After making further gains at the local election, the Green Party has cemented themselves as the party of opposition in Reading Borough Council.
With seven seats across three wards, the party is now the second largest in terms of council representation, followed by the Conservative Party with six.
Councillor Rob White said: “It’s amazing that we made big gains in Reading and around the country.
“That’s all based on us being out working hard all year round and making a difference, and it’s amazing to see that people have recognised that.”
Cllr White was elected in Park, a Green Party majority seat since 2016, along with cllrs Brenda McGonigle and Josh Williams.
He is the longest standing Green councillor in Reading.
He said: “We’re always out talking to residents, letting them know what we’ve done and what’s going on in the local area.
“Everything, from tackling waste and antisocial behaviour, tackling fuel poverty, and climate change.”
As well as all three seats in Park ward, two were won by Green candidates in Katesgrove.
Cllr Louise Keane, who was elected in Katesgrove, said: “I think national politics has affected the Conservative result.
“But we’re not really affected so much by national politics, as our votes are from all our work we do locally, with local campaigns, and that’s how we spread our word and our vote.
“We’re out in all weathers in the community, getting to know everyone, and we’re very grateful to the good people of Katesgrove who put their trust in us.”
The third Green candidate in Katesgrove, Kate Nikulina, lost the final seat to Labour’s Cllr Liam Challenger.
Cllr White said: “It’s great to have elected all three councillors in Park, and in Redlands we’ve got two, which is great.”
The Green Party also took two further seats in Redlands, again losing out on the third seat by a margin of just 37 votes.
Jamie Whitham was not re-elected, with Labour’s Will Cross taking the third seat.
Cllr White said: “It’s a real shame that Jamie wasn’t re-elected because he is hard working, I mean a real community champion,
“But Kat McCann was elected, and Louise got the highest vote-share there.”
Green candidates had a strong showing in a number of wards, including Abbey, where the Green candidate was in fourth place, behind the three Labour candidates.
“It was a really close margin,” said Cllr White, “and you can go back and think what if I did this or that,
“But we’ll celebrating our hard work because it’s not just the month of the election, it’s the years before.
“And in the case of Louise Keane who’s been a real hard worker for the community, it’s many years,
“It’s been re-assuring to see that she’s working hard and the vote building up to this year’s elections where she was elected.”
Overall, the Green Party now has seven seats in Reading Borough Council, making it the largest opposition party in terms of representation.
Cllr Keane admitted she was surprised to see the results in her ward, saying: “As the results were being counted, it looked like we might have got a seat,
“So coming first was a massive shock– my head’s still spinning a little.”
Cllr White said: “From here, it’s onwards and upwards.
“We’re going to keep working hard, and keep making the difference.”
