Reading to Reiterate Case to Keep All of Tilehurst in Berkshire

Reading Council will strongly reiterate its case that all of Tilehurst should be kept in Berkshire, in response to a public consultation on Oxfordshire’s Local Government Reorganisation proposals.

The Government has today (5 Feb) opened a seven-week consultation on Oxfordshire’s three proposals for reorganisation. If agreed, two of those options would see West Berkshire Council cease to exist and its residents moved into a significantly larger new ‘Ridgeway’ council.

Reading Borough Council’s argument is that the West Berkshire Wards of Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst & Purley, and Tilehurst South & Holybrook should be moved into Reading. Moving these suburbs of Reading into a predominantly rural new ‘Ridgeway’ contradicts the Government’s prescribed criteria that LGR proposals should be based on ‘sensible economic geography.’

What was once an entirely logical boundary line drawn over a century ago to separate fields, now splits communities. It has failed to adjust to an expanding Reading urban area where residents just across the border understandably consider themselves as belonging to a vibrant, dynamic, economically successful and culturally diverse town.

The Government has confirmed that it has the power, following the Oxfordshire consultation, to modify any proposal before implementing reorganisation. As a statutory consultee, Reading Borough Council now intends to respond to the Oxfordshire consultation by resubmitting its proposal that if the Secretary of State is minded to agree proposals to create a new ‘Ridgeway’ council, Reading’s boundary should be updated to more accurately reflect its geography and its economic footprint.

Over the coming weeks Reading Council will be encouraging residents, businesses and organisations to respond to the Oxfordshire LGR consultation. People can have their say at https://consult.communities.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation/oxfordshire/

“We have now had confirmation of the Government’s position; that neither West Berkshire Council or Reading Borough Council were invited to submit bids as part of this phase of Local Government Reorganisation, which is something we have emphasised from the outset.

 “At the same time, the Government has confirmed that it retains the option to modify any of the Oxfordshire proposals following this consultation and, as a statutory consultee, Reading Borough Council is encouraged to submit its representation as part of the consultation, which we now intend to do.

"To pretend that these three Tilehurst Wards are anything other than suburbs of Reading flies directly in the face of the Government’s prescribed criteria that proposals should be based on ‘sensible economic geography.’ From speaking to these residents’ face to face, and from our own independent surveys, residents living in these areas see themselves as part of Reading and often rely on services provided by Reading Council.

"It is important to emphasise that West Berkshire would cease to exist if proposals for a new ‘Ridgeway’ council are agreed. Residents of these three wards would find themselves on the outer fringes of a significantly larger and predominantly rural new Council where their needs would not necessarily align with those of the rest of their new area. Reading’s proposal on the other hand fundamentally strengthens local democracy by aligning where people pay their Council Tax and where decisions are made, with local identity, local services and patterns of daily living. We do not believe clinging to boundary lines which were drawn up over a century ago and are now well out of date is a sensible approach to setting a boundary for a new authority which is likely to exist for decades to come.”

Last Autumn Reading Council carried out significant public consultation, modelling and data analysis to build its compelling case to Government. Work undertaken included the commissioning of an independent and representative survey of residents living in the three Tilehurst Wards, to understand just how extensively they use facilities in Reading Borough.

In contrast to Newbury - which is 18 miles away from the three Tilehurst Wards - Reading Town Centre is only three miles, or a short 10/15 minute bus ride away. As a result, Tilehurst residents understandably take advantage of Reading facilities including Reading Buses, the Hexagon Theatre and the new Rivermead Leisure Centre, as well as Reading facilities nearer to the boundary line including Tilehurst Library, Meadway Sports Centre, Arthur Newbery and Prospect Parks, Tilehurst Community Centre and Ranikhet and Southcote Children’s Centres.

Results of the independent survey showed:

• Residents of the three wards use Reading’s culture and leisure facilities as much as Reading residents, and in some cases even more
• 34 – 37% of these residents used Reading’s leisure centres. Around 10% of all visits to Reading leisure centres come from West Berkshire residents, with the proportion rising to 30% for Meadway Sports Centre
• Use of Reading’s Tilehurst Library was also high, reflecting it is the nearest library to these wards and that no local library provision is offered from West Berkshire for these residents
• Two thirds of these residents have used Reading Buses over the last year, and more than half have made use of Reading car parks

The same independent survey, carried out with a representative sample of residents across the three wards, found:

• Strong support from residents that decisions about local services should be made in Reading: 60% of Tilehurst Birch Copse residents preferred local decisions to be made in Reading, rather than Newbury (37%) or Abingdon (3%). In Tilehurst & Purley and Tilehurst South & Holybrook Wards, around half of residents supported local decisions being made in Reading.

• People aged 18-44 were even more supportive. 75% of this age group expressed a preference for Reading to make decisions on local services in Tilehurst Birch Copse, with the figure 64% and 66% for the remaining two Tilehurst wards.

The Government run consultation takes place until Thursday 26 March.