Reading Borough Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Jackie Yates since October 2022 [3] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 48 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
Motto | |
A Deo et Regina | |
Meeting place | |
Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU | |
Website | |
www |
Reading Borough Council, formerly known as Reading Corporation, 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.
The town of Reading was an ancient borough, being described as a borough by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The borough was initially controlled by Reading Abbey, but the town gradually gained a degree of independence from the abbey from the thirteenth century onwards. Following the dissolution of the abbey in 1538 the borough was granted a new charter in 1542. [4]
The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Reading was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from Berkshire County Council. [5]
When the town became a county borough in 1889 the borough comprised the three civil parishes of St Giles, St Laurence, and St Mary. The three civil parishes were united into a single parish called Reading in 1905 covering the same area as the borough. The borough and parish of Reading were significantly enlarged in 1911, gaining the former Caversham Urban District from Oxfordshire, and also gaining a large part of the neighbouring parish of Tilehurst. [6]
The Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Reading as a non-metropolitan district with effect from 1 April 1974; it kept the same boundaries and its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, but there were changes to the council's responsibilities. [7] In particular, it became a lower-tier district authority, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services in the town for the first time. [8]
The county council was abolished in 1998 and Reading became a unitary authority, taking over the county council's functions in the area. [9]
As a unitary authority, Reading Borough Council delivers all local government services in the area. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which has been an unparished area since the 1974 reforms. Since the abolition of Berkshire County Council in 1998 some county-wide functions such as the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service have been administered by joint committees of the six district councils. Reading Borough Council has adopted the committee system of governance.
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2012.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows: [10]
Non-metropolitan district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
No overall control | 1974–1983 | |
Conservative | 1983–1986 | |
No overall control | 1986–1987 | |
Labour | 1987–1998 |
Unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1998–2008 | |
No overall control | 2008–2012 | |
Labour | 2012–present |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Reading. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. After local government reorganisation in 1974, the leading political role was the chair of the policy committee, which was informally called the leader of the council. The role of leader of the council was made a formal position following the Local Government Act 2000. The leaders of Reading Borough Council since 1974 have been: [11]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jim Day [12] | Liberal | 1974 | 1976 | |
Deryck Morton | Conservative | 1976 | 1986 | |
Mike Orton [13] [14] | Labour | 1986 | 1995 | |
David Sutton [15] | Labour | 1995 | 4 May 2008 | |
Jo Lovelock [16] | Labour | 20 May 2008 | 25 May 2010 | |
Andrew Cumpsty [17] | Conservative | 25 May 2010 | 25 May 2011 | |
Jo Lovelock [18] | Labour | 25 May 2011 | 22 May 2019 | |
Jason Brock [19] | Labour | 22 May 2019 |
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was: [20]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 32 | |
Green | 8 | |
Conservative | 4 | |
Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 48 |
The next election is due in 2026.
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 (one councillor for each ward) being elected each time for a four-year term. [21]
Reading's councillors are elected by 16 wards: [22]
Since 2014 the council has been based at the Civic Offices on Bridge Street.
Reading's historic Town Hall on Blagrave Street was built in phases between 1786 and 1897, and served as the headquarters of the borough council until 1976. The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed continues to be held at the Town Hall. [23] In 1976 the council moved to a new Civic Centre off Castle Street, adjoining other facilities including a police station, magistrates' court, and The Hexagon theatre.
By 2013 the council's offices at the civic centre were deemed to be at the end of their design life. The council purchased an existing building called Plaza West on Bridge Street, which had been built in 1986 (originally being called Bridge Street Plaza). [24] The building was renamed Civic Offices and opened as the council's headquarters in 2014, with the old council offices at the civic centre being demolished shortly afterwards. [25]
Reading is a town and borough in Berkshire, England. Most of its built-up area lies within the Borough of Reading, although some outer suburbs are parts of neighbouring unitary authority areas. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke.
Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. The main town is Basingstoke, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Tadley and Whitchurch, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The modern district was created in 1974, initially being called Basingstoke. It changed its name to "Basingstoke and Deane" in 1978 at the same time that it was made a borough; Deane was added to the name to represent the rural parts of the borough, being the area's smallest village.
St Albans, also known as the City and District of St Albans, is a local government district with city status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in St Albans, the largest settlement in the district. The district also includes the town of Harpenden and several villages. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Welwyn Hatfield, Hertsmere, Watford, Three Rivers, Dacorum, and Central Bedfordshire.
The Council of the Royal County of Berkshire, also known as the Berkshire County Council, was the top-tier local government administrative body for Berkshire from 1889 to 1998. The local authority had responsibilities for education, social services, public transport, planning, emergency services and waste disposal, and had 87 members. Berkshire County Council shared power with six lower-tier district councils, each of which directed local matters.
The Borough of Hartlepool is a local government district with borough status in County Durham, England. Since 1996 Hartlepool Borough Council has been a unitary authority, which gives it both district-level and county-level functions; it is independent of Durham County Council. It is named after its largest settlement, Hartlepool, where the council is based. The borough also includes a rural area to the west of the town. The population of the borough at the 2021 census was 92,571, of which over 95% (87,995) lived in the built-up area of Hartlepool itself.
Middlesbrough Council, also known as Middlesbrough Borough Council, is the local authority for Middlesbrough, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 1996 it has been a unitary authority, providing both district-level and county-level services. The council is led by the directly elected Mayor of Middlesbrough.
West Berkshire Council is the local authority of West Berkshire in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. West Berkshire is divided into 24 wards, electing 43 councillors. The council was created in 1974 as the Newbury District Council. On 1 April 1998 it was renamed West Berkshire Council and since then has been a unitary authority, assuming the powers and functions of the abolished Berkshire County Council within the district. In the 2023 election the Liberal Democrats won 29 out of 43 seats.
Luton Borough Council is the local authority of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Luton is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the local authority of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. As a unitary authority, it has the combined powers of a county council and district council and is administratively separate from the rest of Staffordshire.
Ipswich Borough Council is the local authority for Ipswich, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Suffolk, England. It is the second tier of a two-tier system, fulfilling functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning, with Suffolk County Council providing county council services such as transport, education and social services.
Telford and Wrekin Council is the local authority of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county council and district council combined.
Derby City Council is the local authority for Derby, a unitary authority with city status in the East Midlands region of England.
Plymouth City Council is the local authority for Plymouth, a unitary authority with city status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England.
North Lincolnshire Council is the local authority of North Lincolnshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county council and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, town planning, and waste collection and disposal. It is also a local education authority. The council is based in Scunthorpe.
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.
Southend-on-Sea City Council is the local authority of the Southend-on-Sea district in Essex, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. It is based at Southend Civic Centre in Southend-on-Sea.
Wokingham Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council is the local authority of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Windsor and Maidenhead is divided into 19 wards, electing 41 councillors. The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced six local authorities: Cookham Rural District Council, Eton Urban District Council, Eton Rural District Council, Maidenhead Borough Council, New Windsor Borough Council and Windsor Rural District Council. Since 1 April 1998 it has been a unitary authority, assuming the powers and functions of Berkshire County Council.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is the local authority for Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 1996 it has been a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The council was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh Borough Council and was a district-level authority until 1996 when it was renamed and became a unitary authority, taking over county-level functions from the abolished Cleveland County Council. The council is based at the Civic Centre in Redcar.
Liberals took the helm of the new Reading Council's top committee yesterday... Councillor Day was voted policy committee chairman on the new district council...