Reading
Unitary authority · South East · 48 seats in 16 wards · A third of seats elected in three years out of four · Next election 6 May 2027
Labour have a majority on Reading Council. The council has 48 councillors in 16 wards. Seats by party: Labour 28, Green 11, Conservative 5, Lib Dem 3. The next election is on 6 May 2027.
Seats by party
Who holds each ward
Winning margin at the last election, in points.
Coloured by the party holding most of the ward's seats today; where seats are split evenly, by the party with the higher share at the last election.
Councillors and last results
Select a ward for its full results, candidates and last by-election.
| Ward and councillors | Last election |
|---|---|
| Abbey David Stevens, Mohammed Ayub, Jacqueline Dominguez | 7 May 2026 Green 37.6% lead 5.1 pts |
| Battle Pratikshya Gurung, Wendy Griffith, Amjad Tarar | 7 May 2026 Labour 41.6% lead 6.4 pts |
| Caversham Jacopo Lanzoni, Matt Yeo, Jan Gavin | 7 May 2026 Labour 38.4% lead 13.9 pts |
| Caversham Heights Saadia Saadat, Isobel Ballsdon, Vacant | 7 May 2026 Conservative 39.2% lead 16.8 pts |
| Church Paul Woodward, Ruth McEwan, Andrew Hornsby-Smith | 7 May 2026 Labour 39.6% lead 15.0 pts |
| Coley Liz Terry, Paul Gittings, Richard Walkem | 7 May 2026 Green 33.4% lead 0.3 pts |
| Emmer Green Daya Pal Singh, Stephen Goss, Alex Smith | 7 May 2026 Conservative 27.8% lead 1.0 pts |
| Katesgrove Louise Keane, Kaisa Nikulina, Doug Cresswell | 7 May 2026 Green 50.8% lead 27.9 pts |
| Kentwood Glenn Dennis, Mark Keeping, Raj Singh | 7 May 2026 Labour 32.4% lead 7.6 pts |
| Norcot Finn McGoldrick, Alison Foster, Mamuna Naz | 7 May 2026 Labour 35.4% lead 11.9 pts |
| Park Josh Williams, Rob White, Sarah Magon | 7 May 2026 Green 65.2% lead 44.6 pts |
| Redlands Dave McElroy, Will Cross, Kathryn McCann | 7 May 2026 Green 54.8% lead 29.8 pts |
| Southcote Graeme Hoskin, John Ennis, Ulrike Magyarosy | 7 May 2026 Labour 36.0% lead 14.3 pts |
| Thames David Clarke, Richard Davies, Ama Asare | 7 May 2026 Green 39.1% lead 10.6 pts |
| Tilehurst Anne Thompson, Meri O'Connell, James Moore | 7 May 2026 Lib Dem 38.4% lead 12.8 pts |
| Whitley Alice Mpofu-Coles, Rachel Eden, Micky Leng | 7 May 2026 Labour 34.6% lead 11.6 pts |
Abbey
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline Dominguez Elected | Green | 792 | 37.6% |
| Karen Jean Rowland | Labour | 683 | 32.5% |
| Robert Dalton | Conservative | 279 | 13.3% |
| Paul Newton | Reform | 202 | 9.6% |
| Henry David Wright | Lib Dem | 139 | 6.6% |
| James William Morgan | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 9 | 0.4% |
Battle
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pratikshya Gurung Elected | Labour | 1,180 | 41.6% |
| Zoe Elena Mann | Green | 998 | 35.2% |
| Diana Alphonsine Stephanie Whitehouse | Reform | 335 | 11.8% |
| Ben Blackmore | Conservative | 207 | 7.3% |
| John Berkeley Grout | Lib Dem | 118 | 4.2% |
Caversham
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacopo Lanzoni Elected | Labour | 1,438 | 38.4% |
| Sam Wild | Green | 920 | 24.5% |
| Jeff Lewis | Reform | 600 | 16.0% |
| Andrew James Ballsdon | Conservative | 549 | 14.6% |
| Anthony Martin Spencer | Lib Dem | 225 | 6.0% |
| Bill Runacre | Social Democratic Party | 16 | 0.4% |
Caversham Heights
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Isobel Ballsdon Elected | Conservative | 1,900 |
| Saadia Saadat Elected | Conservative | 1,218 |
| Richard Martin Stainthorp | Labour | 1,088 |
| Jo Musominari | Labour | 1,058 |
| Danny McNamara | Green | 866 |
| Adil Khan | Green | 761 |
| James Robert Stothard | Reform | 580 |
| Ilayda Molloy | Reform | 496 |
| Jo Ramsay | Lib Dem | 416 |
| Vania Costa-Krol | Lib Dem | 271 |
Party shares count each party's leading candidate.
Church
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth McEwan Elected | Labour | 1,095 | 39.6% |
| Matthew Reynolds | Reform | 680 | 24.6% |
| Jamie Whitham | Green | 468 | 16.9% |
| Adam Phelps | Conservative | 362 | 13.1% |
| Mark Clifford Cole | Lib Dem | 163 | 5.9% |
Coley
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Walkem Elected | Green | 973 | 33.4% |
| Ellie Emberson | Labour | 964 | 33.1% |
| Petru Mereacre | Reform | 445 | 15.3% |
| John David Angus | Conservative | 367 | 12.6% |
| Christopher Ward | Lib Dem | 166 | 5.7% |
Emmer Green
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Smith Elected | Conservative | 1,143 | 27.8% |
| Hannah Conibear | Green | 1,103 | 26.8% |
| Clarence Mitchell | Reform | 805 | 19.6% |
| Ollie White | Labour | 770 | 18.7% |
| Nishikant Gupta | Lib Dem | 290 | 7.1% |
Katesgrove
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Kaye Keane Elected | Green | 1,340 | 50.8% |
| Richard Wong | Labour | 604 | 22.9% |
| Matthew Callow | Conservative | 281 | 10.6% |
| Prabhdeep Singh | Reform | 279 | 10.6% |
| Sarah Lucy Dobson | Lib Dem | 109 | 4.1% |
| Jean Louis Pascual | Independent | 27 | 1.0% |
Kentwood
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Anthony Dennis Elected | Labour | 1,014 | 32.4% |
| David Milne-Buckley | Conservative | 775 | 24.8% |
| Stephen Daniel Ruston | Reform | 736 | 23.5% |
| Tim Liddle | Green | 476 | 15.2% |
| Jibril Leite Al-Nabahani | Lib Dem | 127 | 4.1% |
Norcot
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alison Foster Elected | Labour | 967 | 35.4% |
| Oliver Ross Maunder | Reform | 641 | 23.5% |
| Isobel Claire Hoskins | Green | 558 | 20.4% |
| Kes Williams | Conservative | 293 | 10.7% |
| Brandon Masih | Lib Dem | 221 | 8.1% |
| Stephen Anthony Graham | The Liberal Party | 51 | 1.9% |
Last by-election, 3 August 2023
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finn McGoldrick Elected | Labour | 929 | 58.2% |
| Marie French | Lib Dem | 280 | 17.5% |
| Lizzy Sheppard | Conservative | 209 | 13.1% |
| Richard Walkem | Green | 101 | 6.3% |
| Alan Gulliver | Independent | 49 | 3.1% |
| Jen Bottom | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 28 | 1.8% |
Park
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob White Elected | Green | 1,872 | 65.2% |
| James Anthony Cuggy | Labour | 591 | 20.6% |
| Stephen Richard Ham | Reform | 190 | 6.6% |
| Kris Lund | Conservative | 149 | 5.2% |
| Jassien Adel Sabri | Lib Dem | 71 | 2.5% |
Redlands
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathryn Elizabeth McCann Elected | Green | 1,549 | 54.8% |
| Roy Rangarirai | Labour | 708 | 25.0% |
| Darren Christopher Seward | Reform | 254 | 9.0% |
| Abdoulaye Sow | Conservative | 179 | 6.3% |
| Christopher James Wilson | Lib Dem | 122 | 4.3% |
| Melanie Dent | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 16 | 0.6% |
Southcote
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulrike Magyarosy Elected | Labour | 1,032 | 36.0% |
| Bev Heslin | Reform | 623 | 21.7% |
| Rosemary Anne Croft | Green | 614 | 21.4% |
| Grace Holly Blackmore | Conservative | 408 | 14.2% |
| Benjamin Francis Sims | Lib Dem | 188 | 6.6% |
Thames
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Graham Clarke Elected | Green | 1,031 | 39.1% |
| Adele Barnett-Ward | Labour | 750 | 28.5% |
| Alexander Kelly | Reform | 351 | 13.3% |
| Jaykumar Sanatbhai Patel | Conservative | 308 | 11.7% |
| Christopher Simon Burden | Lib Dem | 183 | 6.9% |
| James Halls | Social Democratic Party | 13 | 0.5% |
Tilehurst
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meri O'Connell Elected | Lib Dem | 1,144 | 38.4% |
| Steven David Low | Reform | 763 | 25.6% |
| Caroline Susan Basden | Labour | 439 | 14.7% |
| Caroline Hearst | Green | 343 | 11.5% |
| Raihana Rahimi | Conservative | 288 | 9.7% |
Whitley
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Claire Eden Elected | Labour | 919 | 34.6% |
| Richie Sahni | Reform | 612 | 23.0% |
| Vani Goel | Conservative | 473 | 17.8% |
| Kathy Smith | Green | 449 | 16.9% |
| Pieter De Boiserie | Lib Dem | 205 | 7.7% |
Seats up on 6 May 2027
16 of 48 seats are up. Seats held now, by party:
| Ward | Councillor whose term ends |
|---|---|
| Abbey | Mohammed Ayub Labour |
| Battle | Amjad Tarar Labour |
| Caversham | Jan Gavin Labour |
| Caversham Heights | Saadia Saadat Conservative |
| Church | Paul Woodward Labour |
| Coley | Paul Gittings Labour |
| Emmer Green | Stephen Goss Conservative |
| Katesgrove | Doug Cresswell Green |
| Kentwood | Raj Singh Conservative |
| Norcot | Finn McGoldrick Labour |
| Park | Josh Williams Green |
| Redlands | Will Cross Labour |
| Southcote | John Ennis Labour |
| Thames | Ama Asare Labour |
| Tilehurst | Anne Thompson Lib Dem |
| Whitley | Alice Mpofu-Coles Labour |
Term end dates from Open Council Data.
Every council by-election since 2021
1 by-election since July 2021, 0 of them gains.
| Date | Ward | Result | Winner's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 August 2023 | Norcot | Labour hold | 58.2% |
Parliamentary constituencies
| Constituency | Share of council | 2024 winner | Projected now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Central | 66% | Labour | Labour 39% |
| Reading West and Mid Berkshire | 19% | Labour | Conservative 35% |
| Earley and Woodley | 15% | Labour | Labour 40% |
Share of the council: the proportion of its census neighbourhoods (2021 LSOAs) in each seat. The projection is PollCheck's demographic model at current polling, not a forecast.
Who lives in Reading
174,213 residents in 67,702 households
GB figure. 2021 Census (Scotland: 2022): age as a share of residents aged 15 and over, qualifications of residents aged 16 and over, housing as a share of households. Leave: 2016 EU referendum, Electoral Commission results by counting area.
Councils most like this one
Closest on the measures above: the 2016 Leave vote, age, qualifications and housing. Maps show which party holds each ward.
Sources and method
Seat totals and control: PollCheck council control tracker. Councillors: Open Council Data (CC BY-SA 4.0). Election results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), with some vote counts from DCLEAPIL, Leman (2025) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and corrections checked against councils' official declarations. Ward boundaries: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Census: Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland.
Councillor lists and DCLEAPIL-derived vote counts on this page are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In wards electing more than one councillor, a party's share counts only its leading candidate (the Rallings and Thrasher method). Independents count individually. The lead is the gap between the top two parties' shares.