Reading West
2010 Results:
Conservative: 20523 (43.18%)
Labour: 14519 (30.55%)
Liberal Democrat: 9546 (20.08%)
UKIP: 1508 (3.17%)
Green: 582 (1.22%)
Others: 852 (1.79%)
Majority: 6004 (12.63%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Labour: 19447 (45.2%)
Conservative: 14467 (33.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 6806 (15.8%)
Other: 2301 (5.3%)
Majority: 4980 (11.6%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 14258 (33.9%)
Labour: 18940 (45%)
Liberal Democrat: 6663 (15.8%)
Green: 921 (2.2%)
UKIP: 1180 (2.8%)
Other: 141 (0.3%)
Majority: 4682 (11.1%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 13451 (32%)
Labour: 22300 (53.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 5387 (12.8%)
UKIP: 848 (2%)
Majority: 8849 (21.1%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 18844 (38.9%)
Labour: 21841 (45.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 6153 (12.7%)
Referendum: 976 (2%)
Other: 575 (1.2%)
Majority: 2997 (6.2%)
Boundary changes: contains all of the old Reading West and gains parts of the divided wards of Battle and Whitley from Reading East.
Profile: Reading is a commerical centre and commuter town in the Thames Valley in Berkshire. It is an affluent town, home to light, hi tech and service industry. It houses many corporate headquarters, including Microsoft, Sage, British Gas and Prudential. Reading West is the less urban of the two Reading seats – while it includes several council estates such as those at Southcote and Whitley, it also stretches out to the West of Reading itself to take in more rural areas including Theale, Tidmarsh and Pangbourne, the site of Pangbourne College, formerly a Royal Naval College. The annual Reading Music Festival is held at Little John`s Farm at the North of the constituency. The seat also includes Reading FC`s Madejski Stadium. John Madejski, the Reading FC Chairman, is a notable donor to the Conservative party.
Current MP: Alok Sharma (Conservative) Chartered accountant






2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 98571
Male: 49.9%
Female: 50.1%
Under 18: 23.7%
Over 60: 17.4%
Born outside UK: 9.6%
White: 90.5%
Black: 3.5%
Asian: 3.1%
Mixed: 2.2%
Other: 0.7%
Christian: 69.5%
Hindu: 0.7%
Muslim: 2.4%
Full time students: 2.4%
Graduates 16-74: 20.4%
No Qualifications 16-74: 26.5%
Owner-Occupied: 72.7%
Social Housing: 16.3% (Council: 10.1%, Housing Ass.: 6.2%)
Privately Rented: 8.1%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.4%