MORE than 10,000 children have been over 12-months in Berkshire with Slough coming out on top for the highest birth rate, according to recent figures.
Birth figures are regularly monitored by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to provide insights into the population of an area.
According to the latest statistics, from Nomis which is a service provided the ONS, there 10,491 children born in Berkshire in 2021.
The statistics below show that Slough has the highest birth rate in Berkshire, and Bracknell the lowest.
Slough – 2,116
Reading – 2,026
Wokingham – 1,821
Windsor and Maidenhead – 1,526
West Berkshire – 1,507
Bracknell Forest – 1,495
Fertility Rate
The ONS also monitors the fertility rate of women, as the average number of children a mother gives birth to in the area, if she experienced the typical fertility rate every year.
Again, Slough has the highest fertility rate in Berkshire:
Slough – 2.1
Bracknell Forest – 1.9
West Berkshire – 1.8
Wokingham 1.8
Reading – 1.7
Windsor and Maidenhead – 1.7
The fertility rate among women in Bracknell Forest has increased since the pandemic. In 2019, the area had a fertility rate of 1.65. That year, there were 1,304 births in Bracknell Forest, meaning births increased by 14 per cent in 2021.
Hunt for sexual health provider
The latest figures come as a search has been launched for a provider for sexual health support in Bracknell, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead.
Councils have a duty to find a provider for sexual health services, which includes providing information, advice and support on a range of issues, such as relationships and pregnancy, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and contraception.
As well as single-use contraceptives such as condoms, providers also supply long term contraceptives, such as a contraceptive pill, implant, or an intrauterine device (IUD).
The council’s sexual health contractor must also provide psycho-sexual support for couples, which is conducted by counsellors and therapists.
Bracknell Forest Council is in charge of selecting a provider on behalf of its own local authority area, Slough and the Royal Borough.
Bracknell Forest Council’s executive committee agreed to start the search for a provider on Tuesday, March 21. The council will now send an invitation for organisations to apply to provide the service on May 10.
A provider is expected to be selected on December 3, ready for provision to begin on July 1, 2024. The contract will last for five years.
The sexual health services contract is currently held by the Berkshire Health NHS Foundation Trust.
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