KATESGROVE councillor Doug Creswell described Thursday’s local elections as a ‘positive day’ as the Green Party retained their three wards which were up for re-election.
The Greens held both seats in Park, as well as Katesgrove, consolidating their position as the main opposition party to Labour in Reading Council.
They also just missed out on gaining in Redlands, with Kate Nikulina securing 1,034 votes, putting up a staunch opposition to Labour’s Will Cross’ 1,194.
Cllr Creswell said: “It’s been a really nice day, we’ve been out knocking on doors, talking to people at polling stations. It’s felt like a really nice, warm and positive day, and I’m really excited about the next four years.
“It’s a long, long day, but things change throughout the day and then you come to the count, that evolves slowly.
“It was very close, it was a proper race – everyone worked very hard. It was very nice to see lots of parties competing for Katesgrove.
He believes that people’s confidence in the Green Party is growing year on year, with residents believing they can make a difference once elected.
“We’re building and we’re building. It’s going well. When people realise they can vote Green and vote us in, we tend to benefit a lot from that.
“Right now, I’d like to deal with the physical environment: the litter and bin issues – I think that’s something we can really make strides on and improve everyone’s feeling about the area, amongst other things.
Speaking ahead of the count, leader of the Greens in Reading, Rob White, said: “We want to make Reading more green, more affordable and clean up all the rubbish problems.
“I hope that voters have recognised that and are going to vote Green in large numbers and we’ll consolidate our position as the main opposition party in Reading Council.”
