Berkshire

Berkshire County Photo - Windsor River


One of the oldest counties in England was first mentioned by name in the year 860.  The county stretches sixty miles west of London to the Wiltshire border and has a population of around 806,000.

The local government structure consists of six Unitary Authorities. Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Bracknell Forest, Slough and West Berkshire Council. West Berkshire accounts for approximately half the area of the county and half of the rural population. Except for the relatively densely populated southern area, West Berkshire is characterised by small settlements served by a few rural towns.

There is a perception that the Eastern half of Berkshire is urban, but within this area are significant pockets that are very much rural in nature, all of which share similar issues to communities in the more sparsely populated western area of the county.

Berkshire is generally a very prosperous area, located at the centre of the Thames Valley sub-region; one that makes a significant net contribution to the nation’s GDP. While average earnings, skill levels and car ownership are generally higher than national averages, the correspondingly high costs of living, particularly in relation to accommodation costs, causes real problems for the ‘have-nots’.

Services tend to be urban focused and accessing them for people living in rural areas is a major issue Berkshire’s proximity to central London and Heathrow airport make it an attractive location for major computer and telecommunication companies such as 3M, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle, Motorola and Vodafone, among others. Tourism also plays an important role in the local economy with major attractions at Windsor Castle, Eton and Legoland.

Contact details for key contacts within Berkshire can be found on our Berkshire Contacts page.

For the latest news for Berkshire, visit the Berkshire's latest news section.

Berkshire Towns:

Case Studies for Berkshire can be found in our Berkshire downloads section

Details of completed Healthcheck Plans are available to download under the Healthcheck section


The Community Council for Berkshire will be holding their Annual Conference, entitled 'Empowering Communities:Putting Real People in Control'.  This conference takes place on Tuesday 14th July at Newbury Racecourse.  Please download details of the conference theme, Keynote speakers and workshops. There is a £70 charge.


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