West Berks leader snaps back at devolution idea not favouring Tilehurst and Calcot

The leader of West Berkshire Council has hit back at the leader of Reading Borough Council and the Reading West and Mid Berkshire MP about the future composition of local councils.

They want a ‘Greater Reading’ authority – as they say it suits areas like Tilehurst and Calcot better.

MP Olivia Bailey has even written to the minister of state for local government saying residents in those areas “look to Reading for shopping and leisure”.

Their comments, which were made following West Berkshire Council’s submission of a proposal to create a new Ridgeway Council with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council, suggest that Reading and West Berkshire’s boundaries could be re-drawn if the proposal is accepted.

“The Ridgeway proposal is truly a proposal for the whole of West Berkshire and its two Oxfordshire neighbours, and has the potential to improve services for everyone who lives in the area,” said West Berkshire Council leader Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West).

“It is very disappointing that those who do not represent our area have decided to comment on our proposal without fully understanding the benefits it could have.

“Calcot and Tilehurst became part of Newbury District Council in 1974.

“Before that, they formed part of Bradfield Rural District Council, which dates back to 1894.

“They have never been part of Reading Borough, and there is no reason why this should change.

“Residents from Tilehurst may travel to Reading to do their shopping, just as residents from Hungerford may go to Swindon to do theirs.

“These are not services provided by the council and are not relevant to the important conversation about local government reorganisation.

“Those that we are responsible for – schools, roads, recycling, leisure – are what this is about, and it is across these that residents living in West Berkshire benefit from demonstrably higher quality services and lower levels of council tax.

“And we’ve invested in our eastern communities, too.

“In the past year alone, we have opened the new award-winning facilities for social, emotional and mental health facility at Kennet Valley Primary School and the Badgers Hill i-college in Calcot; and will be opening a new pitch at Cotswold Leisure Centre in a few weeks.

“To suggest that West Berkshire residents would be better served in Reading is unwelcome and we are confident that the Ridgeway proposal would deliver for everyone in West Berkshire.”

The Government’s Devolution White Paper was published in late 2024 and will see the creation of new, larger unitary authorities of around 500,000 people.

These new unitaries are intended to be created by merging existing local authority areas with neighbouring districts which share clear geographical, economic and social links; there is no suggestion that splitting existing local authority unitary areas is being considered.

The Ridgeway proposal, which was approved by West Berkshire’s executive last week, has been submitted in response to a Government invitation following its announcement in December to end two-tier authorities, like those in Oxfordshire.