Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Borough and unitary authority in Berkshire, England

Place in England

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Royal borough, unitary authority area, borough

* From left to right
* Top: Grenfell Road, Maidenhead
* Middle: Church Street, Windsor and Ascot Racecourse Grand Stand
* Bottom: Eton College and Windsor Castle

Coat of arms

Shown within Berkshire

Coordinates: 51°28′00″N 0°40′00″W﻿ / ﻿51.4667°N 0.6667°W﻿ / 51.4667; -0.6667
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Constituent country| England
Region| South East England
Ceremonial county| Berkshire
Status| Unitary authority
Incorporated| 1 April 1974
Admin HQ| Maidenhead
Government

• Type| Unitary authority
• Body| Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council
• Leadership| Cllr Simon Werner (Leader of the Council) (Liberal Democrats)
• MPs|

* Jack Rankin (Windsor)
* Joshua Reynolds (Maidenhead)

Area

• Total| 76.61 sq mi (198.43 km2)
• Rank| 146th (of 296)
Population

(2022[1])

• Total| 154,738
• Rank| 138th (of 296)
• Density| 2,000/sq mi (780/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)

[2]

• Ethnic groups|

List

* 79.8% White
* 13.1% Asian
* 3.4% Mixed
* 2.1% other
* 1.5% Black

Religion (2021)

[2]

• Religion|

List

* 49.8% Christianity
* 31% no religion
* 13.6% other
* 5.6% Islam

Time zone| UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code| 00ME (ONS) E06000040 (GSS)
OS grid reference| SU926750
Website| www.rbwm.gov.uk

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a royal borough and unitary authority in Berkshire, 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.

## Incorporation and enhancement to unitary authority[edit]

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.[3] 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.[4] A minority of the area in terms of population has a lower level of local government, the civil parish.

## River Thames[edit]

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.[5]

## Towns and villages[edit]

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

* Ascot
* Bray
* Clewer
* Cookham
* Datchet
* Eton
* Eton Wick
* Horton
* Maidenhead
* North Ascot (part)
* Old Windsor
* South Ascot
* Sunningdale
* Sunninghill
* Waltham St. Lawrence
* White Waltham
* Windsor
* Wraysbury

## Politics[edit]

### Westminster[edit]

The Royal Borough is represented at Westminster by two members of parliament: Jack Rankin of the Conservative Party (for Windsor) and Joshua Reynolds of the Liberal Democrats (for Maidenhead). Maidenhead was held by the Conservative Party since its creation in 1997 until 2024. 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 other districts, notably Slough and Wokingham have intermittently been included in each constituency 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.[6][7]

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.[8]

### Local government[edit]

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.[9]

The borough's Mayor is Cllr Simon Bond, and Mayor's Consort David Armitage.[10]

41 councillors represent the electorate of 19 wards.[9] The political control of the Royal Borough is as follows:[11][12][13]

Party in control | Years

|

| Conservative | 1973–1991
| No overall control | 1991–1995
| Liberal Democrats | 1995–1997
| No overall control | 1997–2003
| Liberal Democrats | 2003–2007
| Conservative | 2007–2023
| Liberal Democrats | 2023–present

### Parish and town councils[edit]

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

* Bisham
* Bray
* Cookham
* Cox Green
* Datchet
* Eton (town)
* Horton
* Hurley
* Old Windsor
* Shottesbrooke
* Sunningdale
* Sunninghill and Ascot
* Waltham St Lawrence
* White Waltham
* Wraysbury

The towns of Maidenhead and Windsor are unparished.

## Education[edit]

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.[14]

## Freedom of the Borough[edit]

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2019)

|

### Individuals[edit]

* Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh: 1947.
* Charles, Prince of Wales: 1970.
* Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: 1980.
* Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: 1995.
* Thomas Bailey: 1974.
* Stanley Platt: 1974.
* Sir John Smith: 1975.
* James Matthews: 1988.
* Peter Gray: 1994.
* Geoffrey Blacker: 1996.
* Sir Nicholas Winton: 1999.
* Harry Parker: 1999.
* Sir Clive Woodward: 2003.
* David Lunn: 2008.
* David Oram: 2012.

[15]

### Military Units[edit]

* The Royal Berkshire Regiment: 1959.
* The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment: 1960.
* The Household Cavalry: 1965.
* The Brigade of Guards: 1968.
* The Berkshire Yeomanry: 1993.
* The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment: 1999.
* The Rifles: 2006.

[16]

## Twin towns[edit]

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

* Neuilly-sur-Seine, France – established 1955 with Royal Borough of New Windsor.[17]
* Saint-Cloud, France – established 1957 with Maidenhead.
* Bad Godesberg, Germany – established 1960 with Maidenhead.
* Goslar, Germany – established 1969 with Royal Borough of New Windsor.
* Frascati, Italy – established 1972 with Maidenhead.
* Kortrijk, Belgium – established 1981 with Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Windsor and Maidenhead (Unitary District, Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
2. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Windsor and Maidenhead Local Authority (E06000040)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
3. ^ The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972. SO 1972/2039.
4. ^ "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996. SI 1996/1879". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
5. ^ Lower Thames Strategy Study: Strategic Environmental Assessment environmental report, Environment Agency, 2009. Accessed 31-12-2017
6. ^ Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (SI 1995/1626)
7. ^ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) (Miscellaneous Changes) Order 1998 (SI 1998/3152).
8. ^ Polity (magazine): 6:298 (147 and 183) "The Case of the Vanishing Marginals", D. R. Mayhew (1974)
9. ^ a b "Your Councillors". rbwm.moderngov.co.uk. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
10. ^ Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of Windsor and. "The Mayoralty". www.rbwm.gov.uk.
11. ^ UK Politics | Local Elections 2000 | Windsor & Maidenhead Royal. BBC News. Retrieved on 17 July 2013.
12. ^ Election 2007 | Local Council Elections | Windsor & Maidenhead Royal council. BBC News (4 May 2007). Retrieved on 17 July 2013.
13. ^ "England local elections 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
14. ^ "School system in Windsor to remain as three-tier". Windsor Advertiser. 5 July 2012.
15. ^ "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.
16. ^ "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.
17. ^ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

* v
* t
* e

Settlements in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Towns|

* Eton
* Maidenhead
* Windsor

Civil parishes|

* Bisham
* Bray
* Cookham
* Cox Green
* Datchet
* Horton
* Hurley
* Old Windsor
* Shottesbrooke
* Sunningdale
* Sunninghill and Ascot
* Waltham St Lawrence
* White Waltham
* Wraysbury

Other villages
and hamlets|

* Ascot
* Braywick
* Burchetts Green
* Cheapside
* Clewer
* Cookham Dean
* Dedworth
* Eton Wick
* Fifield
* Holyport
* Knowl Hill
* Littlewick Green
* Paley Street
* Pinkneys Green
* Shurlock Row
* Sunninghill
* Touchen End
* Warren Row

* v
* t
* e

Electoral wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Numbers shown are councillors by party from the 2023 Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council elections[1]

Ascot and Sunninghill|

* Conservative (3)

Belmont|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Bisham and Cookham|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Boyn Hill|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Bray|

* the Borough first (1)
* Conservative (1)

Clewer and Dedworth East|

* the Borough first (2)

Clewer and Dedworth West|

* West Windsor Residents' Association (2)

Clewer East|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Cox Green|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury|

* the Borough first (2)
* National Flood Prevention Party (1)

Eton and Castle|

* Liberal Democrats (3)

Furze Platt|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Hurley and Walthams|

* Liberal Democrats (1)
* Conservative (1)

Old Windsor|

* Old Windsor Residents' Association (2)

Oldfield|

* the Borough first (2)

Pinkneys Green|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Riverside|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

St Mary's|

* Liberal Democrats (2)

Sunningdale and Cheapside|

* Conservative (2)

* v
* t
* e

Districts of South East England

Berkshire|

* Bracknell Forest
* Reading
* Slough
* West Berkshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham

Buckinghamshire|

* Buckinghamshire
* Milton Keynes

East Sussex|

* Brighton and Hove
* Eastbourne
* Hastings
* Lewes
* Rother
* Wealden

Hampshire|

* Basingstoke and Deane
* East Hampshire
* Eastleigh
* Fareham
* Gosport
* Hart
* Havant
* New Forest
* Portsmouth
* Rushmoor
* Southampton
* Test Valley
* Winchester

Isle of Wight|

* Isle of Wight

Kent|

* Ashford
* Canterbury
* Dartford
* Dover
* Folkestone and Hythe
* Gravesham
* Maidstone
* Medway
* Sevenoaks
* Swale
* Thanet
* Tonbridge and Malling
* Tunbridge Wells

Oxfordshire|

* Cherwell
* Oxford
* South Oxfordshire
* Vale of White Horse
* West Oxfordshire

Surrey|

* Elmbridge
* Epsom and Ewell
* Guildford
* Mole Valley
* Reigate and Banstead
* Runnymede
* Spelthorne
* Surrey Heath
* Tandridge
* Waverley
* Woking

West Sussex|

* Adur
* Arun
* Chichester
* Crawley
* Horsham
* Mid Sussex
* Worthing

* v
* t
* e

Ceremonial county of Berkshire

Berkshire Portal

Unitary authorities|

* Bracknell Forest
* Reading
* Slough
* West Berkshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham

Major settlements
(cities in italics)|

* Ascot
* Bracknell
* Earley
* Eton
* Hungerford
* Maidenhead
* Newbury
* Reading
* Sandhurst
* Slough
* Thatcham
* Windsor
* Wokingham
* Woodley
See also: List of civil parishes in Berkshire

Topics|

* Country houses

* Flag
* Grade I listed buildings
* Grade II* listed buildings
* High Sheriffs
* History
* Lord Lieutenants
* Museums
* Parliamentary constituencies
* Places
* Population of major settlements
* Public art
* SSSIs

* v
* t
* e

Unitary authorities of England

Areas|

* Bath and North East Somerset
* Bedford
* Blackburn with Darwen
* Blackpool
* Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
* Bracknell Forest
* Brighton and Hove
* Bristol
* Buckinghamshire
* Central Bedfordshire
* Cheshire East
* Cheshire West and Chester
* Cornwall
* County Durham
* Cumberland
* Darlington
* Derby
* Dorset
* East Riding of Yorkshire
* Halton
* Hartlepool
* Herefordshire
* Isle of Wight
* Isles of Scilly
* Kingston upon Hull
* Leicester
* Luton
* Medway
* Middlesbrough
* Milton Keynes
* North East Lincolnshire
* North Lincolnshire
* North Northamptonshire
* North Somerset
* North Yorkshire
* Northumberland
* Nottingham
* Peterborough
* Plymouth
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Redcar and Cleveland
* Rutland
* Shropshire
* Slough
* Somerset
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* South Gloucestershire
* Stockton-on-Tees
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Swindon
* Telford and Wrekin
* Thurrock
* Torbay
* Warrington
* West Berkshire
* Westmorland and Furness
* West Northamptonshire
* Wiltshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham
* York

Councils|

* Bath and North East Somerset
* Bedford
* Blackburn with Darwen
* Blackpool
* Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
* Bracknell Forest
* Brighton and Hove
* Bristol
* Buckinghamshire
* Central Bedfordshire
* Cheshire East
* Cheshire West and Chester
* Cornwall
* County Durham
* Cumberland
* Darlington
* Derby
* Dorset
* East Riding of Yorkshire
* Halton
* Hartlepool
* Herefordshire
* Isle of Wight
* Isles of Scilly
* Kingston upon Hull
* Leicester
* Luton
* Medway
* Middlesbrough
* Milton Keynes
* North East Lincolnshire
* North Lincolnshire
* North Northamptonshire
* North Somerset
* North Yorkshire
* Northumberland
* Nottingham
* Peterborough
* Plymouth
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Redcar and Cleveland
* Rutland
* Shropshire
* Slough
* Somerset
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* South Gloucestershire
* Stockton-on-Tees
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Swindon
* Telford and Wrekin
* Thurrock
* Torbay
* Warrington
* West Berkshire
* Westmorland and Furness
* West Northamptonshire
* Wiltshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham
* York

Elections|

* Bath and North East Somerset
* Bedford
* Blackburn with Darwen
* Blackpool
* Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
* Bracknell Forest
* Brighton and Hove
* Bristol
* Buckinghamshire
* Central Bedfordshire
* Cheshire East
* Cheshire West and Chester
* Cornwall
* County Durham
* Cumberland
* Darlington
* Derby
* Dorset
* East Riding of Yorkshire
* Halton
* Hartlepool
* Herefordshire
* Isle of Wight
* Isles of Scilly
* Kingston upon Hull
* Leicester
* Luton
* Medway
* Middlesbrough
* Milton Keynes
* North East Lincolnshire
* North Lincolnshire
* North Northamptonshire
* North Somerset
* North Yorkshire
* Northumberland
* Nottingham
* Peterborough
* Plymouth
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Redcar and Cleveland
* Rutland
* Shropshire
* Slough
* Somerset
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* South Gloucestershire
* Stockton-on-Tees
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Swindon
* Telford and Wrekin
* Thurrock
* Torbay
* Warrington
* West Berkshire
* Westmorland and Furness
* West Northamptonshire
* Wiltshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham
* York

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Israel
* United States

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

1. ^ Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of Windsor and. "Borough elections 2023". www3.rbwm.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2024.

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