# 1983 Reading Borough Council election

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.
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.
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. The Liberal leader, Jim Day, lost his seat, with Basil Dunning becoming Liberal group leader after the election.

## Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1983 :
| Party | Seats | Seats % | Votes % | Votes |
| Conservative | 26 | 57.8% | 46.1% | 61,746 |
| Labour | 13 | 28.9% | 29.8% | 39,951 |
| Alliance | 6 | 13.3% | 23.3% | 31,203 |
| Ecology | 0 | 0% | 0.8% | 1,039 |
| Independent | 0 | 0% | 0.0% | 42 |

### Ward results

The results in each ward were as follows (an asterisk* denotes a sitting councillor standing for re-election):
Abbey Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Tony Page* | 1,430 | 54.9% |
| | Labour | David Geary | 1,389 | 53.4% |
| | Labour | John Silverthorne* | 1,270 | 48.8% |
| | Conservative | Christina Bilbe | 827 | 31.8% |
| | Conservative | Julian Pacey | 826 | 31.7% |
| | Conservative | Allan Pizer | 813 | 31.2% |
| | SDP | Brian Harris | 398 | 15.3% |
| | SDP | Paul Morrison | 334 | 12.8% |
| | SDP | John Jackman | 310 | 11.9% |
| | Ecology | Howard Darby | 211 | 8.1% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,808 | |
Battle Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Moira Dickenson* | 1,035 | 42.4% |
| | Labour | Graham Rush* | 996 | 40.8% |
| | Conservative | Gordon Genis | 940 | 38.5% |
| | Conservative | Susan Kent | 919 | 37.7% |
| | Labour | Graeme St Clair | 917 | 37.6% |
| | Conservative | Ann Horsley | 906 | 37.1% |
| | Liberal | Roger Darch | 547 | 22.4% |
| | Liberal | Joyce Wicks | 533 | 21.8% |
| | SDP | Steve Colley-Moore | 527 | 21.6% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,320 | |
Caversham Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Ron Jewitt* | 2,638 | 73.8% |
| | Conservative | Fred Pugh* | 2,321 | 64.9% |
| | Conservative | George Robinson* | 2,290 | 64.1% |
| | Labour | Pat Mander | 769 | 21.5% |
| | Labour | John Kirby | 745 | 20.8% |
| | Labour | Lesley Owen | 728 | 20.4% |
| | SDP | John Pollock | 431 | 12.1% |
| | SDP | Sean O'Connell | 414 | 11.6% |
| | SDP | Mary Hargreaves | 386 | 10.8% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,722 | |
Church Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Dave Absolom* | 1,057 | 46.2% |
| | Labour | June Orton* | 1,015 | 44.3% |
| | Labour | Maureen Lockey | 958 | 41.8% |
| | Conservative | Heather Oliver | 852 | 37.2% |
| | Conservative | Timothy Oliver | 844 | 36.9% |
| | Conservative | John Irwin | 819 | 35.8% |
| | Liberal | Janet Digby | 467 | 20.4% |
| | Liberal | Philip Gash | 461 | 20.1% |
| | Liberal | Derek Nathan | 395 | 17.3% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,868 | |
Katesgrove Ward (three seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Margaret Singh* | 1,073 | 46.8% |
| | Conservative | Shirley Mills | 1,049 | 45.7% |
| | Labour | Ron Williams* | 1,033 | 45.1% |
| | Labour | Ross Sutton | 1,015 | 44.3% |
| | Conservative | Peter Wager | 997 | 43.5% |
| | Conservative | Felicity Holden | 994 | 43.3% |
| | SDP | Carolyn Foster-Moore | 275 | 12.0% |
| | SDP | John Monks | 255 | 11.1% |
| | SDP | Russell Robles | | |
| | Ecology | Geoffrey Darnton | 188 | 8.2% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,879 | |
Kentwood Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Thomas Dicker | 1,489 | 42.8% |
| | Conservative | Derek Browne | 1,486 | 42.7% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Thomas | 1,459 | 42.0% |
| | Liberal | Jim Day* | 1,282 | 36.9% |
| | Liberal | George Ford* | 1,124 | 32.3% |
| | Liberal | Tess MacFarlane* | 1,121 | 32.2% |
| | Labour | Chris Giles | 826 | 23.8% |
| | Labour | Peter Watkins | 825 | 23.7% |
| | Labour | Pete Ruhemann | 817 | 23.5% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,429 | |
Minster Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Joe Slater* | 1,756 | 60.2% |
| | Conservative | Charles Sage* | 1,708 | 58.6% |
| | Conservative | Simon Coombs* | 1,702 | 58.4% |
| | Labour | Chris Cannon | 768 | 26.3% |
| | Labour | Richard Stainthorp | 763 | 26.2% |
| | Labour | Charles Brannigan | 745 | 25.6% |
| | SDP | Mike Foster-Moore | 468 | 16.1% |
| | SDP | Alan Jackson | 430 | 14.8% |
| | SDP | Roderic Pratt | 405 | 13.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,745 | |
Norcot Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Basil Dunning* | 1,290 | 42.8% |
| | Liberal | John Freeman* | 1,184 | 39.3% |
| | Liberal | Ann Grant* | 1,135 | 37.7% |
| | Labour | Helen Hathaway | 1,002 | 33.3% |
| | Labour | Phil Armson | 999 | 33.2% |
| | Labour | Norma Sinclair | 991 | 32.9% |
| | Conservative | Francis Rose | 838 | 27.8% |
| | Conservative | Gerald Hughes | 802 | 26.6% |
| | Conservative | Frederick Anderson | 798 | 26.5% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,039 | |
Park Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Bale | 1,317 | 40.4% |
| | Conservative | Norman Pearson | 1,282 | 39.3% |
| | Conservative | Simon Oliver | 1,276 | 39.1% |
| | Labour | Helen Kayes* | 1,156 | 35.4% |
| | Labour | Brian Bastin | 1,129 | 34.6% |
| | Labour | Geoff Mander* | 1,089 | 33.4% |
| | SDP | Jim Pemberton | 772 | 23.7% |
| | SDP | Roderick Campbell | 699 | 21.4% |
| | SDP | Marie Williams | 683 | 20.9% |
| | Ecology | Philip Unsworth | 387 | 11.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,790 | |
Peppard Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Geoff Lowe* | 2,188 | 59.5% |
| | Conservative | Geoff Canning* | 2,177 | 59.2% |
| | Conservative | Mary Irwin | 2,114 | 57.5% |
| | SDP | Clive Jones | 1,195 | 32.5% |
| | SDP | Barbara Fairhead | 1,183 | 32.2% |
| | Liberal | Martyn Allies | 1,171 | 31.9% |
| | Labour | Gerry McGreevy | 349 | 9.5% |
| | Labour | Hugh Morland | 338 | 9.2% |
| | Labour | Nidan Singh | 312 | 8.5% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,027 | |
Redlands Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Oliver* | 1,138 | 39.3% |
| | Conservative | Tony Markham* | 1,115 | 38.5% |
| | Conservative | Martin Lower* | 1,084 | 37.4% |
| | Labour | Ruth Berkley | 936 | 32.3% |
| | Labour | Robert Dimmick | 910 | 31.4% |
| | Labour | David Law | 902 | 31.1% |
| | SDP | Howard Rodaway | 840 | 29.0% |
| | Liberal | David Langshaw | 787 | 28.1% |
| | SDP | Susan MacKenzie-Williams | 726 | 25.1% |
| | Ecology | Maria Callies | 253 | 8.7% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,691 | |
Southcote Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Kirk | 1,805 | 51.7% |
| | Conservative | Anna Bradley | 1,798 | 51.5% |
| | Conservative | John Irwin | 1,797 | 51.4% |
| | Labour | Laurence Cavannagh | 1,132 | 32.4% |
| | Labour | Bob Mitchell | 1,111 | 31.8% |
| | Labour | Tony Jones | 1,080 | 30.9% |
| | Liberal | Janet Holmes | 627 | 17.9% |
| | SDP | Charles Bond | 578 | 16.5% |
| | SDP | Jean Howarth | 552 | 15.8% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,480 | |
Thames Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Brian Fowles* | 2,458 | 70.3% |
| | Conservative | Hamza Fuad* | 2,280 | 65.2% |
| | Conservative | Deryck Morton* | 2,262 | 64.7% |
| | Liberal | Ian Fenwick | 812 | 23.2% |
| | Liberal | Annette Hendry | 755 | 21.6% |
| | Liberal | Jill Verran | 712 | 20.4% |
| | Labour | Philip Hingley | 414 | 11.8% |
| | Labour | David Winchester | 408 | 11.7% |
| | Labour | Pam Lockley | 383 | 11.0% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,484 | |
Tilehurst Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Paddy Day* | 1,520 | 50.5% |
| | Liberal | Janet Bond* | 1,378 | 45.8% |
| | Liberal | Tom Heydeman* | 1,323 | 44.0% |
| | Conservative | Terence Kelly | 1,230 | 40.9% |
| | Conservative | Rannard Wilson | 1,175 | 39.0% |
| | Conservative | Patricia Platt | 1,165 | 38.7% |
| | Labour | Frank Harris | 421 | 14.0% |
| | Labour | Mary Ranson | 398 | 13.2% |
| | Labour | Gerald Scott | 378 | 12.6% |
| | Independent | Maurice White | 42 | 1.4% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,030 | |
Whitley Ward (three seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Doris Lawrence* | 1,379 | 62.0% |
| | Labour | Mike Orton* | 1,310 | 58.9% |
| | Labour | Jack Price* | 1,250 | 56.2% |
| | Conservative | John Cleminson | 685 | 30.8% |
| | Conservative | Vera Cleminson | 671 | 30.2% |
| | Conservative | Philip Wickens | 656 | 29.5% |
| | Liberal | Mark Goldup | 252 | 11.3% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Stinton | 247 | 11.1% |
| | Liberal | Stephen Begg | 219 | 9.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,669 | |