Abbey (Reading ward)
Electoral ward in Berkshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abbey is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The ruins of Reading Abbey lie within the boundaries of the ward, a fact from which it derives its name.
| Abbey | |
|---|---|
| ward Reading Borough Council | |
Clockwise from top left: Forbury Gardens, railway station, the Nag's Head in Russell Street and Broad Street | |
| Population | 12,104 |
| Current ward | |
| Councillor | Mohammed Ayub (Labour) |
| Councillor | David Stevens (Labour) |
| Councillor | Jacqueline Dominquez (Green) |
Location
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Abbey ward includes the town centre of Reading, together with inner-city areas to the west of the centre on either side of Oxford Road as far as Reading West railway station.[1]
From the north, in a clockwise direction, the ward boundary follows the railway through Reading railway station to the bridge over Vastern Road. From here it follows Forbury Road, King's Road, Queen's Road and the Inner Distribution Road to the Castle Street roundabout. From here it goes up Castle Hill and follows Tilehurst Road, Prospect Street and Oxford Road to Reading West station, from which it follows the railway back to Reading station.[1]
In the same order as above, the ward is bordered by Thames, Redlands, Katesgrove, Coley and Battle wards. It lies entirely within the Reading Central parliamentary constituency.[1]
Profile
As of 2024[update], Abbey ward had an area of 1.582 square kilometres (0.611 sq mi) and there were 12,104 people living there. Of these, 13.5% were under 15 and 4.8% were 65 and over; 52.9% classified themselves as White, 27.7% as Asian, and 8.8% as Black, Caribbean or African; 61.6% were born outside the UK.[2][3]
The population lived in approximately 4,761 households, of which 79.6% were in a flat, maisonette or apartment, and 20.3% were in a house or bungalow. Of the households, 7.4% were owned outright by the residents, 14.78% were owned subject to a mortgage, loan or shared ownership, 67.1% were privately rented and 10.9% were socially rented.[3]
Of the population aged over 16, 70.2% were in employment, 5.2% were unemployed, and 24.5% were economically inactive. Of those in employment, 56.1% were in managerial, professional or technical occupations. A total of 53.2% of the population were educated to university degree level.[3]
The ward includes Civitas Academy and Oxford Road Community primary schools, but no secondary schools. It also includes Reading Minster and Greyfriars, Holy Trinity, St Giles', St James's, St Laurence's and St Mary's (Castle Street) churches. The most significant open spaces are the Forbury Gardens and adjacent ruins of Reading Abbey, complemented by the churchyards of Reading Minster and St Laurence's church.[1]
As might be expected from its town centre location, the ward includes a large amount of retail space, including the pedestrianised Broad Street and the Oracle and Broad Street Mall shopping centres.[1]
Representation
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. The ward councillors are currently Mohammed Ayub and David Stevens, both of whom are members of the Labour party, and Jacqueline Dominquez, who is a member of the Green party.[4][5]
Tony Page, one of Reading's most prominent local politicians, continuously represented Abbey Ward and its predecessors from 1973 until his retirement in 2024.[6]