Bracknell Forest
§ This page gives an overview of the Bracknell Forest local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Bracknell Forest in Berkshire is a largely modern district, with Bracknell town developed as a New Town with shopping centres, theatres, and parks. The district includes Swinley Forest, rich in walking and cycling trails, and villages such as Sandhurst and Crowthorne, known for their military and educational connections. The Thames Valley borders the north, while commons, woodlands, and heaths form much of the landscape.
Bracknell Forest Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Bracknell Forest local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Bracknell Forest can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Bracknell Forest.
Key Facts about Bracknell Forest
What region is Bracknell Forest in? Bracknell Forest is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Bracknell Forest in? Bracknell Forest is in the county of Berkshire.
Is Bracknell Forest a city? No, Bracknell Forest is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Bracknell Forest? The local government for this district is: Bracknell Forest Borough Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Bracknell Forest Borough Council 🔗 bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Which police force covers Bracknell Forest? Policing in Bracknell Forest is provided by Thames Valley Police 🔗 thamesvalley.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Bracknell Forest ⁞ Buckinghamshire ⁞ Cherwell ⁞ Milton Keynes ⁞ Oxford ⁞ Reading ⁞ Slough ⁞ South Oxfordshire ⁞ Vale of White Horse ⁞ West Berkshire ⁞ West Oxfordshire ⁞ Windsor and Maidenhead ⁞ Wokingham.
Constituencies in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest is divided into 15 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Binfield North & Warfield West
- Binfield South & Jennett's Park
- Bullbrook
- Crowthorne
- Easthampstead & Wildridings
- Great Hollands
- Hanworth
- Harmans Water & Crown Wood
- Owlsmoor & College Town
- Priestwood & Garth
- Sandhurst
- Swinley Forest
- Town Centre & The Parks
- Whitegrove
- Winkfield & Warfield East
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest is fully parished: 6 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Binfield
- Bracknell
- Crowthorne
- Sandhurst
- Warfield
- Winkfield
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Bracknell Forest
Below is a list of post towns in Bracknell Forest, grouped by postcode area:
- GU ▸ Sandhurst (GU47)
- RG ▸ Bracknell (RG12 / RG42) ⁞ Crowthorne (RG45)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ascot *
- Binfield *
- Blackwater (Hart) *
- Bracknell *
- Camberley *
- Cranbourne *
- Crowthorne *
- Jealott's Hill
- Newell Green
- North Ascot
- Sandhurst (Bracknell Forest) *
- South Ascot *
- Winkfield
- Winkfield Row
- Winkfield Street
- Woodside *
- Yateley *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Bracknell Forest.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Bracknell Forest Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Great Western Railway ▸ Crowthorne (RG45 0QW) ⁞ Sandhurst (Berks) (GU47 9DX)
- South Western Railway ▸ Bracknell (RG12 1HX) ⁞ Martins Heron (RG12 9TZ)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Bracknell Forest compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Bracknell Forest compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Bracknell Forest has 15 electoral wards.
Bracknell Forest has a population of 130,806 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Bracknell Forest
This chart shows the population trend for Bracknell Forest from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Bracknell Forest can be found on the ONS statistics for Bracknell Forest.