [14]
The seat covers:
It is bordered by the seats of Reading West and Mid Berkshire, Reading Central, Henley and Thame, and Wokingham. [15] [16]
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