| Abbey Ward, Borough of Reading | |
|---|---|
.jpg)    Clockwise from top left: Reading Abbey, Railway Station, Broad Street and the Nag's Head in Russell Street | |
  Abbey Ward, Borough of Reading Location withinBerkshire | |
| Area | 1.02 km2 (0.39 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 13,503 [1] |
| • Density | 13,238/km2 (34,290/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU713738 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Royal Berkshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°27′30″N0°58′21″W / 51.458264°N 0.972501°W /51.458264; -0.972501 | |
Abbey is anelectoral ward of theBorough of Reading, in theEnglish county ofBerkshire. The ruins ofReading Abbey lie within the boundaries of the ward, a fact from which it derives its name.
The ward covers the centre of the town, south of theRiver Thames, and is bordered byBattle,Thames,Redlands,Katesgrove andColey wards. The ward lies entirely within theReading Central parliamentary constituency.[2]
As of 2016, there were some 13,500 people living in Abbey ward, of whom 16.1% were aged under 16, 6% were aged 65 and over, and 44% were born outside the UK. The population lives in a total of just under 6,800 dwellings, of which 57% are in purpose-built blocks of flats, just over 20% each are terraced houses, and just over 10% are flat conversions or shared houses, with detached and semi-detached houses making up the rest. Of the population aged between 16 and 74, 72.4% are in employment and 5.1% are unemployed. Of those in employment, 60% are in managerial, professional or technical occupations, with 34% in professional occupations.[1]
As with all Reading wards, the ward elects threecouncillors toReading Borough Council. Elections since 2004 are generally held by thirds, with elections in three years out of four, although the 2022 elections were for all councillors due to the boundary changes. The ward councillors are currently Mohammed Ayub, Karen Rowland and David Stevens, all of whom are members of theLabour party.[3]
Tony Page, one of Reading's most prominent local politicians, continuously represented Abbey Ward and its predecessors from 1973 until his retirement in 2024.[4]