A clash between the two biggest political parties in Reading continues over which one won the popular vote this year.
Reading Borough Council has been controlled by the Labour Party since 2012.
Labour won the most seats in the borough council election this year, with seven councillors elected, but lost three lead councillors who were defending their seats to the Greens.
After the election, it was revealed that the raw total popular vote was won by Labour.
But the Greens disputed this, arguing that the numbers from Caversham Heights ward, where two councillors were elected, should be averaged rather than using the raw figures.
The conflict has been reopened by the Greens, who claim they won the popular vote across the Reading Central parliamentary constituency.
They’ve pointed out that, across wards wholly or mainly within Reading Central, each party received the following number of votes:
Green – 12,006
Labour – 9,793
Conservative – 5,429
Reform – 4,622
LibDem – 1,955
They’ve argued the Greens still win if you count both the Caversham Heights election and by-election rather than averaging the results as has been done above.
The figures are based on results from Abbey, Coley and Thames wards, where Greens won from Labour incumbents; Redlands, Park and Katesgrove, where the Greens defended their seats; Caversham, Battle and Southcote, where Labour won; and Emmer Green and Caversham Heights, won by the Conservatives.
The Greens state this result is in line with pollsters such as the Electoral Calculus polling website, who are predicting a Green win in Reading Central.
Cllr Dave McElroy (Green, Redlands), 2024 MP candidate and parliamentary spokesperson for the party on Reading Council, said: “These results show that more people backed the Green Party than any other party across the Reading Central constituency area. It is a huge achievement and shows that people agree with our vision for a fairer, greener and cleaner town.
“It was already an amazing election for the Green Party in Reading, with our best ever results and the Green group increasing to 11 councillors, reinforcing our position as the second-largest party on Reading Council.
“Winning the popular vote in Reading Central shows that local people are responding to our positive campaigning and year-round hard work in our communities.
“Residents want action on the issues that matter most to them: bringing down bills, making housing more affordable, and tackling congestion and pollution.
“We will continue working hard to hold the Labour-run council to account and to offer a hopeful, practical alternative for Reading. Let’s make hope normal again.”
The town is divided between three constituencies, Reading Central, Reading West and Mid Berkshire (RWMB) and Earley and Woodley (EW).
Labour did perform best in RWMB and EW areas, winning in Kentwood and Norcot in RWMB and Whitley and Church wards in EW.
It also won in Caversham ward and Battle ward, which is split between Reading Central and RWMB.
The Greens’ claims were blasted by Liz Terry, the council leader.
Cllr Terry (Labour, Coley) said: “We won more seats than they did across the borough and are the majority party on the council.
“They are picking and choosing. These were local elections across the whole of Reading.
“With these results, the official borough‑wide popular vote from the 2026 the council election is:
Labour / Labour Co‑op – 15,300 votes (29.2%)
Green – 15,113 votes (28.8%)
Conservative – 9,179 votes (17.4%)
Reform UK – 8,592 votes (16.4%)
Liberal Democrats – 4,158 votes (7.9%)
Independent – 27 votes (0.1%)
“Anyone can play around with the figures, but it doesn’t mean that people will vote the same way in a General Election, which this is implying.
After the local election, Matt Rodda, the sitting Labour MP for Reading Central, said: “I am so pleased that Labour have retained control of the council.
“I know the fantastic work our councillors have been doing and the difference it’s made to locals across the area. Our members, councillors and candidates have been fighting for every vote – I’m so grateful for their hard work.
“At the same time, it is difficult to see brilliant Labour candidates who have faithfully served their communities lose their seats.
“The Greens and Reform UK have come under more scrutiny during this campaign and have a lot of questions to answer before any future elections – whether that’s on dodgy donations to Farage, or the antisemitism problem of the Green Party.
“On the national picture, these were always going to be challenging elections for a mid-term government, but I’m proud of the changes a Labour government has delivered so far: NHS waiting lists are lowest for three years, violent crime, government borrowing and net migration are all falling and we’ve lifted half a million children out of poverty.
“We must continue to build on this and offer hope to people in the years ahead.”
