Reform UK failed to win any seats on Reading Borough Council during its first election with a full slate of candidates.
Alan Gulliver was the first Reform candidate to stand in Reading, running in the Norcot ward during the local election in 2024.
He came in fifth place, with Labour’s Mamuna Naz winning out.
This year, Reform fielded candidates in all 16 wards of the town, including an extra candidate for Caversham Heights ward.
The party did mail leaflets to the addresses of voters, some of which arrived on Bank Holiday Monday (May 4).
But despite these efforts, the party failed to win any seats.
Clarence Mitchell, the councillor who defected to the party from the Conservatives, won the highest number of votes of any Reform candidate in the election.
He received 805 votes, but still lost his seat in Emmer Green ward, coming in third.
The seat was won by Alex Smith, the Conservative candidate, who received 1,143 votes, beating Green candidate Hannah Conibear into second place with 1103 votes.
Following his defeat, Mr Mitchell said: “Obviously, on a personal level, it’s disappointing. I’ve been proud and privileged to have served the people of Emmer Green for the last five years, to the best of my ability. I’m very grateful for everybody that voted for me.”
Mr Mitchell was elected as a Conservative councillor for Emmer Green in 2021 and 2022.
Elsewhere, Reform performed best in the west and the south, but still felt short of winning any seats.
Steven Low, their candidate in Tilehurst ward, achieved the second highest count, receiving 763 votes.
However, he still trailed cllr Meri O’Connell, the winning Liberal Democrat, who achieved victory with 1,144 votes, a majority of 381.
In Kentwood, Stephen Ruston came in third place with 736 votes, trailing runner-up David Milne-Buckley, who received 775 votes.
That has led to the observation that Reform may have split the centre-right vote in the ward.
Despite coming in second in Whitley and Church wards, the incumbent Labour councillors Rachel Eden and Ruth McEwan won their seats with commanding majorities of hundreds of votes.
Cllr McEwan won with 1,095 votes, beating Reform candidate Matthew Reynolds with a majority of 415 votes.
Meanwhile, cllr Eden won her seat back with 919 votes, beating Reform’s Richie Sahni with a majority of 307 votes.
In terms of the popular vote, Reform came in fourth with 8,592 votes behind the Conservatives, who received 9,179 votes.
See how each Reform candidate performed in order below:
Clarence Mitchell (Emmer Green): 805
Steven Low (Tilehurst): 763
Stephen Ruston (Kentwood): 736
Matthew Reynolds (Church): 680
Oliver Maunder (Norcot): 641
Bev Heslin (Southcote): 623
Richie Sahni (Whitley): 612
Jeff Lewis (Caversham): 600
James Stothard (Caversham Heights): 580
Ilayda Molloy (Caversham Heights): 496
Petru Mereacre (Coley): 445
Alexander Kelly (Thames): 351
Diana Whitehouse (Battle): 335
Prabhdeep Singh (Katesgrove): 279
Darren Seward (Redlands): 254
Paul Newton (Abbey): 202
Stephen Ham (Park): 190
