Coley (Reading ward)
| Coley Ward, Borough of Reading | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top left: Brunswick Street, Coley Park flats, Coley Hill and Courage Park | |
  Coley Ward, Borough of Reading Location within Berkshire | |
| Area | 3.047 km2 (1.176 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 11,704 [2] |
| • Density | 3,841/km2 (9,950/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU7072 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
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Coley is an electoral ward of the Borough of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. Until the 2022 Reading Borough Council election, it was known as Minster ward and had slightly different boundaries.
Location
The ward lies south-west of the town centre, comprising all of the suburbs of Coley and Coley Park, and parts of West Reading, together with a large tract of undeveloped River Kennet flood-plain to the south of Coley Park.
From the south in clockwise order the ward is bounded by the River Kennet, the Reading to Basingstoke railway line, Reading West railway station, the Oxford Road, Prospect Street, Tilehust Road, Castle Hill, and the A33 back to the River Kennet. The ward is bordered, in the same order, by Whitley, Southcote, Battle, Abbey and Katesgrove wards. It lies entirely within the Reading Central parliamentary constituency.[3][4]
The principal changes to the ward boundary in 2022 were the loss of the section of the old Minster ward to the west of the railway line, bounded by Bath Road, Parkside Road and Tilehurst Road, to Southcote ward, and the loss of the strip of Minster ward to the east of the A33, as far as the River Kennet, to Katesgrove ward. Coley ward also gained the area bounded by Tilehurst Road, Reading West station, Oxford Road and Prospect Street from Battle ward.[3][4][5]
Profile
Demographics
As of 2024, Coley ward had an area of 3.047 square kilometres (1.176 sq mi) and there were 11,704 people living there. Of these, 18.8% were under 15 and 10.6% were 65 and over; 60.5% classified themselves as White, 21.8% as Asian, and 9.6% as Black, Caribbean or African; 40.3% were born outside the UK.[1][2]
The population lived in 4,619 households, of which 50.2% were in a flat, maisonette or apartment, and 49.7% were in a house or bungalow. Of the households, 19.8% were owned outright by the residents, 25.8% were owned subject to a mortgage, loan or shared ownership, 34.5% were privately rented and 19.9% were socially rented.[2]
Of the population aged over 16, 66.6% were in employment, 4.4% were unemployed, and 29.1% were economically inactive. Of those in employment, 51.4% were in managerial, professional or technical occupations. A total of 45.0% of the population were educated to university degree level.[2]
Environment
As of 2022, Coley ward had a tree canopy cover of 17.4%, compared to figures of 17.7% for the Reading as a whole, and 16.5% for the United Kingdom. The principal public open space within the built-up part of the ward are Courage Park and Coley Recreation Ground. To the south, most of the flood plain is private farmland, but it is crossed by a number of public footpaths, including one alongside the Holy Brook.[4][6][7]
Facilities
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The ward includes Coley, and St Mary and All Saints primary schools, but no secondary schools. It is home to two of Reading's private hospitals: the Berkshire Independent Hospital and the Dunedin Hospital. It also includes All Saints' Church.[4][8][9]
There is very little retail space in the ward, just a few isolated local shops and a small precinct on Wensley Road in Coley Park. There are two public houses, the Rose and Thistle on Argyle Street and the Foresters on Brunswick Street, both in the north of the ward.
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. As of May 2026, the ward councillors are Paul Gittings and Liz Terry, both of whom are members of the Labour party, and Richard Walkem, a member of the Green party.[10][11]
References
- 1 2 "Coley (Ward, United Kingdom)". City Population. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Area profile for Coley Ward". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Wards". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Election Maps (Map). Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ↑ "Draft recommendations consultation for Reading Borough Council has now closed". Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ↑ Map of Reading, Wokingham & Pangbourne (Map). 1:25000. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319243527.
- ↑ "Reading's Tree Canopy Cover Assessment" (PDF). Reading Borough Council. October 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Capio Reading Private Hospital". Capio Healthcare UK. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
- ↑ "How to find Spire Dunedin Hospital". Spire Healthcare. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "Your Councillors". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ↑ "Local election results 7 May 2026". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
External links
- Coley Ward in the 2021 census from the Office for National Statistics
- Minster Ward profile in 2016 from Reading Borough Council via the Internet Archive