# 2018 Reading Borough Council election

The 2018 Reading Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Reading Borough Council. There were three casual vacancies in Kentwood, Katesgrove and Church wards due to the early retirement of Councillors. The Labour Party held on to control of Reading Borough Council seeing their vote increase in seats across the Reading East constituency but suffering setbacks in the marginal seat of Kentwood where The Conservative Party gained a seat. The Conservatives also succeeded in gaining Tilehurst ward from the Liberal Democrats, reducing the Liberal Democrats to one remaining Councillor. The election was held on the same day as other local elections.

## Election result

Reading Borough Council Election, 2018 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 12 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 66.6% | 48.3% | 21,579 | +3.4% |
| Conservative | 5 | +2 | 0 | +2 | 27.7% | 29.9% | 13,358 | +1.6% |
| Green | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5% | 10.9% | 4,904 | -1.3% |
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0% | 10.4% | 4,638 | -1.1% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.15% | 61 | N/A |
| Women's Equality | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.2% | 94 | N/A |
| TUSC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.1% | 26 | N/C |

## Ward results
### Abbey

Abbey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Karen Rowland | 1,542 | 60.1 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative | Alison Stevens | 510 | 19.9 | −1.2 |
| | Green | Brent Smith | 266 | 10.4 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Burden | 249 | 9.7 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,032 | 40.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,581 | 27.13 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |

### Battle

Battle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sarah Hacker | 1,470 | 65.9 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael Hey | 420 | 18.8 | −1.6 |
| | Green | Fiona Cox | 184 | 8.2 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Grout | 158 | 7.1 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,050 | 47.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,240 | 28.46 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.9 | |

### Caversham

Caversham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Adele Barnett-Ward | 1,531 | 53.4 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative | James Partington | 824 | 28.7 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jo Ramsay | 294 | 10.3 | +3.3 |
| | Green | David Foster | 219 | 7.6 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 707 | 24.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,876 | 38.62 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.4 | |

### Church

Church :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ruth McEwan | 1,129 | 54.9 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | Ashley Pearce | 1,088 | 52.9 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Paul Carnell | 609 | 29.6 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative | Heather Laird | 605 | 29.4 | −3.7 |
| | Green | Kathryn McCann | 268 | 13.0 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Francis Jakeman | 161 | 7.8 | +2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Riccardo Mancuso | 115 | 5.6 | +0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,056 | 30.69 | −2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Katesgrove

Katesgrove :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sophia James | 1,361 | 66.8 | +6.0 |
| | Labour | Gurvinder Kaur | 1,164 | 57.1 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative | Natalie Greenstreet | 332 | 16.3 | −0.3 |
| | Green | Louise Keane | 319 | 15.6 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Beth Vincent | 311 | 15.2 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Kinsley | 194 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret McNeill | 191 | 9.3 | −0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,035 | 28.68 | −0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Kentwood

Kentwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Emma Warman | 1,216 | 43.6 | +10.2 |
| | Conservative | Raj Singh | 1,154 | 41.4 | +8.0 |
| | Labour | Glenn Dennis | 1,148 | 41.2 | −1.7 |
| | Labour | Ali Foster | 1,056 | 37.9 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Cole | 309 | 11.0 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Coster | 266 | 9.5 | +3.6 |
| | Green | Richard Walkem | 245 | 8.7 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,786 | 38.14 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Minster

Minster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ellie Emberson | 1,308 | 50.0 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative | Nick Fudge | 852 | 32.6 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Moore | 333 | 12.7 | +5.4 |
| | Green | Willem Londeman | 109 | 4.1 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 456 | 17.4 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,613 | 34.8 | +2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.9 | |

### Norcot

Norcot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Debs Absolom | 1,403 | 59.0 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | Zachary Okeyo | 640 | 26.9 | +10.5 |
| | Green | Jill Wigmore-Welsh | 140 | 5.8 | N/C |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stewart Elliott | 100 | 4.2 | −0.1 |
| | Independent | Alan Gulliver | 61 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Graham | 26 | 1.0 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 763 | 32.1 | −11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,375 | 30.6 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.8 | |

### Park

Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Rob White | 1,704 | 52.3 | +2.2 |
| | Labour Co-op | David McKenzie | 1,231 | 37.8 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Adam Phelps | 238 | 7.3 | −2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Dodson | 75 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 473 | 14.5 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,256 | 46.2 | +2.3 |
| | Green hold | Green hold | Swing | +0.6 | |

### Peppard

Peppard :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Simon Robinson | 1,461 | 50.4 | −0.1 |
| | Labour | Benjamin Perry | 744 | 25.6 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Boardley | 401 | 13.8 | −5.2 |
| | Green | Doug Cresswell | 188 | 6.4 | −2.1 |
| | Women's Equality | Wendy Thomson | 94 | 3.2 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 717 | 24.7 | −5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,895 | 38.1 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.4 | |

### Redlands

Redlands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Absolom | 968 | 44.5 | −9.2 |
| | Green | Kizzi Johannessen | 630 | 29.0 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Charlie Evans | 350 | 16.1 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Alexander | 211 | 9.7 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 338 | 15.5 | −19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,171 | 35.7 | −2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -9.7 | |

### Southcote

Southcote :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Ennis | 1,305 | 57.6 | −5.6 |
| | Conservative | Rob Vickers | 690 | 30.5 | +8.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marie French | 130 | 5.8 | −1.7 |
| | Green | Amanda Walsh | 129 | 5.6 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 615 | 27.1 | −11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,262 | 34.0 | +0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.8 | |

### Thames

Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Stevens | 1,527 | 44.4 | −1.9 |
| | Labour | Brian Murphy | 1,175 | 34.2 | +11.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Guy Penman | 420 | 12.2 | −3.9 |
| | Green | Sarah McNamara | 301 | 8.7 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 352 | 10.2 | −14.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,432 | 46.6 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -6.5 | |

### Tilehurst

Tilehurst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Helen Manghnani | 1,092 | 41.2 | +15.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ricky Duveen | 905 | 34.2 | −7.9 |
| | Labour | Matt Harrison | 544 | 20.5 | +1.7 |
| | Green | Jamie Whitham | 96 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 167 | 6.3 | −19.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,645 | 36.5 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +11.6 | |

### Whitley

Whitley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rachel Eden | 1,412 | 63.8 | +6.3 |
| | Conservative | Helen Hopper | 527 | 23.8 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Illenden | 126 | 5.7 | −0.3 |
| | Green | Lucy Mortlock | 106 | 4.7 | −3.0 |
| | TUSC | Neil Adams | 30 | 1.3 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 885 | 40.0 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,210 | 25.3 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.5 | |