Two shocks in the West Berkshire Council elections

Two shocks for West Berkshire.

Conservative leader Lynne Doherty lost her seat, and Labour won a seat for the first time on West Berkshire Council.

They snatched victory by one vote from one of the sitting Tories Tony Linden in Tilehurst Birch Copse, who has served as a councillor for 40 years.

He didn’t rule out another go, saying: “Speak to me in four years and we will see where we are at.”

Clive Taylor for Labour said: “I can’t actually believe we have won a seat in West Berkshire for the first time. I am optimistic for the future of Labour in West Berkshire.”

Jo Stewart kept her Birch Copse seat for the Tories.

Council leader for the last four years, Lynne Doherty was thrashed at the polls in Newbury Speen only scoring 791 votes compared to the Lib Dem candidates scoring over a thousand votes each.

The Green councillor, Steve Masters also lost his seat in the Speen ward.

Liberal Democrat Leader Lee Dillon comfortably kept his Thatcham North East seat.

The winning Green Party leader Carolyn Culver kept her Ridgeway seat with a comfortable 607 majority with her 952 votes.

“I hope the 43 councillors who get elected can go forward and tackle the climate crisis and social injustice together,” she said.