UPDATE: the constituency boundary changes for Bracknell and Wokingham have been released now. You can check them out here.
The political map of the UK is set to be shaken up as Parliamentary constituency boundary changes are being made.
The UK is currently divided into 650 constituencies, each of which sends one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent it.
Votes are held a maximum of every five years, with the political candidate with the most votes winning a seat in Parliament.
Berkshire has eight constituencies in total. Constituency areas are made up of council ward areas, but confusingly, the boundaries for councils and constituencies are different.
So even if two friends live in Bracknell Forest, they could have different MPs depending on where they live. For example, the Ascot ward of Bracknell Forest Council is placed in the Windsor constituency. Meanwhile, the Crowthorne ward in Bracknell Forest is represented by the MP for Bracknell.
READ MORE: MPs celebrate more funding for police to tackle burglary, robbery and vehicle theft
Things are particularly complex in Wokingham Borough, which spans four parliamentary constituencies: Wokingham, Reading East, Bracknell and Maidenhead.
The boundaries for the UK Parliamentary Constituencies were announced to MPs today (June 7) and will be announced to the general public tomorrow.
Ahead of the changes, you can find out which wards are in which parliamentary constituency in our area below.
Bracknell constituency
Bracknell Constituency Map. Parts of Bracknell Forest are within the Windsor constituency. Credit: Ordnance Survey
The Bracknell constituency is currently represented by James Sunderland MP (Conservative), who was elected in 2019.
It is made up of the Bracknell Forest Council wards of Bullbrook, Central Sandhurst, College Town, Crown Wood, Crowthorne, Great Hollands North, Great Hollands South, Hanworth, Harmanswater, Little Sandhurst and Wellington, Old Bracknell, Owlsmoor, Priestwood and Garth, and Wildridings and Central.
It also covers the Wokingham Borough Council wards of Finchampstead North, Finchampstead South, and Wokingham Without.
However, four Bracknell Forest wards are within the Windsor constituency. These are the wards of Ascot, Binfield with Warfield, Warfield Harvest Rise, and Winkfield and Cranbourne. Windsor is represented by Adam Afriyie MP, who’s been the MP there since 2005.
READ MORE: Bracknell MP reacts to election fallout including Labour's Hartlepool drubbing
Conservative Party associations are divided by Parliamentary constituencies. Members of the Bracknell Conservative Association celebrated a clean sweep in the local elections 2021, as all their Wokingham Borough candidates and town council by-election candidates won their respective elections.
The two Finchampstead wards used to be in the Reading East constituency from 1997-2010. Wokingham Without used to be in the Wokingham constituency, but was transferred to Bracknell in 2010.
Wokingham constituency
Wokingham Constituency Map. Parts of Wokingham Borough are within the Reading East, Maidenhead and Bracknell constituencies. Credit: Ordnance Survey
The Wokingham constituency is currently represented by Sir John Redwood MP (CON), who was first elected in 1987, and was re-elected in 2019.
It is made up of the Wokingham town wards of Emmbrook, Evendons, Norreys, and Wescott, the Earley wards of Hawkedon, Hillside, and Maiden Erlegh, and the village wards of Arborfield, Barkham, Shinfield North, Shinfield South, Swallowfield, and Winnersh.
Oddly enough, the Wokingham constituency is also made up of the West Berkshire Council wards of Burghfield, Mortimer, and Sulhamstead – meaning the constituency stretches to the west.
Meanwhile, many of the northern villages in Wokingham borough are part of the Maidenhead constituency. The borough wards of Charvil, Hurst, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe, Sonning, Twyford and Coronation ward in Woodley are all in the Maidenhead constituency, represented by Theresa May MP (CON), who has represented it since 1997.
Also, the Wokingham borough wards of Bulmershe and Whitegates, Loddon, and South Lake, all in Woodley, are part of the Reading East constituency, which has been held by Labour MP Matt Rodda since 2017.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel