It’s election day in Wokingham and as polls opened at 7am, the sun decided to get his hat on.
Bright sunshine burst through the trees at California Ratepayers Hall as a steady trickle of voters arrived early. Just 100 yards away, traffic queued in all directions at California Crossroads, but at the polling station candidates still had time for a friendly chat.
Every ward in Wokingham is contested this year, with Reform UK, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens standing in every seat, plus an additional candidate in Wokingham Without.
Finchampstead Liberal Democrat candidate Laurent Seraphin welcomed the crowded field. He said: “I think it’s good! Gives people choices!”
Sitting councillor Peter Harper agreed, adding: “It’s great to see so many candidates. It’s great for democracy as long as the right person wins.”
Mr Seraphin, originally from the French Alps, has lived in the UK since 1996 and says he has grown fond of British culture. He said: “There’s a big vineyard in Twyford that produces a decent white.”
In Emmbrook, the morning began quietly. Councillor Imogen Shepherd Dubey said: “It’s a quiet morning here… I’m the only teller here,” but later described a more upbeat mood as the day progressed.
She said: “It’s looking very calm and positive… Nice day for a stroll around talking to people… I think we are all enjoying the sprint to the end.”
In Norrey’s ward, Labour activist Andy Croy said the sunny weather was helping turnout as he shared a polling station with Conservative candidate Phillip Cunnington.
He said: “Yes – more than we expected because if it’s a nice day, more people turn out… but you’ve got to be a bit careful standing in the sunshine.”
Reform UK’s John Halsall, a former Conservative council leader said: “It’ll be a seismic day.”
Mr Halsall was hoping for gains despite having no current councillors. He acknowledged the limits of the election cycle, with only a third of seats up for grabs.
He said: “It’s impossible for me to take the council back… because it’s only in thirds.”
Meanwhile, at a polling station on the A4 in Twyford, council leader Stephen Conway thought that a lot of people were voting, although it was harder than usual for political parties to tell since they were bringing photo id rather than their polling numbers.
He said: “The number of votes we are able to record as voting with their polling numbers is much smaller than the number of people who have actually voted.”
