Reading East | |
---|---|
Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Berkshire |
Electorate | 72,647 (2018) [1] |
Major settlements | Reading |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1983 |
Member of Parliament | Matt Rodda (Labour) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Reading North, Reading South and Henley [2] |
Reading East is a constituency [n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Matt Rodda, of the Labour Party. [n 2] The seat is one of two Labour seats from a total of eight seats in Berkshire.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be abolished. Voters will be transferred to the new constituencies of Earley and Woodley (Bulmershe and Whitegates, Church, Loddon and South Lake wards) and Reading Central (all other wards). These constituencies will be first contested at the next general election. [3] [4] [5]
The seat contains the University of Reading and most of its students. The Thames Valley Business Park is in another part of the seat, hosting multinational and cutting-edge technology companies in the software and advanced computer science areas. Adjoining the redeveloped heart of town are a handful mid-rise blocks of ex-council flats and serried ranks of former relatively philanthropic biscuit, brick and seeds manufacturing/processing workers' neat terraces towards the south-centre and east of the town, including firmly Labour-held wards. The suburban north bank of the Thames section takes in Caversham, forming four wards, whilst Earley and Woodley, adding a further three wards, make up strongly-leaning Conservative wards. Intermediate wards such as Redlands and Park are more marginal including Green Party and Liberal Democrat representation.
The Reading East parliamentary constituency was first contested in 1983, when it was won by a partial incumbent, Gerry Vaughan, a Conservative who was before that election sitting MP for abolished Reading South. He held the seat through two general elections until he retired before the 1997 election. The constituency was in 1997 won by the Labour Party's Jane Griffiths, thus a backbencher under the Blair Ministry. She retained the seat in the 2001 election but was deselected by her Constituency Labour Party before the 2005 election, when the seat was won by the Tory candidate, Rob Wilson, who held the seat through two elections. Until 2005 the seat had been a national bellwether. [ citation needed ]
The seat was regained by the Labour Party's candidate in 2017, Matt Rodda, achieving the party's best showing since the seat's creation. Rodda's 2017 win was one of 30 net gains of the Labour Party. The 2017 result came when there was a hung parliament nationally. Reading East was one of five constituencies, the others being Croydon Central, Enfield Southgate, Leeds North West and Peterborough, which elected Labour MPs in 2017 having not done so since 2001.
At the 2019 general election, the seat was retained by Rodda with an increased majority, achieving a swing to Labour of 1.9%, and bucking the national trend which saw an overall swing to the Conservatives of 4.6%.
The seat has been, relative to others, a semi-marginal seat, and major-swing (volatile) seat since 2010. Its winner's majority has not exceeded 12.9% of the vote since the 15.2% majority won in that year. The seat has changed hands once since 2010.
Formed as a county constituency, largely from parts of the abolished constituency of Reading South. It also incorporated parts of the abolished constituency of Reading North, including Caversham.
For the 1997 general election, the constituency lost its southern areas comprising the parts of the District of Wokingham to Wokingham (including Shinfield) and Bracknell (Finchampstead), but gained other parts of Wokingham to the east of the Reading. The boundary with Reading West was realigned, gaining Katesgrove ward and losing Whitley ward. It was redesignated as a Borough Constituency.
Marginal changes due to revision of local authority wards.
Reading East is bordered by the constituencies of Reading West, Henley, Maidenhead, and Wokingham. [9]
Election | Member [10] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Gerard Vaughan | Conservative | |
1997 | Jane Griffiths | Labour | |
2005 | Rob Wilson | Conservative | |
2017 | Matt Rodda | Labour |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Matt Rodda | 27,102 | 48.5 | -0.5 | |
Conservative | Craig Morley | 21,178 | 37.9 | −4.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Imogen Shepherd-DuBey | 5,035 | 9.0 | +2.9 | |
Green | David McElroy | 1,549 | 2.8 | +0.8 | |
Brexit Party | Mitchell Feierstein | 852 | 1.5 | New | |
CPA | Yemi Awolola | 202 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 5,924 | 10.6 | +3.9 | ||
Turnout | 55,918 | 72.6 | -0.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Matt Rodda | 27,093 | 49.0 | +15.9 | |
Conservative | Rob Wilson | 23,344 | 42.3 | −3.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jenny Woods | 3,378 | 6.1 | −1.3 | |
Green | Kizzi Johannessen | 1,093 | 2.0 | −4.4 | |
Independent | Michael Turberville | 188 | 0.3 | New | |
Movement for Active Democracy | Andy Kirkwood | 142 | 0.0 | New | |
Majority | 3,749 | 6.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 55,370 | 73.1 | +3.1 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Rob Wilson | 23,217 | 46.0 | +3.4 | |
Labour | Matt Rodda | 16,697 | 33.1 | +7.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jenny Woods | 3,719 | 7.4 | −19.9 | |
UKIP | Christine Forrester [17] | 3,647 | 7.2 | +5.0 | |
Green | Rob White | 3,214 | 6.4 | +4.3 | |
Majority | 6,520 | 12.9 | -2.3 | ||
Turnout | 50,494 | 69.0 | +2.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Rob Wilson | 21,269 | 42.6 | +6.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gareth Epps | 13,664 | 27.3 | +3.1 | |
Labour | Anneliese Dodds | 12,729 | 25.5 | −8.5 | |
UKIP | Adrian Pitfield | 1,086 | 2.2 | +0.2 | |
Green | Rob White | 1,069 | 2.1 | −1.4 | |
Independent | Joan Lloyd | 111 | 0.2 | New | |
Independent | Michael Turberville | 57 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 7,605 | 15.3 | -2.1 | ||
Turnout | 49,985 | 66.7 | +8.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Rob Wilson | 15,557 | 35.4 | +3.4 | |
Labour | Tony Page | 15,082 | 34.3 | −10.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Howson | 10,619 | 24.2 | +5.7 | |
Green | Rob White | 1,548 | 3.5 | +1.1 | |
UKIP | David Lamb | 849 | 1.9 | +0.7 | |
Independent | Joan Lloyd | 135 | 0.3 | New | |
Independent | Rex Hora | 122 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 475 | 1.1 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 43,912 | 60.3 | +1.9 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +7.0 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jane Griffiths | 19,538 | 44.8 | +2.1 | |
Conservative | Barry Tanswell | 13,943 | 32.0 | −3.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Thomas Dobrashian | 8,078 | 18.5 | 0.0 | |
Green | Miriam Kennet | 1,053 | 2.4 | New | |
UKIP | Amy Thornton | 525 | 1.2 | +0.7 | |
Socialist Alliance | Darren Williams | 394 | 0.9 | New | |
Independent | Peter Hammerson | 94 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 5,595 | 12.8 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 43,625 | 58.4 | −11.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | −2.7 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jane Griffiths | 21,461 | 42.7 | +13.8 | |
Conservative | John Watts | 17,666 | 35.2 | −13.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Sam Samuel | 9,307 | 18.5 | -1.9 | |
Referendum | David Harmer | 1,042 | 2.1 | New | |
Natural Law | John Buckley | 254 | 0.5 | New | |
UKIP | A L Thornton | 252 | 0.5 | New | |
BNP | Barbara Packer | 238 | 0.5 | New | |
Majority | 3,795 | 7.5 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 50,220 | 70.2 | −4.8 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +17.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerard Vaughan | 29,148 | 53.8 | 0.0 | |
Labour | Gillian Parker | 14,593 | 27.0 | +5.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Denis Thair | 9,528 | 17.6 | −5.6 | |
Green | A McCubbin | 861 | 1.6 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 14,555 | 26.8 | −3.8 | ||
Turnout | 54,130 | 75.0 | +1.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerard Vaughan | 28,515 | 53.8 | +2.2 | |
Alliance (SDP) | Susan Baring | 12,298 | 23.2 | −4.2 | |
Labour | Martin Salter | 11,371 | 21.5 | +2.1 | |
Green | Philip Unsworth | 667 | 1.3 | +0.2 | |
CSOSMG | Arthur Shone | 125 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 16,217 | 30.6 | +6.4 | ||
Turnout | 52,976 | 73.3 | +2.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerard Vaughan | 24,516 | 51.6 | ||
Alliance (SDP) | Chris Huhne | 13,008 | 27.4 | ||
Labour | Kevin Boyle | 9,218 | 19.4 | ||
Ecology | Geoffrey Darnton | 519 | 1.1 | ||
BNP | P. Baker | 147 | 0.3 | ||
Common Market Party | B. Shone | 113 | 0.2 | ||
Majority | 11,508 | 24.2 | |||
Turnout | 47,512 | 70.4 | |||
Conservative win (new seat) |
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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.
Earley and Woodley is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the next general election.
Reading Central is a proposed constituency 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, soon to be 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 at the next general election.
The 2024 Wokingham Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024, to elect members of Wokingham Borough Council in Berkshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. Due to boundary changes, all 54 seats, were up for election. The main impact of the boundary changes is that all wards in the Borough are now three member wards. The old warding system had a mix of one, two and three member wards.