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:
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]
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]
^Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of Windsor and. "Borough elections 2023". www3.rbwm.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2024. ((cite web)): Check |url= value (help)
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