# 1988 Reading Borough Council election

The 1988 Reading Borough Council election was held on 5 May 1988, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. One third of Reading Borough Council's 45 seats were up for election.
The election saw Labour increase its majority on the council by one seat.
It was the first election following the merger of the SDP-Liberal Alliance to become the "Social and Liberal Democrats" as they were called at this election, before changing the name to Liberal Democrats the following year. Some SDP members opposed to the merger formed a new Social Democratic Party, which fielded several candidates in Reading in 1988.

## Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1986 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 9 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 60.0 | 39.9 | 16,154 | +8.9 |
| Conservative | 5 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 33.3 | 40.4 | 16,342 | -0.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 14.1 | 5,706 | -12.5 |
| SDP | 0 | | | | 0 | 4.2 | 1710 | New |
| Green | 0 | | | | 0 | 1.2 | 481 | -0.1 |
| Independent | 0 | | | | 0 | 0.2 | 62 | New |

### 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 | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick John Silverthorne* (John Silverthorne) | 1,351 | 62.8 | +16.4 |
| | Conservative | H. C. S. Webb (Chris Webb) | 548 | 25.5 | −7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeremy P. Sharpe | 151 | 7.0 | −9.7 |
| | Green | Howard J. Darby | 100 | 4.7 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,150 | 32.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +12.05 | |
Battle Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clive R. Chandler* | 1,350 | 58.9 | +11.9 |
| | Conservative | Gill S. Turnbull | 721 | 31.4 | +0.2 |
| | SDP | Stephen R. Hanson | 153 | 6.7 | n/a |
| | Green | Maureen P. Gray | 69 | 3.0 | +0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,293 | 35.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.85 | |
Caversham Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pauline S. Palmer* | 2,205 | 67.0 | −0.2 |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Robert Mander (Geoff Mander) | 757 | 23.0 | +4.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Maureen A. Stagg | 204 | 6.2 | −7.6 |
| | SDP | Mary E. Hargreaves | 126 | 3.8 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,292 | 43.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.1 | |
Church Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Maureen Lockey* | 1,135 | 52.0 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative | Elaine A. Beadle | 792 | 36.3 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian W. Howells | 137 | 6.3 | −13.5 |
| | SDP | David Gask | 119 | 5.5 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,183 | 37.9 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
Katesgrove Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Christopher Sutton | 1,017 | 54.1 | +7.2 |
| | Conservative | Shirley M. Mills | 531 | 28.2 | −10.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diana M. Bailey | 274 | 14.6 | −0.1 |
| | SDP | Nikola Sergt | 58 | 3.1 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,880 | 31.7 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.8 | |
Kentwood Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen P. Thomas* | 1,278 | 46.6 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Bridget Fryett | 844 | 30.8 | −11.6 |
| | Labour | Stella M. Higgins | 522 | 19.0 | +1.9 |
| | SDP | Tom F. R. Usher | 99 | 3.6 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,743 | 41.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.8 | |
Minster Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Deryck Mitchell Morton* | 1,448 | 51.5 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Katharine Neville (Kathy Neville) | 1,069 | 38.0 | +10.0 |
| | SDP | A. W. Ellis (Tony Ellis) | 235 | 8.4 | n/a |
| | Independent | Ivan Young | 62 | 2.2 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,814 | 42.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -4.15 | |
Norcot Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen M. Hathaway* | 1,570 | 60.1 | +16.4 |
| | Conservative | Nick P. Burkinshaw | 640 | 24.5 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Norman A. Edwards | 272 | 10.4 | −23.1 |
| | SDP | Ian Gray | 94 | 3.6 | n/a |
| | Green | David A. Chaplin | 37 | 1.4 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,613 | 38.4 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.45 | |
Park Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Martin John Salter* | 1,785 | 58.2 | +10.4 |
| | Conservative | John Norman Pearson (Norman Pearson) | 880 | 28.7 | −4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen H. Begg (Steve Begg) | 172 | 5.6 | −10.1 |
| | Green | Philip J. Unsworth | 119 | 3.9 | +0.4 |
| | SDP | David J. Cornes | 113 | 3.7 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,069 | 45.5 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.35 | |
Peppard Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mary Irwin* | 1,945 | 57.7 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian M. Fenwick | 930 | 27.6 | −16.9 |
| | Labour | David M. Booth | 397 | 11.8 | +3.9 |
| | SDP | Peter E. Littlewood | 97 | 2.9 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,369 | 45.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +13.55 | |
Redlands Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Stephen Dimmick* | 1,460 | 45.3 | +11.7 |
| | Conservative | Heather M. Oliver | 1,005 | 31.2 | −3.1 |
| | SDP | Robert Owen Biggs Wilson (Rob Wilson) | 393 | 12.2 | n/a |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeremy B. C. Lazenby | 367 | 11.4 | −17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,225 | 42.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.4 | |
Southcote Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roberta Richardson (Bobbie Richardson) | 1,715 | 52.2 | +11.1 |
| | Conservative | Alfred John Irwin* (Jack Irwin) | 1,322 | 40.3 | −6.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart F. Hinson | 129 | 3.9 | −11.8 |
| | SDP | Anna M. C. Ellis | 117 | 3.6 | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,283 | 49.2 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.9 | |
Thames Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pam Fuad* | 1,872 | 63.0 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Annette Hendry | 634 | 21.3 | −10.7 |
| | Labour | K. Mike Hogarth | 311 | 10.5 | +3.0 |
| | Green | Louise A. Barnes | 156 | 5.2 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,973 | 45.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.25 | |
Tilehurst Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ronald James Day* (Jim Day) | 1,536 | 59.6 | +3.7 |
| | Conservative | Stephen J. Coles | 642 | 24.9 | −6.5 |
| | Labour | David R. Warren | 399 | 15.5 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,577 | 38.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +5.1 | |
Whitley Ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Cook | 1,316 | 66.1 | +12.4 |
| | Conservative | Philip A. Wickens | 513 | 25.8 | −5.7 |
| | SDP | Clive R. Jones | 106 | 5.3 | n/a |
| | Liberal Democrats | John William Wood | 56 | 2.8 | −12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,991 | 29.5 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.05 | |

## By-elections 1988–1990
### Katesgrove by-election 1988

Katesgrove By-Election 14 July 1988 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sheila Reilly | 787 | 57.4 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative | Shirley M. Mills | 388 | 28.3 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diana M. Bailey | 196 | 14.3 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 399 | 29.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,357 | 22.7 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
The Katesgrove ward by-election in 1988 was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Mark Hendry.

### Battle by-election 1988

Battle By-Election 17 November 1988 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Booth | 999 | 68.1 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative | Gill Turnbull | 373 | 25.4 | −6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Wood | 95 | 6.5 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 626 | 42.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,467 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.6 | |
The Battle ward by-election in 1988 was triggered by the death of Labour councillor Kevin MacDevitt.

### Abbey by-election 1989

Abbey By-Election 4 May 1989 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Jane Patricia Griffiths | |
| | Conservative | Tony Markham | 401 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Wood | 146 |
| | Green | Elizabeth Callies | 141 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
The Abbey ward by-election in 1989 was triggered by the death of Labour councillor John Silverthorne. Newspaper coverage indicates that Jane Griffiths, the winning candidate, took about 60% of the votes, but does not give the exact number of votes she received.