# 1997 Reading Borough Council election

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. 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.

## 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):
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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour gain from Conservative | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | 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 | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Conservative hold | 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 | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | 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 | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |