1987 Reading Borough Council election
← 1986 7 May 1987 (1987-05-07) 1988 →
15 seats of 45 on council
23 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Lab
Con
Lib
Leader Mike Orton Geoff Canning Jim Day
Party Labour Conservative Liberal
Alliance Alliance
Seats before 22 17 6
Seats after 24 16 5
Seat change Increase2 Decrease1 Decrease1
Popular vote 14,358 18,993 12,343
Percentage 31.0 41.0 26.7
Swing Decrease5.4 Increase8.2 Decrease1.8

The 1987 Reading Borough Council election was held on 7 May 1987, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. One third of Reading Borough Council's 45 seats were up for election.

Before the election, the council was under no overall control with Labour running a minority administration, being one seat short of an overall majority. The election saw Labour gain two extra seats, giving it a majority. After the election, Labour had 24 seats, the Conservatives had 16 seats, and the SDP-Liberal Alliance had 5 seats, all of whom were Liberals.[1]

Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1987
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 7 2 0 +2 46.7 31.0 14,358 -5.4
  Conservative 6 1 2 -1 40.0 41.0 18,993 +8.2
  Alliance 2 1 2 -1 13.3 26.7 12,343 -1.8
  Green 0 0 1.3 615 +1.0

Ward results

The results in each ward were as follows (candidates with an asterisk* were the previous incumbent standing for re-election:[2][1]

Abbey Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Antony William Page*
(Tony Page) 		1,258 46.4 -8.4
Conservative Subhash Vasant Nirgude 855 33.2 +12.4
SDP Jeremy B.C. Lazenby 432 16.8 -0.9
Green Elizabeth Maria Callies
(Maria Callies) 		95 3.7 -3.1
Turnout 2,578
Labour hold Swing -10.4
Battle Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kevin Joseph P. MacDevitt 1,147 47.0 -4.4
Conservative Susan E. White
(Sue White) 		762 31.2 +10.8
SDP Angela S. Peirson 463 19.0 -4.8
Green Lorraine M. Munn 70 2.9 -1.7
Turnout 2,442
Labour hold Swing -7.6
Caversham Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald William Jewitt*
(Ron Jewitt) 		2,513 67.2 +12.5
Labour Geoffrey Robert Mander
(Geoff Mander) 		711 19.0 -8.0
SDP Mary E. Hargreaves 514 13.8 -4.5
Turnout 3,738
Conservative hold Swing +10.25
Church Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kathleen Margaret Everett*
(Kay Everett) 		1,093 46.4 -5.0
Conservative Heather M. Oliver 799 33.9 +6.8
Liberal Diarmuid T. O'Rourke 465 19.7 -1.8
Turnout 2,357
Labour hold Swing -5.9
Katesgrove Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret Stella Singh* 1,073 46.9 -9.6
Conservative Shirley M. Mills 884 38.6 +9.0
SDP Nikola Sergt 332 14.5 +0.6
Turnout 2,289
Labour hold Swing -9.3
Kentwood Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Francis John William Mahon-Daly
(Frank Mahon-Daly) 		1,309 42.4 -1.4
Conservative Thomas J. Dicker*
(Tom Dicker) 		1,253 40.6 +9.7
Labour Ronald W. Corbin 528 17.1 -8.4
Turnout 3,090
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing -9.05
Minster Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derek Gordon E. Browne 1,573 49.8 +7.7
Labour Martin Bryan Statter
(Bryan Statter) 		883 27.9 -7.1
SDP Stephen R. Hanson
(Steve Hanson) 		661 20.9 +1.4
Green Edmund P. Wilson
(Ed Wilson) 		43 1.4 -2.0
Turnout 3,160
Conservative hold Swing +7.4
Norcot Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rhodri Hughes 1,392 43.7 -0.2
Liberal Leslie Basil Dunning*
(Basil Dunning) 		1,067 33.5 -3.8
Conservative Garry Cooper 668 21.0 +4.4
Green Maureen P. Gray 58 1.8 -0.4
Turnout 3,185
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +1.8
Park Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Derek Price
(Mike Price) 		1,585 47.7 -3.7
Conservative Amanda A. Vigar 1,096 33.0 +2.1
Liberal Stephen H. Begg
(Steve Begg) 		522 15.7 +3.7
Green Philip J. Unsworth 117 3.5 -2.1
Turnout 3,320
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -2.9
Peppard Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frank Heyes 2,014 47.6 +5.6
Liberal Ian M. Fenwick* 1,885 44.5 -2.1
Labour Louise M. Izzard 335 7.9 -3.6
Turnout 4,234
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.85
Redlands Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Michael Oliver* 1,212 34.2 +6.1
Labour David Christopher Sutton 1,187 33.5 -0.6
SDP David J. Cornes 1,033 29.2 -3.0
Green Daverick C. Leggett 107 3.0 -2.6
Turnout 3,539
Conservative hold Swing +3.35
Southcote Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter W. Wells 1,556 47.0 +10.5
Labour Katharine Neville
(Kathy Neville) 		1,362 41.1 -2.9
SDP Andrew H. McLuskey 392 11.8 -7.6
Turnout 3,310
Conservative hold Swing +6.7
Thames Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth A. Putt
(Ken Putt) 		2,122 57.2 +5.9
Liberal Annette Hendry 1,187 32.0 -3.3
Labour Alan E. Lockey 275 7.4 -1.2
Green Louise A. Barnes 125 3.4 -1.4
Turnout 3,709
Conservative hold Swing +4.6
Tilehurst Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Florence Teresa Day*
(Paddy Day) 		1,751 55.9 -3.6
Conservative David F. Henderson 985 31.4 +7.3
Labour Richard J. O'Brien
(Dick O'Brien) 		397 12.7 -3.7
Turnout 3,133
Liberal hold Swing -5.45
Whitley Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Doris Ellen Lawrence* 1,194 53.7 -11.5
Conservative Walter Eric Winter
(Eric Winter) 		701 31.5 +13.1
SDP John W. Wood 330 14.8 -1.6
Turnout 2,225
Labour hold Swing -12.3

References

  1. ^ a b "Labour grabs overall power in Reading". Evening Post. Reading. 8 May 1987. p. 8. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Line-ups for ballot box battles". Evening Post. Reading. 8 April 1987. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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