Five new councillors will represent areas in South and East Reading following the local elections last week.
The entirety of Reading Borough Council was voted in during an all-out election.
East Reading was hotly contested between Labour and the Green Party, with the Greens retaining two seats in Redlands and picking up two in Katesgrove.
READ MORE: Reading elections see Labour tighten grip on council
Meanwhile, Labour’s Will Cross was able to retain a seat for his party in Redlands, and former councillor Andrew Hornsby-Smith was elected to represent Church ward in the south east.
Meet your new councillors for Redlands, Katesgrove and Church ward here:
Kathryn McCann, Green councillor for Redlands
Kathryn McCann received the most votes in the Redlands ward, 1,308, after being unsuccessful in her attempt to be elected as a councillor for the Church ward last year.
As well as managing Reading Farmer’s Market, she has also volunteered for Ethical Reading, a social enterprise set up to make Reading a better place to live and work by helping organisations become more ethical.
During the campaign, she called for the University of Reading to re-hire a community liaison to help students to adapt to living outside of halls.
Will Cross, Labour councillor for Redlands
Will Cross was successfully able to defend Labour’s sole seat in the Redlands ward, and was seen several times in the area while campaigning.
He said his focus as a councillor will be on tackling inequality and the affordable housing crisis, as working to solve the climate emergency.
As a Labour activist, he called on Reading Borough Council to resurface roads that are in a poor state of repair in Redlands, specifically Alexandra Road, Hexham Road, Corbridge Road and Newcastle Road.
Doug Creswell, Green councillor for Katesgrove
Doug Creswell has been elected as a representative for Katesgrove after standing in the Peppard ward at the election last year.
Now he is a councillor, Mr Creswell will continue his work campaigning for greener, warmer homes to cut fuel bills and carbon emissions.
He enjoys playing in a rock band and going rock climbing with his family in his spare time.
Louise Keane, Green councillor for Katesgrove
Louise Keane has worked in health and social care over the past 25 years, and has been a persistent campaigner in Katesgrove, narrowly missing out on getting elected to represent the ward last year.
She received the most votes in Katesgrove this year, with 1,117.
Prior to the election, she said she would prioritise tackling fly-tipping and issues with waste disposal in the area.
Andrew Hornsby-Smith, Labour councillor for Church ward
Andrew Hornsby-Smith who has previously served as a councillor for 16 years will re-enter the borough chamber after being elected this year.
He was narrowly beaten by councillor David McElroy for Redlands during the elections in 2021.
His priorities include making sure Reading has good quality local services, supporting those suffering from the cost-of-living crisis and tackling anti-social behaviour.
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