| Whitley | |
|---|---|
 View down Hartland Road with Madejski Stadium in the background | |
  Whitley Location within Berkshire | |
| OS grid reference | SU723704 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | RG2 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Whitley is a suburb of the town of Reading, in the county of Berkshire, England. It is also an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading.
Whitley, commonly known as one of the larger suburbs of Reading, is bounded to the north and east by a ridge of high ground carrying the road to Shinfield, to the west by the valleys of the River Kennet and the Foudry Brook, and to the south by an ill-defined boundary with the suburb of Whitley Wood. The former main road to Basingstoke passes just to the west of the centre of Whitley, dividing largely residential areas to its east from a largely industrial zone to its west. The current A33 relief road to Basingstoke passes to the west of the industrial area, as does the parallel railway line. Between the relief road and Bennet Road and railway can be found the recent Green Park business park and the Madejski Stadium.
Historically, Whitley was a hamlet outside the Reading borough limits, but within the parish of the church of St Giles in Reading. [1]
The Borough of Reading is responsible for all local government. Whitley is currently covered by parts of the Church, Katesgrove and Redlands wards, within the Reading East parliamentary constituency, and includes all of the Whitley electoral ward, within the Reading West parliamentary constituency. Whitley ward borders Coley, Katesgrove, Church and Southcote wards, together with parts of the local government district of Wokingham Borough. As with all wards, apart from smaller Mapledurham, it elects three councillors to Reading Borough Council. Elections since 2004 are held by thirds, with elections in three years out of four. [2] In the 2016, 2018 and 2019 a Labour Party candidate won each election.
| Last elected | Member [3] [4] [5] [6] | Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Micky Leng | Whitley | |
| 2022 | Alice Mpofu-Coles | Whitley | |
| 2022 | Rachel Eden | Whitley | |
Reading East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Matt Rodda, of the Labour Party. The seat is one of two Labour seats from a total of eight seats in Berkshire.
Reading West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Alok Sharma, a Conservative.
Coley is an inner-town district near the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is often referred to as Old Coley, to distinguish it from the adjacent, and much more recent, suburb of Coley Park.
Newbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2019 by Laura Farris, a Conservative. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 and has been in continual existence since then.
Wokingham is a constituency in Berkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1987 by John Redwood, a Conservative.
Katesgrove is an inner-town district immediately to the south of the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It is bounded on the north by the Inner Distribution Road, on the east by Sidmouth Street, Kendrick Road and Northumberland Avenue, on the south by Long Barn Lane and Rose Kiln Lane and on the west by the River Kennet.
Reading South was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency covered an area in and around the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.
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, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It comprised the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire.
Whitley Wood is a suburb to the south of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.
Reading Borough Council is the local authority for Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. Reading is a unitary authority with borough status. As a unitary authority the council has the powers of a county council and district council combined. Berkshire is purely a ceremonial county, with no administrative responsibilities.
Norcot is an area of the suburb of Tilehurst in the town of Reading, in the county of Berkshire, England. It is also an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading.
West Reading is a suburb of the town of Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. The area is served by Reading West railway station and has been served by it since 1906.
East Reading is a main locality of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Its centre is known as Cemetery Junction, after Reading Old Cemetery.
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. Although including significant portions of both the suburbs of West Reading and East Reading, the ward lies almost entirely within the Reading East parliamentary constituency, with only a few streets to the west of George Street in the Reading West 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 Katesgrove, Park, Redlands and Whitley wards.
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.
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 Reading West parliamentary constituency.
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.
Media related to Whitley, Berkshire at Wikimedia Commons