1983 Reading Borough Council election 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
4
3
5
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.
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 .
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. The Liberal leader, Jim Day, lost his seat, with Basil Dunning becoming Liberal group leader after the election.
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):
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
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
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
Ecology
Geoffrey Darnton
188
8.2%
Turnout
6,879
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
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
Notes
Listed as a candidate ahead of the election, but his vote not recorded in the results summary; presumably an omission by the newspaper.
References
"The Borough of Reading (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1979" . Database of Local Government Orders . Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
^ "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.
"Row over Tory mayors plan" . Evening Post . Reading. 12 May 1983. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
"Ex-mayor to lead town's Liberals" . Evening Post . Reading. 10 May 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
"Five parties bid for seats" . Evening Post . Reading. 13 April 1983. p. 3. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
Reading, Berkshire Topics
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