Boundary Review Consultation – comments from Tilehurst Parish Council

Tilehurst Parish is currently split over four Wards, these being; Denefield, Westwood, Birch Copse and Calcot, and has nine District Councillors. Two of these wards, Denefield and Calcot, are currently amalgamated with neighbouring parishes meaning that these District Councillors serve different communities. From the perspective of this Council, it is considered preferable that the Ward boundaries are co-terminus with the parish boundaries, thus allowing for a more effective and balanced representation. It should be pointed out that at present, because a smaller proportion of the electorate of the Calcot Ward reside within the boundaries of Tilehurst parish, with the majority being within Holybrook parish, it would appear that the Holybrook electorate receive a greater level of representation with a bias towards them. With a network of proactive parish councillors behind each district councillor, this Council feels that it would not be unacceptable to have a higher number of electorate per district councillor. The Development Plan Document has allowed for several developments within Tilehurst Parish and there is another, significantly larger development, on hold at present. With the increase in population from these development, this Councils is of the opinion that the current projected electorate numbers might have been underestimated. With the above in mind, this Council would like to submit the following boundary split proposals for Tilehurst Parish with a recommendation of having 5 District Councillors;

Tilehurst North – 2 District Councillor Ward This Council proposes an amalgamation of the current Denefield Ward (ZTL1), Westwood Ward (ZTL2) and part of the current Birch Copse Ward (ZTL3), as below, to create Tilehurst North.

Current Ward Current electorate Anticipated electorate (2022) ZTL1 1366 1504 ZTL2 2178 2112 ZTL3 1337 1162 Total 4881 4778

Outline planning permission has been given for approximately 81 new homes on land at Stonehams Farm, with a further 35 new homes opposite the riding stables. As all of these developments fall within the above areas, this Council understandably believes that there will be an increase in electorate and not the projected decrease. Tilehurst Central – 2 District Councillor Ward This Council proposes an amalgamation of the remaining Birch Copse Wards (ZTL4, ZTL5 and ZTL6), as below, to create Tilehurst Central.

Current Ward Current electorate Anticipated electorate (2022) ZTL4 2259 2206 ZTL5 1337 1533 ZTL6 1219 1139 Total 4815 4878

Tilehurst South – 1 District Councillor Ward This Council proposes that the current Calcot Ward (ZTL7), as below, should make up the remaining ward.

Current Ward Current electorate Anticipated electorate (2022) ZTL7 1466 1689 Total 1466 1689

Whilst it is appreciated that this would be a smaller than average ward, in terms of the electorate numbers, this Council considers that with the potential development of Pincents Hill, this could increase in the future. Whilst Pincents Lane is currently included within the Birch Copse Ward, it would be prudent to include any new development within the newly created Tilehurst South Ward which would then significantly increase the electorate over time.