Katesgrove is an inner-town district and electoral ward situated immediately to the south of the centre of the town of
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
county of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
. The district and ward are largely, but not entirely, coterminous.
District
The traditional definition of the district of Katesgrove is bounded on the north by the
Inner Distribution Road
The Inner Distribution Road (IDR) is a mostly dual carriageway ring road that encircles the town centre of Reading, Berkshire, England. It forms part of the A329 that runs from Wentworth in Surrey to Thame in Oxfordshire.
History
The Inner ...
, on the east by Sidmouth Street, Kendrick Road and Northumberland Avenue, on the south by Long Barn Lane and Rose Kiln Lane and on the west by the
River Kennet
The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which â ...
.
Electoral ward
The Katesgrove
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
of the
Borough of Reading
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of its built-up area lies within the Borough of Reading, although ...
corresponds closely to the district. In addition to the traditional definition of Katesgrove (as given above), the ward includes a strip of land between the
A33 and the River Kennet, including the flats on the site of the
Reading Central goods depot and the commercial buildings to the south, that would more normally be regarded as part of the districts of
Coley and
Coley Park
Coley Park is a Suburban village to the south of the town of Reading, Berkshire, Reading in the England, English county of Berkshire. It is largely built on the country estate of the same name, surrounding Coley House. It is primarily a resident ...
. The ward is bordered by
Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
,
Redlands,
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
,
Whitley and
Coley wards and forms part of the
Reading Central
Reading Central is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Created as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. Since 2024, it has been represe ...
parliamentary constituency.
Katesgrove elects three councillors to the
unitary
Unitary may refer to:
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* Unitary divisor
* Unitary element
* Unitary group
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* Unitary morphism
* Unitary operator
* Unitary transformation
* Unitary representation
* Unitarity (physics)
* ''E''-unitary inverse semigr ...
Reading Borough Council
Reading Borough Council is the local authority for Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. Reading has had a council since at least 1542, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1998, the council has been a unitary authority, be ...
, with each elected in separate years for a four-year term.
Traditionally an area of strength for the
Labour Party, one of Katesgrove's councillors was Labour's
David Sutton, who was leader of the council for thirteen years before his defeat by a
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
, Warren Swaine, in 2008.
The 2000s witnessed a surge in votes for the Liberal Democrats, resulting in 2007 with the election of Gareth Epps, who, in the 2010 general election, contested the
Reading East
Reading East was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. In the 2019–2024 Parliament, it was one of two Labour seats from a total of eight seats in Berkshire.
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Re ...
constituency and achieved second place in that election - culminating in 2010 with all Katesgrove councillors being Liberal Democrats.
However, the
2011 council election saw Labour candidate
Matt Rodda
Matthew Richard Allen Rodda (born 28 December 1966) is a British Labour Party politician, former journalist, and civil servant who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Reading Central, previously Reading East, since 2017.
Early life and ...
, who is now MP for
Reading Central
Reading Central is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Created as a result of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. Since 2024, it has been represe ...
, elected, and over the following years Labour regained the remaining seats.
In the
2022 election, at which all councillors faced re-election because of boundary changes, a swing from the Labour Party to the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.
Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
led to the latter gaining two of the three seats. , the councillors are Doug Cresswell, Louise Keane and Kate Nikulina, all of the Green Party.
Notable people
*
Fred Potts VC, holder of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
.
See also
*
East Reading
References
External links
*
Katesgrove Community Association
Suburbs of Reading, Berkshire
Wards of Reading
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