1983 Reading Borough Council election

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1983 Reading Borough Council election
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←  1979 5 May 1983 (1983-05-05) 1984  →
45 seats (whole council)
23 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Con
Lab
Lib
LeaderDeryck MortonMike OrtonJim Day
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Alliance Alliance
Seats before221611
Seats after26136
Seat changeIncrease2.svg4Decrease2.svg3Decrease2.svg5
Popular vote61,74639,95131,203
Percentage46.1%29.8%23.3%

The 1983 Reading Borough Council election was held on 5 May 1983, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. Following ward boundary changes, the number of seats on the council had been reduced from 49 to 45, arranged as 15 wards with three councillors each. All 45 seats on Reading Borough Council were up for election on the new boundaries. [1]

Contents

Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, with the Conservatives the largest party, operating a minority administration with informal support from the Liberals. At the election the Conservatives won a majority on the council, taking 26 seats, whilst Labour had 13 seats, and the SDP-Liberal Alliance had 6 seats, all of whom were Liberals. [2]

The leader of the Conservatives on the council, Deryck Morton, had held the council's top political job as chair of the policy committee since 1976, and retained that post after the election, but with his party having a majority. The leader of the council's Labour group was Mike Orton. [3] The Liberal leader, Jim Day, lost his seat, with Basil Dunning becoming Liberal group leader after the election. [4]

Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1983
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 2657.846.161,746
  Labour 1328.929.839,951
  Alliance 613.323.331,203
  Ecology 00.00.81,039
  Independent 00.00.042

Ward results

The results in each ward were as follows (an asterisk* denotes a sitting councillor standing for re-election): [5] [2]

Abbey Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Tony Page* 1,430 54.9%
Labour David Geary 1,389 53.4%
Labour John Silverthorne* 1,270 48.8%
Conservative Christina Bilbe82731.8%
Conservative Julian Pacey82631.7%
Conservative Allan Pizer81331.2%
SDP Brian Harris39815.3%
SDP Paul Morrison33412.8%
SDP John Jackman31011.9%
Ecology Howard Darby2118.1%
Turnout 7,808
Battle Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Moira Dickenson* 1,035 42.4%
Labour Graham Rush* 996 40.8%
Conservative Gordon Genis 940 38.5%
Conservative Susan Kent91937.7%
Labour Graeme St Clair91737.6%
Conservative Ann Horsley90637.1%
Liberal Roger Darch54722.4%
Liberal Joyce Wicks53321.8%
SDP Steve Colley-Moore52721.6%
Turnout 7,320
Caversham Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ron Jewitt* 2,638 73.8%
Conservative Fred Pugh* 2,321 64.9%
Conservative George Robinson* 2,290 64.1%
Labour Pat Mander76921.5%
Labour John Kirby74520.8%
Labour Lesley Owen72820.4%
SDP John Pollock43112.1%
SDP Sean O'Connell41411.6%
SDP Mary Hargreaves38610.8%
Turnout 10,722
Church Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Dave Absolom* 1,057 46.2%
Labour June Orton* 1,015 44.3%
Labour Maureen Lockey 958 41.8%
Conservative Heather Oliver85237.2%
Conservative Timothy Oliver84436.9%
Conservative John Irwin81935.8%
Liberal Janet Digby46720.4%
Liberal Philip Gash46120.1%
Liberal Derek Nathan39517.3%
Turnout 6,868
Katesgrove Ward (three seats
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Margaret Singh* 1,073 46.8%
Conservative Shirley Mills 1,049 45.7%
Labour Ron Williams* 1,033 45.1%
Labour Ross Sutton1,01544.3%
Conservative Peter Wager99743.5%
Conservative Felicity Holden99443.3%
SDP Carolyn Foster-Moore27512.0%
SDP John Monks25511.1%
SDP Russell Robles [a]
Ecology Geoffrey Darnton1888.2%
Turnout 6,879
Kentwood Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Thomas Dicker 1,489 42.8%
Conservative Derek Browne 1,486 42.7%
Conservative Stephen Thomas 1,459 42.0%
Liberal Jim Day*1,28236.9%
Liberal George Ford*1,12432.3%
Liberal Tess MacFarlane*1,12132.2%
Labour Chris Giles82623.8%
Labour Peter Watkins82523.7%
Labour Pete Ruhemann81723.5%
Turnout 10,429
Minster Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Joe Slater* 1,756 60.2%
Conservative Charles Sage* 1,708 58.6%
Conservative Simon Coombs* 1,702 58.4%
Labour Chris Cannon76826.3%
Labour Richard Stainthorp76326.2%
Labour Charles Brannigan74525.6%
SDP Mike Foster-Moore46816.1%
SDP Alan Jackson43014.8%
SDP Roderic Pratt40513.9%
Turnout 8,745
Norcot Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Basil Dunning* 1,290 42.8%
Liberal John Freeman* 1,184 39.3%
Liberal Ann Grant* 1,135 37.7%
Labour Helen Hathaway1,00233.3%
Labour Phil Armson99933.2%
Labour Norma Sinclair99132.9%
Conservative Francis Rose83827.8%
Conservative Gerald Hughes80226.6%
Conservative Frederick Anderson79826.5%
Turnout 9,039
Park Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Bale 1,317 40.4%
Conservative Norman Pearson 1,282 39.3%
Conservative Simon Oliver 1,276 39.1%
Labour Helen Kayes*1,15635.4%
Labour Brian Bastin1,12934.6%
Labour Geoff Mander*1,08933.4%
SDP Jim Pemberton77223.7%
SDP Roderick Campbell69921.4%
SDP Marie Williams68320.9%
Ecology Philip Unsworth38711.9%
Turnout 9,790
Peppard Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Geoff Lowe* 2,188 59.5%
Conservative Geoff Canning* 2,177 59.2%
Conservative Mary Irwin 2,114 57.5%
SDP Clive Jones1,19532.5%
SDP Barbara Fairhead1,18332.2%
Liberal Martyn Allies1,17131.9%
Labour Gerry McGreevy3499.5%
Labour Hugh Morland3389.2%
Labour Nidan Singh3128.5%
Turnout 11,027
Redlands Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Oliver* 1,138 39.3%
Conservative Tony Markham* 1,115 38.5%
Conservative Martin Lower* 1,084 37.4%
Labour Ruth Berkley93632.3%
Labour Robert Dimmick91031.4%
Labour David Law90231.1%
SDP Howard Rodaway84029.0%
Liberal David Langshaw78728.1%
SDP Susan MacKenzie-Williams72625.1%
Ecology Maria Callies2538.7%
Turnout 8,691
Southcote Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Kirk 1,805 51.7%
Conservative Anna Bradley 1,798 51.5%
Conservative John Irwin 1,797 51.4%
Labour Laurence Cavannagh1,13232.4%
Labour Bob Mitchell1,11131.8%
Labour Tony Jones1,08030.9%
Liberal Janet Holmes62717.9%
SDP Charles Bond57816.5%
SDP Jean Howarth55215.8%
Turnout 10,480
Thames Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brian Fowles* 2,458 70.3%
Conservative Hamza Fuad* 2,280 65.2%
Conservative Deryck Morton* 2,262 64.7%
Liberal Ian Fenwick81223.2%
Liberal Annette Hendry75521.6%
Liberal Jill Verran71220.4%
Labour Philip Hingley41411.8%
Labour David Winchester40811.7%
Labour Pam Lockley38311.0%
Turnout 10,484
Tilehurst Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Paddy Day* 1,520 50.5%
Liberal Janet Bond* 1,378 45.8%
Liberal Tom Heydeman* 1,323 44.0%
Conservative Terence Kelly1,23040.9%
Conservative Rannard Wilson1,17539.0%
Conservative Patricia Platt1,16538.7%
Labour Frank Harris42114.0%
Labour Mary Ranson39813.2%
Labour Gerald Scott37812.6%
Independent Maurice White421.4%
Turnout 9,030
Whitley Ward (three seats)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Doris Lawrence* 1,379 62.0%
Labour Mike Orton* 1,310 58.9%
Labour Jack Price* 1,250 56.2%
Conservative John Cleminson68530.8%
Conservative Vera Cleminson67130.2%
Conservative Philip Wickens65629.5%
Liberal Mark Goldup25211.3%
Liberal Arthur Stinton24711.1%
Liberal Stephen Begg2199.9%
Turnout 6,669

Notes

  1. ↑ Listed as a candidate ahead of the election, but his vote not recorded in the results summary; presumably an omission by the newspaper.

References

  1. ↑ "The Borough of Reading (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1979". Database of Local Government Orders. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Your complete at a glance to all the results from yesterday's local council elections". Evening Post. Reading. 6 May 1983. p. 4. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Row over Tory mayors plan". Evening Post. Reading. 12 May 1983. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ex-mayor to lead town's Liberals". Evening Post. Reading. 10 May 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Five parties bid for seats". Evening Post. Reading. 13 April 1983. p. 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
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