was elected following Pete Ruhemann's death, and in 2016 when Lawrence resigned from councillorship. The seat, which was contested by candidates from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the Conservatives, was held by the Labour party who gained 63.7% of votes. Like all wards in Reading, the boundaries of Southcote ward were redrawn in 2004. The ward holds elections by thirds—three seats are available, and in three years in every four, one seat comes up for election. Elected councillors Incumbent councillors are listed in bold. Community government Southcote has a number of action groups, including the Southcote Residents' Association (for general residents' interests), the Southcote Neighbourhood Action Group (for a police and council relations), and Southcote Globe (for environmental issues). Southcote Park Estate, a large area of semi-detached housing on unadopted roads built in 1933, has an elected volunteer committee. Geography Southcote, as a ward, is bounded to the north by Norcot, to the north-east by Battle, to the east by Coley and to the south-east by Whitley. To the south, south-west and west Southcote forms the boundary between the Reading and West Berkshire. The boundaries of Southcote are formed by Calcot Park to the north-west, the northern edge of Prospect Park to the north, the Reading to Basingstoke railway line to the east and by channels of the River Kennet to the south. The western boundary runs through housing in the Fords Farm area. Beyond the south-west and western boundaries, in West Berkshire, are the wards of Burghfield and Calcot. Less formally, Southcote is bordered by the settlements of Horncastle and Fords Farm to the west, Tilehurst to the north, West Reading to the north east, Coley to the east, Whitley to the south-east and Pingewood to the south. Topography Southcote is bordered to the south by the Holy Brook and the River Kennet; as such much of the land in the south of the area is floodplain. The proximity of Southcote to the river has led to flooding of roads and residences, particularly during the 2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods. Flooding is exacerbated by the routes of the Holy Brook and railway line; the railway crosses the stream by bridges and culverts and in some locations the embankment acts as a bund, inhibiting the dissipation of floodwater. Similarly, a report by West Berkshire Council found that during the 2013–14 floods the single track road between the