Shinfield Parish Council By-Elections: Results Announced

Residents in Shinfield headed to the polls on Thursday 11 December 2025 for parish council by-elections, with three seats on Shinfield Parish Council contested following vacancies earlier in the autumn. The polls also included a seat on Earley Town Council and were held across multiple local polling stations.

Turnout and Voting Requirements

Polling stations opened at 7am and closed at 10pm, with officials reminding voters that photo ID was required to cast a ballot — a change in requirements introduced at recent elections.

Turnout varied across the wards, with approximately 26.61% in Shinfield North and 20.72% in Grazeley Ward.

Shinfield North Ward – Two Seats

In the Shinfield North Ward of Shinfield Parish, two councillors were to be elected from a field of six candidates representing multiple political groups.

The successful candidates were:

Jackie Rance (Conservative Party) – 148 votes

Greg Poole (Conservative Party) – 147 votes

Trailing in the contest were:

Parry Batth (Reform UK) – 116 votes

Dominic Rider (Liberal Democrats) – 107 votes

Robin Snell (Labour) – 97 votes

Alex Nezhuvingal (Liberal Democrats) – 77 votes

With these results, both seats in Shinfield North will be held by Conservative councillors for the parish.

Grazeley Ward – Single Seat

In Grazeley Ward, one seat was contested. The Conservative candidate:

Anthony Pollock secured the seat with 166 votes, ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate Chris Johnson who polled 151 votes.

This result means the Conservatives retain representation in Grazeley on the parish council.

Context: By-Elections Called After Vacancies

The by-elections were called after casual vacancies were published in October and November, prompting the elections in December. Notices on the Shinfield Parish Council site confirmed the by-elections were scheduled for 11th December following the close of nominations.

These elections follow administrative changes and vacancies earlier in the year, reflecting ongoing local civic engagement in parish governance.

Looking Forward

Shinfield Parish Council remains a non-political body in principle, though candidates often stand with party affiliations in contested votes. These by-elections fill seats until the next scheduled full parish council elections, currently listed for 6 May 2027 as part of the regular electoral cycle across the borough.

Council members elected in this round will participate in decisions affecting local services, planning responses, community events, and representation of Shinfield residents.