2026 Exeter City Council election

2026 Exeter City Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
14 out of 39 seats to Exeter City Council
(including 1 by-election)
20 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Philip Bialyk Diana Moore Michael Mitchell
Party Labour Green Liberal Democrats
Last election 24 seats, 38.1% 7 seats, 20.4% 4 seats, 10.3%
Seats before 22[1] 7[a] 4
Seats won 4 6 2
Seats after 18 10 5
Seat change Decrease 4 Increase 3 Increase 1
Popular vote 9,917 14,667 5,245
Percentage 22.1% 32.7% 11.7%
Swing Decrease 16.0% Increase 12.3% Increase 1.4%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader None Lucy Haigh/
Zoë Hughes[b]		 Peter Holland
(retiring)
Party Reform Independent Conservative
Last election Did not stand 1 seat, 12.7% 3 seats, 18.5%
Seats before 2 2 2
Seats won 2 0 0
Seats after 3 2 1
Seat change Increase 1 Steady Decrease 1
Popular vote 10,014 94 4,910
Percentage 22.3% 0.2% 10.9%
Swing N/A Decrease 12.5% Decrease 7.6%
Winner of each seat at the 2026 Exeter City Council election.
Leader before election

Philip Bialyk
Labour

 Leader after election

Philip Bialyk
Labour
No overall control[c]

The 2026 Exeter City Council election took place on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Exeter City Council in Devon, England.[2] This was on the same day as other local elections.

Under current plans, the elections will be the last ever to the city council, as it is planned to be abolished in 2028 and replaced with a unitary authority. Elections will be held in 2027 to its replacement authority.[3]

The elections were initially cancelled alongside others to 29 other authorities similarly planned to be replaced, however in February 2026 it was announced that the elections would go ahead as normal following filings by Reform UK for judicial review of the cancellation.[4]

Prior to the election, the council was under Labour majority control. At this election, the council went under no overall control. Labour remained the largest party, but fell two seats short of an overall majority. They continued to run the council after the election as a minority administration.[5]

Summary

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 24 Labour 22
Green 7 Green 6
Liberal Democrats 4 Liberal Democrats 4
Conservative 3 Conservative 2
Reform 0 Reform 2
Independent 1 Independent 2
Vacant 0 Vacant 1

Changes 2024–2026:

  • January 2025: Zoë Hughes (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[6]
  • April 2025: Naima Allcock (Labour) and Joshua Ellis-Jones (Labour) resign – by-elections held May 2025[7]
  • May 2025: James Cookson (Labour) wins by-election;[8] Tony Payne (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[9]
  • December 2025: Alison Sheridan (Conservative) joins Reform[10]
  • March 2026: Carol Bennett (Green, Heavitree) resigned[11][12]

Election result

2026 Exeter City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 4 Decrease 4 28.6 14 18 46.2 9,917 22.1 -16.0
  Green {{{candidates}}} 6 Increase 3 42.9 4 10 25.6 14,667 32.7 +12.3
  Liberal Democrats {{{candidates}}} 2 Increase 1 14.3 3 5 12.8 5,245 11.7 +1.4
  Reform {{{candidates}}} 2 Increase 1 14.3 1 3 7.7 10,014 22.3 N/A
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 2 2 5.1 94 0.2 -12.5
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 0 Decrease 1 0.0 1 1 2.6 4,910 10.9 -7.6
  TUSC {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0 10 <0.1 N/A

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Alphington Bob Foale Labour No
Duryard & St James Kevin Mitchell Liberal Democrats Yes
Exwick Paul Knott Labour Yes
Heavitree Catherine Rees Green No
Mincinglake & Whipton Tony Payne[d] Reform Yes
Newton & St Leonard's Matthew Vizard Labour Yes
Pennsylvania Josie Parkhouse Labour Co-op No
Pinhoe Duncan Wood Labour Co-op Yes
Priory Marina Asvachin Labour Yes
St David's Tess Read Green No
St Loyes Peter Holland Conservative No
St Thomas Laura Wright Labour Co-op Yes
Topsham James Cookson[e] Labour Yes

Ward results

Alphington

Alphington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Lucy Findlay 976 31.7 –14.3
Reform Jayden Palmer 856 27.8 N/A
Green Greg Wotton 624 20.2 +6.9
Conservative Kayleigh Luscombe 442 14.3 –13.7
Liberal Democrats JJ Pickin 185 5.9 –1.1
Majority 120 3.9 –14.1
Turnout 3,101 47.5 +13.3
Registered electors 6,527
Labour Co-op hold

Duryard & St. James

Duryard & St. James
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Kevin Mitchell* 983 40.3 –5.1
Green Mithat Ishakoglu 751 30.8 +17.1
Reform David Hodge 327 13.4 N/A
Labour Jonathan Hawke 261 10.7 –20.8
Conservative Sebastian Stanwell-Wise 117 4.8 –4.6
Majority 232 9.5 –4.4
Turnout 2,447 39.0 +11.8
Registered electors 6,271
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease11.1

Exwick

Exwick
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Paul Knott* 1,054 34.5 −19.7
Reform Lee Gillett 931 30.5 N/A
Green Kalkidan Legesse 709 23.2 +11.0
Conservative David Luscombe 205 6.7 −5.5
Liberal Democrats Jamie Horner 149 4.9 −1.4
Majority 123 4.0 −29.3
Turnout 3,057 41.8 +13.3
Registered electors 7,321
Labour Co-op hold

Heavitree

Heavitree (2 seats due to by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Stella Smith 1,889 53.1 +24.0
Green Helen Terry 1,868 52.5 +23.4
Reform Tina Beer 697 19.6 N/A
Reform Lisa Norris 657 18.5 N/A
Labour Rachel Sutton 523 14.7 –7.0
Labour Dave Mutton 499 14.0 –7.7
Conservative Katherine New 273 7.7 –3.2
Liberal Democrats Philip Brock 243 6.8 +4.5
Liberal Democrats Nigel Williams 201 5.6 +3.3
Conservative Colin Trudgeon 173 4.9 –6.0
Independent Jordan Newbery 94 2.6 N/A
Turnout 3,607 53.7 +4.9
Registered electors 6,715
Green hold
Green hold

Mincinglake & Whipton

Mincinglake & Whipton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Anthony Payne* 952 34.1 N/A
Green Martin Ayres 812 29.1 +21.4
Labour Co-op Steve Casemore 658 23.6 –14.9
Conservative David Thompson 190 6.8 –6.5
Liberal Democrats Michael Payne 178 6.4 +1.3
Majority 140 5.0 N/A
Turnout 2,799 43.5 +9.8
Registered electors 6,437
Reform hold

Newtown & St. Leonard's

Newtown & St. Leonard's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Bernadette Chelvanayagam 1,430 47.3 +0.3
Labour Matthew Vizard* 839 27.7 –8.7
Reform Jo Westlake 389 9.6 N/A
Conservative Ruth Smith 220 7.3 –1.1
Liberal Democrats Jonny Pye 146 4.8 +1.1
Majority 591 19.5 N/A
Turnout 3,033 46.1 +7.0
Registered electors 6,582
Green gain from Labour Swing Increase4.5

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Gill Baker 1,325 38.6 +7.8
Liberal Democrats Will Aczel 628 18.3 +12.1
Reform Michael Battershill 585 17.0 N/A
Labour Co-op Paula Black 584 17.0 –21.8
Conservative Rob Hannaford 303 8.8 –4.9
TUSC Myles Hatcher 10 0.3 N/A
Majority 697 20.3 N/A
Turnout 3,445 48.4 +8.8
Registered electors 7,117
Green gain from Labour Co-op Swing Decrease2.2

Pinhoe

Pinhoe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Duncan Wood* 1,160 33.8 –8.1
Reform Ashton Messer 966 28.2 N/A
Conservative Ian Baldwin 538 15.7 –8.1
Green Mark Allen 518 15.1 +2.8
Liberal Democrats Christine Campion 245 7.1 –1.9
Majority 194 5.7 –12.4
Turnout 3,437 42.3 +10.0
Registered electors 8,118
Labour Co-op hold

Priory

Priory
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Nicholas Williams 827 28.9 N/A
Labour Marina Asvachin* 815 28.5 –13.4
Green Jack Vickers 660 23.0 +12.0
Conservative Rob Newby 363 12.7 –3.5
Liberal Democrats Philip Thomas 199 6.9 –3.0
Majority 12 0.4 N/A
Turnout 2,873 43.8 +11.5
Registered electors 6,560
Reform gain from Labour

St. David's

St. David's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Brian Rappert 1,618 57.1 +6.1
Labour Co-op Rose Lelliott 446 15.7 –18.0
Reform Susan Clow 444 15.7 N/A
Conservative Yasmine Al-Saket 168 5.9 –4.8
Liberal Democrats Charles Curnock 159 5.6 +1.0
Majority 1,172 41.3 +24.0
Turnout 2,845 30.9 –2.4
Registered electors 7,014
Green hold Swing Increase12.1

St. Loye's

St. Loye's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Paul Richards 817 25.6 +19.0
Reform Christopher Owen 812 25.5 N/A
Conservative Joan Collacott 808 25.3 −23.2
Green Chloe Whipple 410 12.9 +4.5
Labour Laila Jhaveri 342 10.7 −25.7
Majority 5 0.2 N/A
Turnout 3,192 46.0 +9.4
Registered electors 6,933
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

St. Thomas

St. Thomas
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Jack Reed 1,354 37.0 +26.2
Liberal Democrats Vanessa Newcombe 865 23.7 –4.2
Reform Robert-James Cockburn 711 19.5 N/A
Labour Co-op Laura Wright* 571 15.6 –22.7
Conservative Caroline Stone 154 4.2 –1.9
Majority 489 13.4 N/A
Turnout 3,661 49.8 +11.7
Registered electors 7,347
Green gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase15.2

Topsham

Topsham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Cookson* 1,189 30.1 –15.0
Conservative Cynthia Thompson 956 24.2 –12.6
Reform Sue Davies 860 21.8 N/A
Green Ann Keen 699 17.7 +6.9
Liberal Democrats Tim Gainsford 247 6.2 –1.1
Majority 233 5.9 –2.4
Turnout 3,963 47.3 +10.0
Registered electors 8,372
Labour hold Swing Decrease1.2

Notes

  1. ↑ Including the vacant seat in Heavitree last held by a Green.
  2. ↑ Equity Independent group co-leaders.
  3. ↑ Labour minority
  4. ↑ Elected at the 2025 by-election in Mincinglake & Whipton.
  5. ↑ Elected at the 2025 by-election in Topsham.

References

  1. ↑ "Exeter Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Update on May 2026 local authority elections". mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). 16 February 2026. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Timeline". Exeter City Council. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  4. ↑ Redfern, Martin (16 February 2026). "Exeter local elections to go ahead in May after government cancellation U-turn". Exeter Observer. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Davis, Miles (21 May 2026). "Labour still in charge of Exeter City Council". BBC News. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Davis, Miles (3 January 2025). "Labour councillor quits party in transgender row". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Guy (22 April 2026). "Resignations spark Exeter city council elections". Devon Live. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Topsham Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Mincinglake and Whipton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  10. ↑ Davis, Miles (10 December 2025). "Councillor defects from Conservatives to Reform". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Boothroyd, David (3 April 2026). "Reform councillor wafted here from paradise | LocalCouncils.co.uk". www.localcouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  12. ↑ "Councillor details - Councillor Carol Bennett". Exeter City Council website. 2026-05-05. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
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