46 seats (whole council) 24 seats needed for a majority
First party
Second party
Third party
Lab
Con
Lib
Leader
Bob Towner
Edward Busby
Jim Day
Party
Labour
Conservative
Liberal
Seats after
16
16
14
Popular vote
43,929
43,731
31,524
Percentage
36.3
36.2
26.1
The 1973 Reading District Council election was the first election to the reconstituted Reading Borough Council, which changed from being a county borough to a non-metropolitan district under the Local Government Act 1972. At the time of the election it had yet to be decided whether the new district would hold borough status and so contemporary reports describe the election as being to "Reading District Council", although it was subsequently confirmed that the new council would be a borough.
The elections were held on 7 June 1973, in common with other new non-metropolitan district councils in England and Wales. The councillors elected in 1973 were to shadow the outgoing corporation until they formally took over on 1 April 1974. The election left the council with no overall control, with Labour winning most votes by a very narrow margin, but holding the same number of seats (16) as the Conservatives. The Liberals with 14 seats held the balance of power.[1][2]
The Labour leader on the old corporation was Bob Towner and the Conservative leader was Edward Busby. Both led their parties into the elections, but neither man stood for a seat on the new council. After the election, Chris Goodall was appointed Labour group leader, and William Badnall the Conservative group leader. The Liberal group leader remained Jim Day, who had been party leader on the old corporation. A Labour / Liberal administration was eventually formed, with Jim Day being appointed to the council's top political job as chair of the policy committee.[3]
^"Parties "must end their bickering"". Evening Post. Reading. 11 June 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^"First political crack". Evening Post. Reading. 20 June 1973. p. 11. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^"Get ready for heavy rate rise, warns new Liberal committee chief". Evening Post. Reading. 4 October 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 5 April 2022. Liberals took the helm of the new Reading Council's top committee yesterday... Councillor Day was voted policy committee chairman on the new district council...
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