1997 Reading Borough Council election

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1997 Reading Borough Council election
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←  1996 1 May 1997 (1997-05-01) 1999  →
45 seats (whole council)
23 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Lab
LD
Con
Leader David Sutton Ian FenwickEd Young
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative
Seats before3564
Seats after3663
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Steady2.svgDecrease2.svg1
Popular vote80,83244,40955,263
Percentage44.4%24.4%30.4%
SwingDecrease2.svg10.9%Increase2.svg3.6%Increase2.svg7.6%

The 1997 Reading Borough Council election was held on 1 May 1997, at the same time as other local elections across England, 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.

Contents

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 summary

Reading Borough Council Election, 1997
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 3610+180.044.480,832-10.9
  Conservative 301-16.730.455,263+7.6
  Liberal Democrats 600013.324.444,409+3.6
  Green 00.00.81,483-0.3

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
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jane Patricia Griffiths* 2,339
Labour Antony William Page*
(Tony Page)		2,025
Labour Mohammad Iqbal 1,930
Conservative Elizabeth Ann Haworth1,069
Conservative Richard James Willis998
Conservative Abdul Loyes921
Liberal Democrats Margaret Anne Jordan831
Liberal Democrats Gillian Kendon751
Liberal Democrats John William Wood711
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Battle Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Malcolm Geoffrey Powers* 2,072
Labour Richard Martin Stainthorp* 1,925
Labour Andrew Tattersall* 1,460
Conservative Kenneth Mackenzie Cameron865
Conservative Heather Mary Jones799
Conservative Peter John Crowe778
Liberal Democrats Francis John Mahon-Daly
(Frank Mahon-Daly)		777
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Caversham Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stephen Peter Waite* 2,240
Labour Susan Catherine Stainthorp* 2,213
Labour David O'Meara 2,097
Conservative Sarah Louise Ellis1,993
Conservative Keith Leonard Druce1,775
Conservative Penelope Mary Mordaunt 1,757
Liberal Democrats Diane Jennifer Elliss1,569
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Denham Barclay1,525
Liberal Democrats Robin James Bentham1,499
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Church Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Maureen Lockey* 1,688
Labour Christopher John Goodall 1,648
Labour Wilfred John Wild*
(Wilf Wild)		1,555
Conservative Karen Anne Young905
Conservative Andrew Geoffrey French882
Conservative Francis Timothy Rose
(Tim Rose)		834
Liberal Democrats Susan Kathleen Orchard-Doughty518
Liberal Democrats Nina Joyce Webb504
Liberal Democrats John Outhwaite492
Green Richard John Kerr Bradbury317
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Katesgrove Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Christopher Sutton* 1,814
Labour Phillip Denis Hingley* 1,784
Labour Patricia Thomas*
(Trish Thomas)		1,662
Conservative Shirley Muriel Mills869
Liberal Democrats Andrew William Colman836
Conservative Paul Charles Laird729
Conservative James Lawrence Wilson719
Liberal Democrats Evelyn Irene Bentham698
Liberal Democrats Guy William Gipps Penman597
Green Philip John Unsworth364
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Kentwood Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
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 Bennett1,636
Conservative Vanessa Gay Jones1,282
Conservative Charlotte Elizabeth Hawkins1,244
Liberal Democrats Martin Peter Scott1,115
Liberal Democrats Nicholas Henry Peter Lawson1,022
Liberal Democrats Deon Louis Pheiffer945
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Minster Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
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 Anderson1,550
Conservative David Neil Jones1,344
Conservative Lloyd Samuel Henry1,303
Liberal Democrats Adam Benedict Canning748
Liberal Democrats Ann Doreen Fenwick693
Liberal Democrats Alan Douglas Hendry657
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Norcot Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Josephine Mary Lovelock*
(Jo Lovelock)		2,397
Labour Rhodri Hughes* 2,143
Labour Peter Mervyn Jones 2,006
Conservative Sylvia May Combes1,098
Conservative Patricia Hardy963
Conservative Edward Samuel Rowe900
Liberal Democrats Margaret Bridget Fryett729
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Frances Jackson630
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Clare Heydeman604
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Park Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Norman Arthur Edwards* 2,333
Labour Jonathan Hartley* 2,282
Labour Christine Champion Borgars* 2,236
Liberal Democrats Sheila Myra Morley1,050
Liberal Democrats George Hamish Hew Preston1,021
Conservative Stephen Thompson844
Conservative Heather Mary Laird839
Conservative Alistair Small813
Liberal Democrats Eric Vickers813
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Peppard Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Malcolm Fenwick* 2,454
Liberal Democrats Shirley Anne Corti 2,206
Liberal Democrats Robert James Green* 2,105
Conservative Edward George Brazil1,932
Conservative John Michael Oliver1,795
Conservative Mark Simon Greaves1,751
Labour Christopher John Cook1,113
Labour Mary Catherine Waite953
Liberal Democrats Adam Wood770
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Redlands Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
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 Cook1,261
Conservative Luke Andrew Underhill1,227
Conservative Daniel Fennell1,210
Conservative Markham Gerard Law
(Gerry Law)		1,173
Liberal Democrats Jeffrey Michael Hannan1,103
Liberal Democrats Anthony John Warrell1,068
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Southcote Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Peter Martin Ruhemann 2,399
Labour Rosemary Phyllis Wiliams*
(Rose Williams)		2,381
Labour Askar Sheibani* 2,017
Conservative Margaret Mary Gibbons1,279
Conservative Susan Elizabeth White
(Sue White)		1,176
Conservative Edwin Alexander Greenland1,131
Liberal Democrats Evelyn Zipporah French623
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Thames Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
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 Hendry1,912
Liberal Democrats Rodney Pinchen1,912
Liberal Democrats Martin John Reilly1,583
Labour Janet Mary Gavin1,126
Labour William Anthony Short915
Labour Raja Mohammed Banaras891
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Tilehurst Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
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 Atkinson1,126
Conservative Sarah Catherine Anderson1,124
Labour Michael Connelly1,063
Labour Stephen John Foley992
Conservative Maria Victoria Evans914
Labour Mohammad Mojibur Rahman757
Green Judith Veronica Green198
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Whitley Ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Michael Edward Orton*
(Mike Orton)		2,276
Labour James Timothy Hanley* 1,992
Labour Lawrence Silverman 1,992
Conservative Barrie James Cummings982
Conservative Derek Gordon Browne884
Conservative Colin Douglas Snider721
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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