1994 Reading Borough Council election

The 1994 Reading Borough Council election was held on 5 May 1994, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. Sixteen of the 45 seats on Reading Borough Council were up for election, being the usual third of the council (15 seats) plus a by-election in Battle ward, where Labour councillor David Booth had resigned. Prior to the election there had been one independent "Thames Conservative" councillor, Hamza Fuad, who had been elected as a Conservative, but split from the party in 1990. He did not stand for re-election in 1994. Labour retained its majority on the council.

1994 Reading Borough Council election
← 1992 5 May 1994 (1994-05-05) 1995 →

16 seats of 45 on council
23 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Lab
Con
LD
Leader Mike Orton Pauline Palmer Jim Day
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Seats before 29 11 4
Seats after 28 12 5
Seat change Decrease1 Increase1 Increase1
Popular vote 18,624 10,266 8,943
Percentage 47.8 26.4 23.0
Swing Increase10.7 Decrease14.5 Increase7.6

  Fourth party
 
Ind
Party Independent
Seats before 1
Seats after 0
Seat change Decrease1
Popular vote 0
Percentage 0
Swing n/a

Results

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Reading Borough Council Election, 1990
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 11 0 1 -1 68.8% 47.8% 18,624 +10.7
  Conservative 2 2 1 +1 12.5% 26.4% 10,266 -14.5
  Liberal Democrats 3 1 0 +1 18.8% 23.0% 8,943 +7.6
  Green 0 0% 2.5% 974 -1.0
  BNP 0 0% 0.3% 130 n/a

Ward results

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The results in each ward were as follows (candidates with an asterisk* were the previous incumbent standing for re-election):[1][2][3]

Abbey Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Llewellyn Geary* 1,630 70.3 +16.4
Liberal Democrats John William Wood 354 15.3 +6.3
Conservative Mark Vereist Boyle 334 14.4 −18.4
Turnout 2,318
Labour hold Swing +5.05
Battle Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Martin Stainthorp* 1,103 62.3 +8.6
Conservative Heather Mary Jones 333 18.8 −13.7
Liberal Democrats Martin Peter Scott 246 13.9 +4.6
Green Howard John Darby 89 5.0 +0.5
Turnout 1,771
Labour hold Swing +11.15
Battle Ward (by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malcolm Geoffrey Powers 1,296 75.4 n/a
Conservative Vera Anne Sutton 422 24.6 n/a
Turnout 1,718
Labour hold Swing n/a
Caversham Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Young
(Ed Young)
1,500 45.3 −21.3
Labour Charles Spalding Croal
(Charlie Croal)
1,198 36.2 +13.0
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Jackson 490 14.8 +6.9
Green Aidan Carlisle 122 3.7 +1.4
Turnout 3,310
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -17.15
Church Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wilfred John Wild*
(Wilf Wild)
1,030 60.6 +4.9
Conservative Colin Douglas Snider 313 18.4 n/a
Liberal Democrats Paul Fitchett 262 15.4 −16.1
Green Richard John Kerr Bradbury 94 5.5 −7.2
Turnout 1,699
Labour hold Swing n/a
Katesgrove Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Patricia Thomas
(Trish Thomas)
1,118 63.0 +13.3
Conservative Shirley Muriel Mills 344 19.4 −13.8
Liberal Democrats Mark Gray 313 17.6 +4.3
Turnout 1,775
Labour hold Swing +9.05
Kentwood Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats George Henry Ford* 1,144 42.0 +10.3
Conservative Peter Argyle 817 30.0 −16.1
Labour Philip Starr
(Phil Starr)
760 27.9 +8.2
Turnout 2,721
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +13.2
Minster Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gregory Bello
(Greg Bello)
1,348 49.3 +12.0
Conservative David Frederick Henderson 943 34.5 −17.8
Liberal Democrats Richard Karel Duveen
(Ricky Duveen)
441 16.1 +6.7
Turnout 2,732
Labour hold Swing +14.9
Norcot Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Josephine Mary Lovelock*
(Jo Lovelock)
1,603 63.4 +6.5
Liberal Democrats Simon John Weinberger 465 18.4 n/a
Conservative Clarence Percy Mortimer
(Percy Mortimer)
332 13.1 −24.3
BNP Graham Coles 130 5.1 n/a
Turnout 2,530
Labour hold Swing -5.95
Park Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christine Champion Borgars* 1,711 68.1 +1.2
Conservative Karen-Anne Young 369 14.7 −3.0
Liberal Democrats Susan Kathleen Doughty
(Sue Doughty)
289 11.5 n/a
Green Philip John Unsworth 145 5.8 −3.0
Turnout 2,514
Labour hold Swing +5.4
Peppard Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Malcolm Fenwick 1,774 51.4 +29.2
Conservative Geoffrey Walter Canning*
(Geoff Canning)
1,231 35.7 −28.2
Labour Kevin Durham 370 10.7 −1.1
Green Andrew John McPhee 76 2.2 +0.1
Turnout 3,451
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +28.7
Redlands Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rajinder Sohpal 1,487 53.8 +5.6
Conservative Simon Howard Robinson 575 20.8 −15.4
Liberal Democrats George Hamish Hew Preston
(Hamish Preston)
544 19.7 +7.7
Green Elisabeth Brelstaff 159 5.8 +2.1
Turnout 2,765
Labour hold Swing +10.4
Southcote Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Dowson 1,651 66.2 +10.2
Conservative Susan Elizabeth White
(Sue White)
527 21.1 −19.4
Liberal Democrats Evelyn Zipporah French 235 9.4 n/a
Green Joseph Henry Loudon 81 3.2 −0.2
Turnout 2,494
Labour hold Swing +14.8
Thames Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Llywelyn Pugh
(Fred Pugh)
1,544 48.5 +6.7
Liberal Democrats John Outhwaite 916 28.8 +16.1
Labour Betty Tickner
(Bet Tickner)
582 18.3 +8.7
Green Stuart McCubbin 139 4.4 +1.9
Turnout 3,494
Conservative gain from Independent Swing n/a
Tilehurst Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nicola Jane Canning*
(Nici Canning)
1,470 61.7 +2.6
Labour Mark Turner 468 19.6 +8.1
Conservative Daphne Janet Holmes
(Janet Holmes)
375 15.7 −11.6
Green Judith Veronica Green 69 2.9 +0.9
Turnout 2,382
Liberal Democrats hold Swing -2.75
Whitley Ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Edward Orton*
(Mike Orton)
1,269 80.5 +20.2
Conservative Barrie James Cummings 307 19.5 −16.3
Turnout 1,576
Labour hold Swing +18.25

By-elections 1994–1995

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Kentwood By-Election 28 July 1994
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Philip Starr
(Phil Starr)
951 40.8 +12.9
Liberal Democrats Simon John Weinberger 752 32.3 −9.8
Conservative Peter Argyle 627 26.9 −3.1
Majority 199 8.5
Turnout 2,330 33
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +11.35

The Kentwood ward by-election in 1994 was triggered by the death of Liberal Democrat councillor George Ford, just 22 days after he had been appointed mayor of Reading.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "List of election hopefuls". Evening Post. Reading. 4 May 1994. p. 2. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Reading borough election results". Evening Post. Reading. 6 May 1994. p. 2. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Nominations close for council election". Evening Post. Reading. 7 April 1994. p. 15. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Tributes to Reading's mayor: George in dream job for only 22 days". Evening Post. Reading. 9 June 1994. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Labour sweeps to victory in by-election". Evening Post. Reading. 29 July 1994. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2022.