Reading Central (UK Parliament constituency)
| Reading Central | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | Berkshire |
| Electorate | 71,283 (2020)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | Not yet contested |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Reading West and Reading East |
Reading Central is a 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 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 in the 2024 general election.[1][2][3]
History[edit]
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 (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 constituency entirely within the borough.[3]
During the process of acceptance of these proposals, the name was changed from Reading to Reading Central.[1][3]
On 5 February 2024, the Liberal Democrats selected Henry Wright, a local NHS worker, as their candidate. On 12 March, the Green Party selected Dave McElroy, a local councillor, as their candidate. On 31 May, after the General Election was called, the Conservative Party selected Raj Singh, a local councillor, as their candidate. Matt Rodda, the former MP for the Reading East constituency, is standing as the Labour Party candidate, although it is unclear when he was selected.[5][6][7][8][clarification needed]
Boundaries[edit]
The constituency is defined as being composed of the following wards of the Borough of Reading as they existed on 1 December 2020:
- Abbey, Battle, Caversham, Katesgrove, Mapledurham, Minster, Park, Peppard, Redlands, Southcote, and Thames.[n 2][1][2]
The Battle, Minster and Southcote wards are currently part of Reading West, with the remainder, comprising 73% of the new seat, in Reading East.[9]
As a result of a local government boundary review[10] which came into effect in May 2022,[11] the constituency will now comprise the following Borough of Reading wards from the 2024 general election:
- Abbey, Battle (most), Caversham, Caversham Heights, Coley, Emmer Green, Katesgrove, Norcot (small part) Redlands (most), Southcote, and Thames.[12]
It will be bordered by the seats of Reading West and Mid Berkshire, Henley and Thame, and Earley and Woodley.[13][14]
Constituency profile[edit]
Electoral Calculus characterises the seat as "Progressive", with soft left or liberal views and high levels of university education.[15] Incomes and house prices in the seat are slightly higher than UK averages.
Elections[edit]
Elections in the 2020s[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUSC | Adam Gillman[16] | ||||
| Green | Dave McElroy[6] | ||||
| Labour | Matt Rodda[8] | ||||
| Conservative | Raj Singh[7] | ||||
| Independent | Michael Jeffrey Turberville[17] | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Henry Wright[5][18] | ||||
| Reform UK | Andy Williams[19] | ||||
Notes[edit]
- ^ A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- ^ For the purposes of this definition, the Boundary Commission have used the borough ward names and definitions as existed prior to 2022 rather than the current names and definitions.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ a b "South East | Boundary Commission for England". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ "Background to the 2023 Review". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Liberal Democrats announce General Election candidates for Reading". Reading Liberal Democrats. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Dave McElroy named as Green Party candidate for Reading Central". RDG.Today. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ a b Aldridge, James (31 May 2024). "Councillor standing for Tories for main Reading MP seat". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Matt Rodda for Reading Central". whocanivotefor.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?".
- ^ LGBCE. "Reading | LGBCE". lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "The Reading (Electoral Changes) Order 2021".
- ^ "New Seat Details – Reading Central". electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2023 Review final recommendations map". Boundary Commission for England. 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Reading+Central
- ^ https://www.berkshiretusc.org/-[dead link]
- ^ http://www.turberville.org.uk/
- ^ "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/116353/andy-williams
External links[edit]
- Reading Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK