1997 Reading Borough Council election
← 1996 1 May 1997 (1997-05-01) 1999 →
45 seats (whole council)
23 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Lab
LD
Con
Leader David Sutton Ian Fenwick Ed Young
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative
Seats before 35 6 4
Seats after 36 6 3
Seat change Increase1 Steady Decrease1
Popular vote 80,832 44,409 55,263
Percentage 44.4 24.4 30.4
Swing Decrease10.9 Increase3.6 Increase7.6

The 1997 Reading Borough Council election was held on 1 May 1997, at the same time as other local elections across England and Northern Ireland, and on the same day as the general election. All of the 45 seats on Reading Borough Council were up for election, rather than the usual third of the seats. This was in preparation for the local government reorganisation in Berkshire which saw Berkshire County Council abolished and its functions transferred to the six district councils, including Reading, with effect from 1 April 1998.[1] The elections to Berkshire County Council which would ordinarily have been held in 1997 were cancelled. Some outgoing members of Berkshire County Council used the opportunity to seek a seat on the borough council for the first time, including the leader of the Labour group on the county council, Lawrence Silverman.

Whilst Labour's share of the vote fell slightly compared to 1996, Labour increased its number of seats to 36 out of the 45 seats on the council. David Sutton remained leader of the Labour group and leader of the council. The Liberal Democrats, led by Ian Fenwick, remained the second largest party with six seats. The Conservative group was reduced to just three seats. It was led into the election by Ed Young, but he did not stand for re-election as he was standing to be a Member of Parliament in Leigh (in which he was unsuccessful). Fred Pugh was appointed leader of the Conservative group after the election.[2]

Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1996
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 36 1 0 +1 80.0% 44.4% 80,832 -10.9
  Conservative 3 0 1 -1 6.7% 30.4% 55,263 +7.6
  Liberal Democrats 6 0 0 0 13.3% 24.4% 44,409 +3.6
  Green 0 0% 0.8% 1,483 -0.3

Ward results

The results in each ward were as follows (candidates with an asterisk* were the previous incumbent standing for re-election):[3][4]

Abbey Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jane Patricia Griffiths* 2,339
Labour Antony William Page*
(Tony Page) 		2,025
Labour Mohammad Iqbal 1,930
Conservative Elizabeth Ann Haworth 1,069
Conservative Richard James Willis 998
Conservative Abdul Loyes 921
Liberal Democrats Margaret Anne Jordan 831
Liberal Democrats Gillian Kendon 751
Liberal Democrats John William Wood 711
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Battle Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malcolm Geoffrey Powers* 2,072
Labour Richard Martin Stainthorp* 1,925
Labour Andrew Tattersall* 1,460
Conservative Kenneth Mackenzie Cameron 865
Conservative Heather Mary Jones 799
Conservative Peter John Crowe 778
Liberal Democrats Francis John Mahon-Daly
(Frank Mahon-Daly) 		777
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Caversham Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen Peter Waite* 2,240
Labour Susan Catherine Stainthorp* 2,213
Labour David O'Meara 2,097
Conservative Sarah Louise Ellis 1,993
Conservative Keith Leonard Druce 1,775
Conservative Penelope Mary Mordaunt 1,757
Liberal Democrats Diane Jennifer Elliss 1,569
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Denham Barclay 1,525
Liberal Democrats Robin James Bentham 1,499
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Church Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maureen Lockey* 1,688
Labour Christopher John Goodall 1,648
Labour Wilfred John Wild*
(Wilf Wild) 		1,555
Conservative Karen Anne Young 905
Conservative Andrew Geoffrey French 882
Conservative Francis Timothy Rose
(Tim Rose) 		834
Liberal Democrats Susan Kathleen Orchard-Doughty 518
Liberal Democrats Nina Joyce Webb 504
Liberal Democrats John Outhwaite 492
Green Richard John Kerr Bradbury 317
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Katesgrove Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Christopher Sutton* 1,814
Labour Phillip Denis Hingley* 1,784
Labour Patricia Thomas*
(Trish Thomas) 		1,662
Conservative Shirley Muriel Mills 869
Liberal Democrats Andrew William Colman 836
Conservative Paul Charles Laird 729
Conservative James Lawrence Wilson 719
Liberal Democrats Evelyn Irene Bentham 698
Liberal Democrats Guy William Gipps Penman 597
Green Philip John Unsworth 364
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Kentwood Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Doris Ellen Lawrence 1,839
Labour David Llewellyn Geary* 1,814
Labour Sandra Joan Scaife*
(Sandy Scaife) 		1,793
Conservative Ruth Elizabeth Margaret Jean Bennett 1,636
Conservative Vanessa Gay Jones 1,282
Conservative Charlotte Elizabeth Hawkins 1,244
Liberal Democrats Martin Peter Scott 1,115
Liberal Democrats Nicholas Henry Peter Lawson 1,022
Liberal Democrats Deon Louis Pheiffer 945
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Minster Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gregory Bello*
(Greg Bello) 		2,040
Labour Leighton John Yeo* 1,944
Labour Charles Spalding Croal*
(Charlie Croal) 		1,839
Conservative Mark Edward John Anderson 1,550
Conservative David Neil Jones 1,344
Conservative Lloyd Samuel Henry 1,303
Liberal Democrats Adam Benedict Canning 748
Liberal Democrats Ann Doreen Fenwick 693
Liberal Democrats Alan Douglas Hendry 657
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Norcot Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Josephine Mary Lovelock*
(Jo Lovelock) 		2,397
Labour Rhodri Hughes* 2,143
Labour Peter Mervyn Jones 2,006
Conservative Sylvia May Combes 1,098
Conservative Patricia Hardy 963
Conservative Edward Samuel Rowe 900
Liberal Democrats Margaret Bridget Fryett 729
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Frances Jackson 630
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Clare Heydeman 604
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Park Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Norman Arthur Edwards* 2,333
Labour Jonathan Hartley* 2,282
Labour Christine Champion Borgars* 2,236
Liberal Democrats Sheila Myra Morley 1,050
Liberal Democrats George Hamish Hew Preston 1,021
Conservative Stephen Thompson 844
Conservative Heather Mary Laird 839
Conservative Alistair Small 813
Liberal Democrats Eric Vickers 813
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Peppard Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Malcolm Fenwick* 2,454
Liberal Democrats Shirley Anne Corti 2,206
Liberal Democrats Robert James Green* 2,105
Conservative Edward George Brazil 1,932
Conservative John Michael Oliver 1,795
Conservative Mark Simon Greaves 1,751
Labour Christopher John Cook 1,113
Labour Mary Catherine Waite 953
Liberal Democrats Adam Wood 770
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Redlands Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jonathan Saul Morris*
(Jonny Morris) 		2,157
Labour Rajinder Sohpal* 2,000
Labour Elizabeth Anne Winfield-Chislett*
(Liz Winfield-Chislett) 		1,831
Liberal Democrats Thomas James Cook 1,261
Conservative Luke Andrew Underhill 1,227
Conservative Daniel Fennell 1,210
Conservative Markham Gerard Law
(Gerry Law) 		1,173
Liberal Democrats Jeffrey Michael Hannan 1,103
Liberal Democrats Anthony John Warrell 1,068
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Southcote Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Martin Ruhemann 2,399
Labour Rosemary Phyllis Wiliams*
(Rose Williams) 		2,381
Labour Askar Sheibani* 2,017
Conservative Margaret Mary Gibbons 1,279
Conservative Susan Elizabeth White
(Sue White) 		1,176
Conservative Edwin Alexander Greenland 1,131
Liberal Democrats Evelyn Zipporah French 623
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Thames Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kenneth Arthur Putt*
(Ken Putt) 		2,390
Conservative Frederick Llywelyn Pugh*
(Fred Pugh) 		2,384
Conservative Jeanette Mavis Skeats* 2,355
Liberal Democrats Annette Hendry 1,912
Liberal Democrats Rodney Pinchen 1,912
Liberal Democrats Martin John Reilly 1,583
Labour Janet Mary Gavin 1,126
Labour William Anthony Short 915
Labour Raja Mohammed Banaras 891
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Tilehurst Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ronald James Day*
(Jim Day) 		2,497
Liberal Democrats Nicola Jane Canning*
(Nici Canning) 		1,965
Liberal Democrats Everett Richard Clarke Ferriday
(Dick Ferriday) 		1,823
Conservative Paul James Atkinson 1,126
Conservative Sarah Catherine Anderson 1,124
Labour Michael Connelly 1,063
Labour Stephen John Foley 992
Conservative Maria Victoria Evans 914
Labour Mohammad Mojibur Rahman 757
Green Judith Veronica Green 198
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Whitley Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Edward Orton*
(Mike Orton) 		2,276
Labour James Timothy Hanley* 1,992
Labour Lawrence Silverman 1,992
Conservative Barrie James Cummings 982
Conservative Derek Gordon Browne 884
Conservative Colin Douglas Snider 721
Liberal Democrats Max Thomas Heydeman
(Tom Heydeman) 		562
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996 (Statutory Instrument 1996 No. 1879). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1996. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  2. ^ "New leader for Tories". Evening Post. Reading. 13 May 1997. p. 3. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Candidates". Evening Post. Reading. 28 April 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Council election results". Evening Post. Reading. 2 May 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
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