1983 Reading Borough Council election
5 May 1983 (1983-05-05)
45 seats (whole council)
23 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
Lib
Leader Deryck Morton Mike Orton Jim Day
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Alliance Alliance
Seats before 22 16 11
Seats after 26 13 6
Seat change Increase4 Decrease3 Decrease5
Popular vote 61,746 39,951 31,203
Percentage 46.1 29.8 23.3

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.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3] The Liberal leader, Jim Day, lost his seat, with Basil Dunning becoming Liberal group leader after the election.[4]

Results

Reading Borough Council Election, 1983
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss 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):[5][2]

Abbey Ward (three seats)
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 7,808
Battle Ward (three seats)
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 7,320
Caversham Ward (three seats)
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 10,722
Church Ward (three seats)
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 6,868
Katesgrove Ward (three seats
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[lower-alpha 1]
Ecology Geoffrey Darnton 188 8.2%
Turnout 6,879
Kentwood Ward (three seats)
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 10,429
Minster Ward (three seats)
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 8,745
Norcot Ward (three seats)
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 9,039
Park Ward (three seats)
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 9,790
Peppard Ward (three seats)
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 11,027
Redlands Ward (three seats)
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 8,691
Southcote Ward (three seats)
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 10,480
Thames Ward (three seats)
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 10,484
Tilehurst Ward (three seats)
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 9,030
Whitley Ward (three seats)
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 6,669

Notes

  1. ↑ Listed as a candidate ahead of the election, but his vote not recorded in the results summary; presumably an omission by the newspaper.

References

  1. ↑ "The Borough of Reading (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1979". Database of Local Government Orders. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Your complete at a glance to all the results from yesterday's local council elections". Evening Post. Reading. 6 May 1983. p. 4. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Row over Tory mayors plan". Evening Post. Reading. 12 May 1983. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ex-mayor to lead town's Liberals". Evening Post. Reading. 10 May 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Five parties bid for seats". Evening Post. Reading. 13 April 1983. p. 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
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