Your District: Facts and Figures

On this page:

• About West Berkshire
• The Administrative District
• Population
• Resident's Survey
• Accessing data and information
• Census 2021

About West Berkshire

West Berkshire makes up over half of the geographical area of the county of Berkshire, covering an area of 272 square miles.

Transport Links

Within the district, the M4 and the A34 meet. These roads both provide direct links to key locations in the south, including London, Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Oxford and Swindon.

West Berkshire also has good rail links, with London less than an hour by train and further connections, via Reading, to all the mainline routes throughout the country. The area also has very good links to international transport, with Heathrow and Southampton airport 40 miles away, as well as the ferry terminals in Southampton and Portsmouth.

Geography

The district is primarily made up of chalk downlands, loosely following the River Kennet, which rises in Wiltshire and joins the Thames at Reading. The flat floodplain of this river is bordered by fairly steep slopes on each side. Most people within the district live within this valley.

The majority of the district lies to the north of the River Kennet, where the land rises to the Berkshire and Marlborough Downs. This is an area of gently rolling, chalk Downlands, classified as part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which includes parts of all the five National Character areas.

The Administrative District

The district is administered by West Berkshire Council. The Council was created as a single tier (unitary) authority after the separation of Berkshire County Council in 1998. The boundary of the district corresponds with that of the former Newbury District Council.

The Council is made up of 43 councillors who are elected every four years by people who are registered to vote in West Berkshire. A leader and cabinet (known as the Executive) model was adopted in May 2001. The district of West Berkshire is made up of 24 electoral wards, and each ward is represented by up to three Councillors. 

West Berkshire Council is a Liberal Democrat-run authority (elections were held in May 2023), you can find more information on your councillors, e.g. committee membership, councillors by political party online.

You can see the electoral wards and information about them and their councillors on the interactive map below.

Click here to view this map full screen in a new window.

Population

According to the Census 2021 West Berkshire has usual resident population of approximately 161,400 people.

23% are aged 19 and under, 62% are aged 20 to 64, and 20% are aged 65 and over.

For smaller areas we must rely on the mid-year estimates of 2020 until more data from the Census 2021 is analysed and released over the next two years. Therefore:

According to the Office of National Statistics mid-year estimates at mid-year 2020, West Berkshire has an estimated resident population of approximately 158,465.

21% are aged 16 and under, 61% are of working age (16-64), 78% are aged 18 and over, and 20% are aged 65 and over.

64% of the West Berkshire population (around 101,111) live in settlements along the Kennet Valley, and in the suburban areas just to the west of Reading borough.

The 2018-based projection for the number of households in 2020 is 65,638.

The largest urban areas in the district are Newbury and Thatcham, where around 69,667 (44%) of West Berkshire residents live. 31,444 (20%) of residents live in the suburban area adjoining Reading borough. Around 57,354 (36%) of people live in rural settlements.

West Berkshire has one of the most dispersed populations in the South East, with 225 people per hectare.

Resident's Survey

In 2021, we commissioned M·E·L Research to carry out a residents' survey.

The survey included similar questions to those used in the Local Government Association's "Are You Being Served" survey, which was developed by Ipsos MORI and local authorities, so that we could compare ourselves with others who had asked the same questions.

The questions covered a broad set of topics, which were:

• Satisfaction with the local area and the council
• Service improvement and prioritisation
• Sense of belonging, safety and community
• Communication and engagement
• Personal wellbeing

You can read more about how the survey was carried out, what we asked, what you said and what we did online.

Accessing data and information

We use data from a variety of free, public sites to access information about our district and wards, (eg, population figures, health and police data). Data can sometimes be further sub-divided into smaller areas called Super Output Areas (SOAs), which represent about 1,500 people. These are used, for example, by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) for the Census, and for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Indices of Deprivation (IoD).

We use this information to improve our service delivery, and compare ourselves to other councils.

Some useful sites are:

Census 2021

The ONS aim to publish all main Census 2021 data on the population of England and Wales within two years of the census along with analysis tools to make the information easy to access and understand.
You can view the release calendar online.

Current releases are:

Population and household estimates

To explain the data, the ONS have publish bulletins which discuss the population size and change from 2011, population density and number of households, and also interactive content that shows how the population has changed in different local authority areas and a population map game

Demography and migration

This includes data on international migrations for England and Wales, and includes univariate data (one variable only) down to Output Area (OA) level, where possible on the following topics:

• The number of England and Wales residents born outside of the UK
• Characteristics of people living in England and Wales
• Average household size and composition
• Passports held
• The median age of residents within different local authorities across England and Wales

UK armed forces veterans data

Includes data on the the numbers of veterans for all geographical areas down to Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) level to answer questions such as:

• How many UK armed forces veterans lived in households and communal establishments at the time of the census?
• How many households had one or more persons who'd served in the UK armed forces?
• Which local authorities had the highest proportion of UK armed forces veterans?

You can use Census maps to find out what people's lives are like across England and Wales. This new digital content allows you to explore Census 2021 data for different topics down to a local authority and neighbourhood level.

You can find more information about the results of the Census 2021 on the ONS webpage.

Watch this short video to learn more about the process behind collecting and delivering the census results and what they'll be used for.

The West Berkshire Data Observatory

The West Berkshire Data Observatory aims to bring together existing research and analysis resources, working jointly with partners to provide information and intelligence.
 

The Office of National Statistics (ONS)

The ONS website provides access to data produced by the ONS, and some data from government departments and devolved administrations.
 

Nomis (provided by the ONS)

The Nomis website gives free access to the most detailed and up-to-date UK labour market statistics from official sources. It also holds all the data from the 2011 Census.
 

Public Health England

The Public Health England website provides a snapshot of health for each local council in England, using key health indicators to enable local, regional and over time comparisons. These snapshots are designed to help local councils, and the NHS, decide where to target resources and tackle health inequalities in their local area. It is split into three categories (or domains) which describe health in its broadest terms; Healthy People, Healthy Lives and Healthy Places.

ONS Health Index

The ONS Health Index gives a rich insight into how the nation's health has changed. This data allows users to take a deep dive into the aspects that affect the health of both individuals and communities and to understand whether these might be getting better or worse.  

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

The JSNA describes the health needs and wellbeing of people who live in West Berkshire. It uses data and evidence about the current health and wellbeing of the district to highlight the health needs of the whole community. It considers how health needs vary for different age groups, and identifies health differences in disadvantaged or vulnerable groups.
 

Stat-Xplore

The Stat-Xplore website provides a guided way to explore Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit statistics.
 

English Indices of Deprivation (IoD)

The English Indices of Deprivation (IoD) on the GOV.UK website, produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, are statistics on relative levels of deprivation in England. They were last updated in September 2019. There is a indices for local authorities dashboard, where data at local authority and neighbourhood (Lower Super Output Area (LSOA)) level can be explored. There is also a mapping tool, and a handy explanatory infographic.
Please note: the IoD can not be used to quantify how deprived or affluent a small area is.
 

Police.uk

The Police.uk website provides information on crime and antisocial behaviour in your neighbourhood. You can access and compare the latest information on a range of crime types with other neighbourhoods. You can also be able to access the details of your local neighbourhood policing team, policing priorities and information on the policing pledge.