# 2023 Reading Borough Council election

The 2023 Reading Borough Council election was held on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Reading Borough Council in Berkshire, England. It coincided with local elections across England. There were 17 of the 48 seats on the council up for election, being the usual third of the council plus a by-election in Park ward following the resignation of Green councillor Brenda McGonigle.
Labour retained its majority on the council. Only one seat changed party at this election, being a Labour gain from the Conservatives in Caversham Heights ward. All other seats were unchanged, with the Greens regaining their vacant seat in Park ward.
A by-election was held on 3 August 2023 following the death of a Norcot councillor. Labour retained the seat with a marginally increased share of the vote.

## Summary
### Election result

2023 Reading Borough Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Labour | 11 | 1 | 64.7 | 21 | 32 | 66.7 | 19,352 | 47.3 | ±0.0 |
| | Green | 3 | | 17.6 | 4 | 7 | 14.6 | 8,595 | 21.0 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative | 2 | 1 | 11.8 | 3 | 5 | 10.4 | 8,722 | 21.3 | -5.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1 | | 5.9 | 2 | 3 | 6.3 | 3,983 | 9.7 | +0.5 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 2.1 | 71 | 0.2 | ±0.0 |
| | TUSC | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 164 | 0.4 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 57 | 0.1 | N/A |

## Ward results

The Statement of Persons Nominated was published on 5 April 2023. Votes were counted overnight and the results posted on the Council's website on 5 May.

### Abbey

Abbey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mohammed Ayub* | 819 | 52.7 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | Simon James Bazley | 308 | 19.8 | +2.3 |
| | Green | Howard John Darby | 264 | 17.0 | −12.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steven Adam Gore | 163 | 10.5 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 511 | 32.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,566 | 23.5 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Battle

Battle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Amjad Iqbal Tahir Tarar | 1,374 | 65.4 | +6.4 |
| | Conservative | John Tattersall Murray | 302 | 14.4 | +0.1 |
| | Green | Callum Louis Harling | 256 | 12.2 | −8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Berkeley Grout | 170 | 8.1 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,072 | 51.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,115 | 28.0 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |

### Caversham

Caversham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jan Gavin* | 1,563 | 53.6 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative | Saadia Zafar Saadat | 569 | 19.5 | −2.0 |
| | Green | Mark Peter Timothy Palmer | 473 | 16.2 | −10.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Simon Burden | 311 | 10.7 | −5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 994 | 34.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,937 | 39.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Caversham Heights

Caversham Heights :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Sam Juthani | 1,454 | 41.0 | +10.7 |
| | Conservative | Paul Alan Carnell* | 1,324 | 37.3 | +1.7 |
| | Green | Danny McNamara | 500 | 14.1 | −9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vania Costa-Krol | 270 | 7.6 | −17.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 130 | 3.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,563 | 47.6 | |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Conservative | Labour Co-op gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Church

Church :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Richard Woodward* | 1,268 | 61.4 | +9.7 |
| | Conservative | James Mwaniki Mugo | 448 | 21.7 | −16.0 |
| | Green | Brent Smith | 198 | 9.6 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Clifford Cole | 152 | 7.4 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 820 | 39.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,083 | 25.3 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Coley

Coley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Stephen Gittings* | 1,297 | 57.9 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | Lizzy Sheppard | 462 | 20.6 | −2.4 |
| | Green | Isobel Claire Hoskins | 267 | 11.9 | −12.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Benjamin Francis Sims | 213 | 9.5 | −8.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 835 | 37.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,252 | 32.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Emmer Green

Emmer Green :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen James Goss | 1,233 | 40.0 | −0.7 |
| | Labour | Matt Buckley | 1,133 | 36.8 | −1.9 |
| | Green | Wendy Jane Rooke | 378 | 12.3 | −15.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pieter Herman M De Boiserie | 336 | 10.9 | −11.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 100 | 3.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,095 | 40.7 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Katesgrove

Katesgrove :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Doug Cresswell* | 1,048 | 47.0 | +4.6 |
| | Labour Co-op | Marg Cobb | 832 | 37.3 | +3.4 |
| | Conservative | Ian Binge | 213 | 9.5 | −1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret McNeill | 80 | 3.6 | −4.1 |
| | TUSC | Lily Jayne Challice | 58 | 2.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 216 | 9.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,257 | 29.5 | |
| | Green hold | Green hold | Swing | | |

### Kentwood

Kentwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raj Singh* | 1,171 | 45.3 | +5.4 |
| | Labour | Mamuna Naz | 1,016 | 39.3 | +0.4 |
| | Green | Caroline Hearst | 209 | 8.1 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Peter Barker | 187 | 7.2 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 155 | 6.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,583 | 38.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Norcot

Norcot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Colette Lolita Dennis* | 1,202 | 58.0 | +1.2 |
| | Conservative | Suzanne Rowe | 371 | 17.9 | −0.8 |
| | Green | Richard Peter Walkem | 206 | 9.9 | −8.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Ward | 126 | 6.1 | −5.9 |
| | Independent | Alan John Gulliver | 71 | 3.4 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Anthony Graham | 57 | 2.8 | N/A |
| | TUSC | Jen Bottom | 39 | 1.9 | −3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 831 | 40.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,082 | 27.6 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Park

Park (2 seats due to by-election) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Josh Williams* | 1,536 | 54.7 | +5.9 |
| | Green | Sarah Magon | 1,408 | 50.1 | −2.0 |
| | Labour | Ram Bahadur Galami | 1,087 | 38.7 | +3.6 |
| | Labour | Ollie Williamson | 1,070 | 38.1 | +7.3 |
| | Conservative | Adam Iestyn Phelps | 164 | 5.8 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | Allison Carnell | 160 | 5.7 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Dodson | 86 | 3.1 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Henry David Wright | 57 | 2.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,842 | 40.5 | |
| | Green hold | Green hold | Swing | | |
| | Green hold | Green hold | Swing | | |
The by-election in Park ward was triggered by the resignation of Green councillor Brenda McGonigle in March 2023.

### Redlands

Redlands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Will Cross* | 1,194 | 46.4 | +5.1 |
| | Green | Kate Nikulina | 1,034 | 40.2 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | Abdoulaye Diouma Sow | 193 | 7.5 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Francis David Jakeman | 114 | 4.4 | −1.8 |
| | TUSC | Melanie Samantha Jayne Dent | 36 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 160 | 6.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,590 | 31.3 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |

### Southcote

Southcote :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Joseph Ennis* | 1,454 | 60.8 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ben Michael Brereton Blackmore | 547 | 22.9 | −0.4 |
| | Green | Jamie Whitham | 223 | 9.3 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Riccardo Giovanni Mancuso-Marcello | 136 | 5.7 | −5.7 |
| | TUSC | Neil Robert Adams | 31 | 1.3 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 907 | 37.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,413 | 31.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Thames

Thames :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ama Asare | 997 | 51.5 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | Shivraj Hawaldar | 395 | 20.4 | −3.5 |
| | Green | Mike Harling | 295 | 15.2 | −10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jo Ramsay | 248 | 12.8 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 602 | 31.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,948 | 32.9 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Tilehurst

Tilehurst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Thompson* | 1,158 | 50.9 | +6.3 |
| | Labour Co-op | Len Middleton | 481 | 21.1 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | Casey George Christopher Byrne | 479 | 21.0 | −4.0 |
| | Green | Gabriel Berry-Khan | 159 | 7.0 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 677 | 29.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,282 | 31.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Whitley

Whitley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Alice Mpofu-Coles* | 1,111 | 61.3 | +5.0 |
| | Conservative | Vani Goel | 383 | 21.1 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sarah Lucy Dobson | 176 | 9.7 | −1.5 |
| | Green | Kathy Smith | 141 | 7.8 | −7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 728 | 40.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,822 | 23.5 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |

## By-Elections

Due to the death of Norcot councillor Colette Dennis in summer 2023, a by-election was held for her seat on Reading Borough Council on the 3rd of August. The by-election was won by Labour, with the Liberal Democrats leapfrogging the Conservatives and the Greens into second place.
Norcot By-Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Finn McGoldrick | 929 | 58.2 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marie French | 280 | 17.5 | +11.4 |
| | Conservative | Lizzy Sheppard | 209 | 13.1 | −4.8 |
| | Green | Richard Peter Walkem | 101 | 6.3 | −3.6 |
| | Independent | Alan John Gulliver | 47 | 3.1 | −0.4 |
| | TUSC | Jen Bottom | 28 | 1.8 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 649 | 40.6 | +0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,598 | 21.1 | −6.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |