2026 Reading Borough Council election
7 May 2026
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 out of 48 seats to Reading Borough Council 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Reading Borough Council election will be held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 16 of 48 members of Reading Borough Council.[2]
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 32 | Labour | 32 | ||
| Green | 8 | Green | 8 | ||
| Conservative | 4 | Conservative | 3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | Liberal Democrats | 3 | ||
| Reform UK | 0 | Reform UK | 1 | ||
| Independent | 1 | Independent | 1 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- January 2026: Clarence Mitchell (Conservative) joins Reform[3]
Summary
Background
In 2024, Labour retained control of the council.[4][5]
Election result
| 2026 Reading Borough Council election[1] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 23 | |||||||||
| Green | 5 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 2 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | |||||||||
| Reform UK | 0 | |||||||||
| Independent | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | Karen Rowland | Labour | ||
| Battle | Sarah Hacker | Independent | ||
| Caversham | Jacopo Lanzoni | Labour | ||
| Caversham Heights | Isobel Ballsdon | Conservative | ||
| Church | Ruth McEwan | Labour | ||
| Coley | Ellie Emberson | Labour | ||
| Emmer Green | Clarence Mitchell[a] | Reform | ||
| Katesgrove | Louise Keane | Green | ||
| Kentwood | Glenn Dennis | Labour | ||
| Norcot | Jo Lovelock | Labour | ||
| Park | Rob White | Green | ||
| Redlands | Kathryn McCann | Green | ||
| Southcote | Deborah Edwards | Labour | ||
| Thames | Adele Barnett-Ward | Labour | ||
| Tilehurst | Meri O'Connell | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Whitley | Rachel Eden | Labour | ||
Notes
- ^ Originally elected as a Conservative, but defected to Reform in January 2026.
References
- ^ a b "Reading Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Team, RBC Digital. "Elections and voting". reading.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Aldridge, James (24 January 2026). "Colleagues react as Conservative in Reading defects to become first Reform UK councillor". Reading Today Online. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "LISTED: All the results from Reading's Local Elections 2024". Reading Chronicle. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Reading result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2026.