Reading East
2010 Results:
Conservative: 21269 (42.55%)
Labour: 12729 (25.47%)
Liberal Democrat: 13664 (27.34%)
UKIP: 1086 (2.17%)
Green: 1069 (2.14%)
Independent: 168 (0.34%)
Majority: 7605 (15.21%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 15461 (35.8%)
Labour: 14611 (33.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 10545 (24.4%)
Other: 2606 (6%)
Majority: 850 (2%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 15557 (35.4%)
Labour: 15082 (34.3%)
Liberal Democrat: 10619 (24.2%)
Green: 1548 (3.5%)
UKIP: 849 (1.9%)
Other: 257 (0.6%)
Majority: 475 (1.1%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 13943 (32%)
Labour: 19531 (44.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 8078 (18.5%)
UKIP: 525 (1.2%)
Green: 1053 (2.4%)
Other: 488 (1.1%)
Majority: 5588 (12.8%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 17666 (35.2%)
Labour: 21461 (42.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 9307 (18.5%)
Referendum: 1042 (2.1%)
Other: 744 (1.5%)
Majority: 3795 (7.6%)
Boundary changes: loses parts of the divided wards of Battle and Whitley to Reading West and gains part of Loddon from Maidenhead. A tiny area of Maiden Erlegh is moved into Maidenhead, though this contains less than 30 voters.
Profile: Reading is a commerical centre and commuter town in the Thames Valley in Berkshire. It is an affluent town, home to light, hi tech and service industry. It houses many corporate headquarters, including Microsoft, Sage, British Gas and Prudential. Reading East is the more urban of the two Reading seats, taking in the town centre and the eastern and northern suburbs. It covers both the eastern part of the Broough of Reading as well as some of the Reading suburbs that fall under Wokingham District council, such as Woodley and Earley. The seat contains the majority of the University of Reading, which straddles the constituency border, but more importantly the majority of the students.
Reading East was a Conservative seat lost to Labour in the 1997 landslide. The Labour MP, Jane Griffiths, was acrimoniously deselected prior to the 2005 election, following a long standing disagreement with the neighbouring MP, Martin Salter, and infighting within the local Labour party and the new Labour candidate Tony Page was defeated by Conservative Rob Wilson.
Current MP: Robert Wilson(Conservative) born 1965, Oxfordshire. Educated at Reading University. Former member of the SDP, elected to Reading council as a Conservative in 1992, and subsequently served from 2003-2006. First elected as MP for Reading East in 2005. Was successfully sued for libel by Martin Salter in 2005 (more information at They work for you)
Robert Wilson(Conservative) born 1965, Oxfordshire. Educated at Reading University. Former member of the SDP, elected to Reading council as a Conservative in 1992, and subsequently served from 2003-2006. First elected as MP for Reading East in 2005. Was successfully sued for libel by Martin Salter in 2005 (more information at They work for you)Anneliese Dodds (Labour) born 1978. Educated at Oxford, Doctorate from the LSE. Fellow at LSE. Contested Billericay in 2005. Opposed the war in Iraq.Gareth Epps (Liberal Democrat) Educated at University of Manchester. West Oxfordshire District Councillor from 2000-2006. Reading councillor since 2007. Contested Witney in 2001.Rob White (Green) born 1979. Educated at De Montfort University Leicester. Self employed gardener and grower. Contested Reading East 2005.Adrian Pitfield (UKIP) Joan Lloyd (Independent)Michael Turberville (Independent)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 100154
Male: 50.6%
Female: 49.4%
Under 18: 20.6%
Over 60: 15.6%
Born outside UK: 15%
White: 86.7%
Black: 3.3%
Asian: 6.4%
Mixed: 1.9%
Other: 1.7%
Christian: 61.9%
Hindu: 1.1%
Muslim: 4.5%
Sikh: 1.1%
Full time students: 11.8%
Graduates 16-74: 31.8%
No Qualifications 16-74: 18.8%
Owner-Occupied: 70.1%
Social Housing: 11.7% (Council: 7.3%, Housing Ass.: 4.4%)
Privately Rented: 15.1%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 7.7%
The Libdem surge is starting to end, the polls may still show them in second, but they are gradually falling back towards third, holding second place by 1%, also the LibDems are weak in Reading. On their campaign materials, they show them in second in local elections. But people reguarly vote differently in local elections. for example, in 1997, when Tony Blair won his landslide, the Tories won the local elections. Reading East, i think will have a bigger tory majority, with labpur in second, lib dems in third, the greens losing their deposit, and maybe ukip just holding onto theirs, there will be no suprises here.
RedBean
Dont know if you are familiar with this seat but Labour have no guarantee of 2nd place. They are particularly weak in the Woodley wards which are outside Reading B.C. but make up circa 25% of the electorate. Within Reading Labour currently have 7 council seats to the Lib Dems 5.
This could be one of a handful of Tory losses.
To who ?
Lib Dem gain
This seat will remain Tory, Lib Dems will gain more votes from ex Labour supporters than from the Tory ones but not enough to win the seat.
The result will be a bigger Tory majority. Labour could well come third.
Pete – it could be a close 3 way. Also Sefton Central and Warrington South.
The Greens may hold their deposit here. PPC’s name similar to the MP’s too.
Have seen nothing from the LibDems through my door and I live in Reading East.
Rob Wilson has been a very proactive local MP since getting elected 5 years ago, and communicates with his electorate throughout thebyear, not just at elections. A big improvement on the awful Ms Griffiths. He’ll be getting my vote on the strength of his record, not because I feel the Tories have all the answers…
Lib Dems will finish 2nd, i’d like them to win, but that will only happen if Labour slump even more massively than i’m predicting.
CON HOLD
The LD did well to come second. But is wasn’t a 2 horse race. No Clegmania on the night.