Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. While it is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland Windsor and Ascot Racecourse. It is one of four boroughs entitled to be prefixed Royal and is one of six unitary authorities in the county, which has historic and ceremonial status.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Royal borough, unitary authority area, borough
Coat of arms of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Coat of arms
Shown within Berkshire
Shown within Berkshire
Coordinates: 51°28′00″N 0°40′00″W
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Ceremonial countyBerkshire
StatusUnitary authority
Incorporated1 April 1974
Admin HQMaidenhead
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • BodyWindsor and Maidenhead Borough Council
 • LeadershipCllr Simon Werner (Leader of the Council) (Liberal Democrats)
 • MPs
Area
 • Total76.61 sq mi (198.43 km2)
 • Rank146th (of 296)
Population
 (2021[1])
 • Total153,921
 • Rank137th (of 296)
 • Density2,000/sq mi (780/km2)
 • Ethnicity - Census 2021
  • 69.1% White British
  • 10.8% White Other
  • 13.1% Asian
  • 3.4% Mixed
  • 1.5% Black
  • 2.1% Other
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code00ME (ONS) E06000040 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU926750
Websitewww.rbwm.gov.uk

Incorporation and enhancement to unitary authority

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 as one of six standard districts or boroughs within Berkshire, under the Local Government Act 1972, from minor parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire which remained for more than two decades Administrative Counties, and such that Berkshire assumed the high-level local government functions for the resultant area. The change merged the boroughs of Maidenhead and Windsor (formally the Royal Borough of New Windsor), the rural districts of Cookham and Windsor, and in Buckinghamshire, north of the River Thames (on the left bank): Eton urban district and the parishes of Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury in its rural district.[2] The area immediately inherited by law royal borough status from the town of Windsor which contains Windsor Castle.

The local authority is its Council. Its area became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998 with virtually full local government powers as Berkshire County Council was abolished.[3] A minority of the area in terms of population has a lower level of local government, the civil parish.

River Thames

The borough straddles the River Thames. Approximately half of its flow through the borough has a bypass and seasonally-variable flood relief channel, the Jubilee River. Further flood relief channels are planned for the reaches below the Borough to benefit many other settlements including Datchet and Wraysbury in the borough which were the settlements most widely affected by the UK storms of January-February 2014.[4]

Towns and villages

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead contains the following towns and villages:

Politics

Westminster

The Royal Borough is represented at Westminster by two members of parliament of the Conservative Party: Adam Afriyie (for Windsor) and Theresa May (for Maidenhead). Maidenhead has been held by the Conservative Party since its creation in 1997. Windsor has been held by the same party since 1874 with varying representation from its 1484 creation including more than 350 initial years with two MPs. Small parts of wards of other seats, notably the Slough unitary area and Wokingham have intermittently been included in each seat to prevent malapportionment which is a definition of boundaries which causes any MP to serve a significantly different number of potential voters (electors) than the others.[5][6]

The irregular, elongated shape of the Windsor seat being the south-east half of the Borough has been criticised by academics who noted the net changes which the Heath administration led through Parliament in 1972, implemented in 1974, intensified difference. They frequently grouped right-leaning suburban areas within urban historic centres and more modern, urban left-leaning areas such as the bulk of Slough. This ostensibly amounted to nationwide gerrymandering or homogenisation to install a greater number safe seats at the expense of marginal seats however also reflected the majority of social associations of people in each area.[7]

Local government
Map of wards within Windsor and Maidenhead
Main article: Windsor and Maidenhead local elections

Elections for councillors to the Royal Borough take place every four years; the last took place in 2023. The local authority is controlled a cabinet. The Royal Borough is currently under a Liberal Democrat administration, with Cllr Simon Werner the leader of the council.[8]

The borough's Mayor is Cllr Neil Knowles, and Mayor's Consort Theresa Knowles.[9]

41 councillors represent the electorate of 19 wards.[8] The political control of the Royal Borough is as follows:[10][11][12]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1973–1991
No overall control1991–1995
Liberal Democrats1995–1997
No overall control1997–2003
Liberal Democrats2003–2007
Conservative2007–2023
Liberal Democrats2023–present

Parish and town councils

There are 14 parish councils and 1 town council in the borough:

The towns of Maidenhead and Windsor are unparished.

Education
Main article: List of schools in Windsor and Maidenhead

The Windsor and Maidenhead LEA provides a comprehensive system, with a three-tier successive school system in Windsor, and two-tier education elsewhere. Colleges and sixth forms are available in the main two towns as well as across its borders in Egham, Slough and Wokingham.[13]

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Individuals

[14]

Military Units

[15]

Twin towns

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is twinned with the following Towns:

References
  1. "Windsor and Maidenhead (Unitary District, Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972. SO 1972/2039.
  3. "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996. SI 1996/1879". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
  4. Lower Thames Strategy Study: Strategic Environmental Assessment environmental report, Environment Agency, 2009. Accessed 31-12-2017
  5. Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (SI 1995/1626)
  6. The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) Order 1998 (SI 1998/3152).
  7. Polity (magazine): 6:298 (147 and 183) "The Case of the Vanishing Marginals", D. R. Mayhew (1974)
  8. "Your Councillors". rbwm.moderngov.co.uk. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  9. Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of Windsor and. "The Mayoralty". www.rbwm.gov.uk.
  10. UK Politics | Local Elections 2000 | Windsor & Maidenhead Royal. BBC News. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.
  11. Election 2007 | Local Council Elections | Windsor & Maidenhead Royal council. BBC News (4 May 2007). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.
  12. "England local elections 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  13. "School system in Windsor to remain as three-tier". Windsor Advertiser. 5 July 2012.
  14. "Honorary Freemen and Freedom of Entry to the Royal Borough | The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead". Archived from the original on 12 May 2019.
  15. "Honorary Freemen and Freedom of Entry to the Royal Borough | The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead". Archived from the original on 12 February 2019.
  16. "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  1. Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of Windsor and. "Borough elections 2019 - by ward". www3.rbwm.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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