Tilehurst (Reading ward)
| Tilehurst Ward, Borough of Reading | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top left: St Michael's Church, Lousehill Copse, Water trough on Park Lane, Tilehurst War Memorial | |
  Tilehurst Ward, Borough of Reading Location within Berkshire | |
| Area | 2.098 km2 (0.810 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 9,870 [2] |
| • Density | 4,704/km2 (12,180/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU6773 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
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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 other borough wards plus the civil parish of Tilehurst Without, which is outside the borough boundary in the district of West Berkshire.
Location
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The ward lies on the western boundary of the Borough of Reading, adjacent to the district of West Berkshire. It includes the highest point of both the borough and the town, which lies at 100 metres (330 ft) AMSL in the area surrounding the Tilehurst Water Tower.[3][4]
From the south in clockwise order the ward is bounded by New Lane Hill, the Meadway, Halls Road, Pierce's Hill, Armour Road, Norcot Road, and Dee Road. Between Halls Road and Pierce's Hill the boundary follows the borough boundary, away from roads, but including a significant area of housing to the west of Park Lane and School Road. Between Norcot Road and Dee Road, the boundary follows the ridge line through Lousehill Copse. Again from Dee Road back to New Lane Hill the boundary eschews roads, but does include The Avenue and Churchend schools and St Michael's church within the ward.[3]
The ward is bordered, in the same order as above, by the civil parish of Tilehurst Without, in West Berkshire, and the borough wards of Kentwood, Norcot and Southcote. It lies entirely within the constituency of Reading West and Mid Berkshire.[3][5]
Profile
[edit]Demographics
[edit]As of 2024[update], Tilehurst ward had an area of 2.098 square kilometres (0.810 sq mi) and there were 9,956 people living there. Of these, 19.3% were under 15 and 19.8% were 65 and over; 81.3% classified themselves as White, 8.2% as Asian, and 5.0% as Black, Caribbean or African; 14.8% were born outside the UK. The population lived in approximately 3,900 households, of which 14.8% were in a flat, maisonette or apartment, and 85.2% were in a house or bungalow.[1][2]
Of the population aged over 16, 60.6% were in employment, 3.2% were unemployed, and 36.1% were economically inactive. Of those in employment, 44.6% were in managerial, professional or technical occupations. A total of 29.2% of the population were educated to university degree level.[2]
Environment
[edit]As of 2022[update], Tilehurst ward had a tree canopy cover of 19.1%, compared to figures of 17.7% for the Reading as a whole, and 16.5% for the United Kingdom. Open space in the ward is limited, but includes Blundells Copse and most of Lousehill Copse local nature reserves.[3][6]
Facilities
[edit]The ward includes Churchend, English Martyrs, Moorlands and Park Lane primary schools, together with the Avenue and Thames Valley special schools, but there are no secondary schools. St Michael's parish church is within the ward, as is the Tilehurst Village Hall and the Tilehurst branch of Reading Borough Libraries.[3]
The ward includes the generally accepted centre of the village of Tilehurst, with two closely adjacent retail clusters around Tilehurst Triangle and Victoria cross-roads. The Victoria cross-road cluster includes a post office, providing a full set of services. Since the closure of the NatWest branch in 2023, there are no longer any banking facilities in either the ward or the larger village, despite a campaign run by local Liberal Democrat councillors.[7][8]
Representation
[edit]As with all Reading wards, the ward elects three councillors to Reading Borough Council. Elections since 2004 are generally held by thirds, with elections in three years out of four. Tilehurst ward has strongly supported the Liberal Democrats over the years, with 22 of the 25 vacancies since 2000 being filled by members of that party. As of May 2026[update], the ward councillors are James Moore, Meri O'Connell and Anne Thompson, all of whom are members of the Liberal Democrat party.[9][10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Tilehurst (Ward, United Kingdom)". City Population. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Area profile for Tilehurst Ward". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ↑ OS Explorer Map (Reading), Ordnance Survey, 2012
- ↑ "Wards". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ↑ "Reading's Tree Canopy Cover Assessment" (PDF). Reading Borough Council. October 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "School Road Post Office". Post Office Limited. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Clothier, Jake (3 April 2023). "Councillors launch petition as Tilehurst branch named among NatWest banks closing down". Reading Today. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Your Councillors". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ↑ "Local election results 7 May 2026". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
External links
[edit]- Tilehurst Ward in the 2021 census from the Office for National Statistics
- Tilehurst Ward profile in 2018 from Reading Borough Council via the Internet Archive