Reading Central
Represented in Parliament by Matt Rodda (Labour). Here is who won the last general election here, and a few numbers about the area.
See Matt Rodda’s page: roles, questions, expenses, interests →
Your MP at a glance
Matt Rodda, Labour. Open their full page →
These describe the record. They do not say why an MP voted or claimed as they did.
How Reading Central compares
Every dot is one of the 631 areas that have figures. The large red dot is this area; green dots are areas like it.
This area is 200 of 631 for pay, counting from the highest.
Higher than 473 areas and lower than 175.
Areas like this one
The three areas with the closest pay and claimant rate. This says nothing about politics or geography.
| Area | Weekly pay | Claimants |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Central | £797 | 4.3% |
| North Ayrshire and Arran | £797 | 4.2% |
| Milton Keynes Central | £789 | 4.2% |
| Basildon and Billericay | £795 | 4.1% |
| United Kingdom | £767 | 3.9% |
Who lives in Reading Central
From the 2021 Census, next to the figure for England and Wales as a whole. Census day was 21 March 2021, so some things will have changed.
| About the area | This area | England and Wales | Compared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of people | 116,330 | 59,597,740 in total | |
| Aged under 16 | 18% | 18% | about the same |
| Aged 65 and over | 12% | 19% | 7 points lower |
| Adults with a degree or higher | 45% | 34% | 11 points higher |
| Households that own their home | 49% | 62% | 13 points lower |
| Households renting from a council or housing association | 13% | 17% | 4 points lower |
| Households renting privately | 37% | 20% | 17 points higher |
Source: ONS, Census 2021 (England and Wales), via the UK Data Service statistics portal. Fetched 2026-10-04. These describe who lives here. They do not explain how anyone votes.
Labour
votes ahead of second place
of people who could vote did
Matt Rodda won with 48% of the votes, and Raj Singh (Conservative) came second with 20%.
Votes for each party
Every candidate
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Rodda | Labour | 21,598 | 47.7% |
| Raj Singh | Conservative | 8,961 | 19.8% |
| Dave McElroy | Green Party | 6,417 | 14.2% |
| Henry Wright | Liberal Democrat | 3,963 | 8.8% |
| Andrew Williams | Reform UK | 3,904 | 8.6% |
| Michael Turberville | Independent | 227 | 0.5% |
| Adam Gillman | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 221 | 0.5% |
2024 General Election, on today’s boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library via the Members API.
Your area at a glance
Median gross weekly pay, 2025. Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
Share of people aged 16 to 64, August 2026. Source: ONS and DWP claimant count.
Updated 4 Oct 2026