Before (end of 1985) (45 seats, Elections Centre)
Conservative 23 · Labour 17 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 5 · Other 0
After (end of 1986) (45 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 22 · Conservative 18 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 5 · Other 0
Ward results
Abbey1 seat
| D. Geary | Labour | 1,258 ✓ |
| H. Webb | Conservative | 476 |
| J. Lazenby | Lib/Sdp | 404 |
| P. Oldham | Ecol | 156 |
Caversham1 seat
| F. Pugh | Conservative | 1,624 |
| Mand G. | Labour | 803 |
| M. Hargreaves | Lib/Sdp | 541 |
Church1 seat · turnout 34.4%
| J. Orton | Labour | 1,077 ✓ |
| J. Abbot | Conservative | 569 |
| S. Begg | SDP-Liberal Alliance | 452 |
Katesgrove1 seat
| M. Hendry | Labour | 1,184 |
| S. Mills | Conservative | 620 |
| N. Segrt | Lib/Sdp | 292 |
Minster1 seat
| C. Sage | Conservative | 1,218 ✓ |
| B. Statter | Labour | 1,014 |
| S. Hanson | Lib/Sdp | 566 |
| H. Hardy | Ecol | 97 |
Norcot1 seat
| J. Lovelock | Labour | 1,373 ✓ |
| J. Freeman | Lib/Sdp | 1,168 |
| P. Wells | Conservative | 518 |
| M. Gray | Ecol | 71 |
Park1 seat
| G. Parker | Labour | 1,530 ✓ |
| J. Pearson | Conservative | 921 |
| R. Pratt | Lib/Sdp | 359 |
| P. Unsworth | Ecol | 167 |
Peppard1 seat
| G. Canning | Conservative | 1,479 |
| I. Fenwick | Lib/Sdp | 1,452 |
| P. Hingley | Labour | 396 |
Southcote1 seat
| G. Howell | Labour | 1,430 |
| J. Rimmer | Conservative | 1,187 |
| A. McLuskey | Lib/Sdp | 632 |
Thames1 seat
| A. Fuad | Conservative | 1,435 ✓ |
| E. Allies | Lib/Sdp | 1,248 |
| A. Markham | Ind Con | 381 |
| M. Drukker | Labour | 306 |
| L. Barnes | Ecol | 168 |
Tilehurst1 seat
| J. Bond | Lib/Sdp | 1,614 |
| D. Henderson | Conservative | 655 |
| J. Toner | Labour | 445 |
Whitley1 seat
| M. Orton | Labour | 1,286 |
| B. Cummings | Conservative | 364 |
| J. Wood | Lib/Sdp | 325 |