South East · England · 73,600Boundary · 2023

Reading Central

Follow⇄ Compare

Created in the 2023 boundary review, from parts of Reading East and Reading West.

Dispatch
Apr 2026

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Reading and Caversham. Population 109,388, notably young (median age 34 vs 41 nationally), highly educated (46% degree-holders). Recorded crime is 63% above the national average.

Reading Central's longest-serving MP has been most conspicuous for his votes against the assisted dying legislation in June 2025 -- opposing the bill's Third Reading and voting against two amendments that would have prevented voluntary starvation qualifying someone as terminally ill, placing him among Labour rebels on one of Parliament's most contested conscience votes. He also broke with his party on alcohol duty rates in December 2025. In the constituency, he has secured visible set-pieces: a Prime Minister visit in January 2026 and hosting the Energy Secretary to tour local green housing projects, alongside championing a Heathrow rail link for Reading and backing regeneration schemes.

Rodda participates at 87% -- broadly in line with the Commons average -- and votes with Labour 96.9% of the time, making him a reliable government loyalist on most issues. His strongest voting alignments are with progressive taxation (97%), housing development (93%), and workers' rights (90%), while he is markedly out of step with his party on NHS funding and public health votes, scoring 0% on both against a Labour average of around 12% and 41% respectively. His parliamentary contributions -- 202 across 147 debates -- cluster heavily around economy and jobs, local government, and environment, reflecting his focus on Reading's economic development and infrastructure.

426
Commons votes
This parliament
£33k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
73.6k
Electorate
2024 GE

A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review.

Current Member of Parliament

Matt Rodda

Matt Rodda

Labour Party

Matt Rodda is the Labour MP for Reading Central, and has been an MP continually since 8 June 2017.

Notable Votes

Vote on the government's proposed changes to alcohol duty rates as part of the 2025 Budget. This matters because it determines how much tax is paid on beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic drinks, affecting both consumers and the hospitality and drinks industries.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. The amendment aimed to close a potential loophole where a person might use self-starvation to meet the terminal illness criteria they would not otherwise meet.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Sign up free to read the full briefing on Matt Rodda.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Reading and Caversham. Population 109,388, notably young (median age 34 vs 41 nationally), highly educated (46% degree-holders). Recorded crime is 63% above the national average.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Rodda’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.434 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Rodda has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
85
Economy
85
Employment
43
Crime & Policing
43
Education
40
Welfare and Benefits
28
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Budget Resolution No. 64: Rates of alcohol duty02 Dec 2025
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.9 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
AbbeyDavid Stevens820Labour P
CavershamMatt Yeo1,603Labour P
Caversham HeightsJenny McGrother1,405Labour P
ColeyLiz Terry1,232Labour P
Emmer GreenDaya Pal Singh1,148Labour P
KatesgroveKate Nikulina1,045Green Pa
ParkSarah Magon1,569Green Pa
RedlandsDave McElroy1,478Green Pa
ThamesRichard Davies1,015Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
109,388
Electorate 73,600 · 2024 register
Median income
£33,000
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
37.4%
England average 20.0%
Schools
51
26 primary · 9 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.