2026 Halton Borough Council election

2026 Halton Borough Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
19 out of 54 seats to Halton Borough Council
(including 1 by-election)
28 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Reform Labour Liberal Democrats
Last election 0 seats, 1.0% 50 seats, 68.1% 3 seats, 10.4%
Seats before 1[a] 47 3
Seats won 16 2 1
Seats after 16 32 3
Seat change Increase 15 Decrease 15 Steady
Popular vote 14,721 10,884 1,948
Percentage 48.6% 35.9% 6.4%
Swing Increase 47.6% Decrease 32.2% Decrease 4.0%
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Party Independent Conservative
Last election 0 seats, 1.7% 1 seats, 11.6%
Seats before 3[b] 0[a]
Seats won 0 0
Seats after 3 0
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 564 2,091
Percentage 1.9% 6.9%
Swing Increase 0.2% Decrease 4.7%
Results by ward
Leader before election

Mike Wharton
Labour

 Leader after election

Mike Wharton
Labour

The 2026 Halton Borough Council election was held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 19 of 54 members of Halton Borough Council.[1]

Summary

Background

The Borough of Halton is split into 18 wards, each returning three councillors. One councillor for each ward is elected each year over three years. A fourth year, in which no elections are held, is known as a 'fallow year'.[2]

In the 2024 local elections (2025 being a fallow year) Labour retained control of the council with a total of 50 out of 54 seats.[3] Three of these councillors resigned from the Labour Party in early 2026 to sit as independents.[4][5] None of these three seats were up for election in 2026. The council's sole Conservative councillor, Sian Davidson, defected to Reform UK in May 2025.[6] She represented Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor but ran in the Mersey ward for the 2026 local elections. Also in the Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor ward, an incumbent Labour councillor who would not otherwise have been up for election stood down from the council and necessitated a by-election. Therefore, two council seats were up for election in Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor, making a total of 19 seats up for election across the borough. Labour did not run a candidate against the incumbent Liberal Democrat councillor for the Beechwood & Heath ward in a move that was seen as tactical.[7]

Election result

Of the 19 seats up for election, Reform UK gained 15 from Labour and retained 1, whilst Labour held 2 seats and the Liberal Democrats held 1. Labour won in Farnworth by a margin of just one vote, whilst Reform won in Birchfield by only two votes.[7]

2026 Halton Borough Council election[8]
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 2 Decrease 15 10.5% 30 32 59.3%
  Liberal Democrats {{{candidates}}} 1 Steady 5.3% 2 3 5.6%
  Reform {{{candidates}}} 16 Increase 15 84.2% 0 16[a] 29.6%
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0% 3 3[b] 5.6%
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0% 0 0 0%
  Green {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0% 0 0 0%
  Libertarian {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0% 0 0 0%

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Appleton Angela Teeling Labour Yes
Bankfield Laura Bevan Labour Yes
Beechwood & Heath Gareth Stockton Liberal Democrats Yes
Birchfield Mike Fry Labour Yes
Bridgewater Emma Garner Labour No
Central & West Bank Noel Hutchinson Labour No
Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor Sian Davidson Reform Yes[a]
Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank Marie Wright Labour Yes
Farnworth Valerie Hill Labour No
Grange Mark Dennett Labour No
Halton Castle Chris Carlin Labour Yes
Halton Lea Alan Lowe Labour No
Halton View Louise Nolan Labour Yes
Highfield Robert Gilligan Labour Yes
Hough Green Phil Harris Labour Yes
Mersey & Weston Norman Plumpton-Walsh Labour Yes
Norton North Geoffrey Logan Labour No
Norton South & Preston Brook Martha Lloyd-Jones Labour Yes

Ward results

Appleton

Appleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Paul Musker 690 42.2 N/A
Labour Angela Teeling* 606 37.1 −47.5
Green Sue Robinson 244 14.9 N/A
Conservative Elaine Dean 95 5.8 −9.6
Majority 84 5.1
Turnout 1,635
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Bankfield

Bankfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Claire Aberdeen 682 42.4 N/A
Labour Laura Bevan* 623 38.7 −48.1
Green Nicholas Ray 201 12.5 N/A
Conservative Susan Forder 104 6.5 +1.3
Majority 59 3.7
Turnout 1,610
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Beechwood & Heath

Beechwood & Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gareth Stockton* 1,201 44.7 −3.2
Reform David Roberts 1,063 39.5 N/A
Green Julian Gardiner 356 13.2 N/A
Libertarian Dan Clarke 69 2.6 N/A
Majority 138 5.2
Turnout 2,689
Registered electors
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Birchfield

Birchfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform James Coopersmith 837 35.6 N/A
Labour Mike Fry* 835 35.5 −26.1
Green Joseph Scholes 340 14.5 N/A
Conservative John Powell 339 14.4 −13.5
Majority 2 0.1
Turnout 2,351
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Bridgewater

Bridgewater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Sarah Davies 876 45.2 N/A
Labour Mark Dennett 561 28.9 −45.7
Green Deborah Brooks 348 17.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Suzanne Howard 90 4.6 −6.1
Conservative Matthew Quinn 64 3.3 −11.4
Majority 315 16.3
Turnout 1,939
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Central & West Bank

Central & West Bank
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jonathan Mackie 662 51.5 N/A
Labour Ian Wall 369 28.7 −57.0
Green Aubrey Kelly 209 16.3 N/A
Conservative Julie Powell 45 3.5 −10.8
Majority 297 22.8
Turnout 1,285
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor

Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor (2 seats due to by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Scott 728
Reform Dylan Eaton 725
Labour Jo Jones 664
Labour Geoffrey Logan 609
Green Christopher Biggs 353
Green Robert McClennan 318
Conservative Sara Wakefield 317
Liberal Democrats John Secker 249
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing
Reform hold Swing

Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank

Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Anderton 923 53.0 N/A
Labour Marie Wright* 510 29.3 −50.9
Green Niamh Richards 220 12.6 N/A
Conservative Ksawier Staniszewski 89 5.1 −14.7
Majority 413 23.7
Turnout 1742 33.9
Registered electors 5137[10]
Reform gain from Labour

Farnworth

Farnworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Luke Williams 837 36.5 −37.8
Reform Frank Simpson 836 36.4 N/A
Green Helen McGauley 315 13.7 N/A
Conservative Philip Harper 308 13.4 −12.3
Majority 1 0.1 −29.5
Turnout 2,296
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Grange

Grange
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Gary Oates 695 40.5 N/A
Labour Frances Stewart 498 29.0 −38.8
Green Michael O'Day 277 16.1 N/A
Independent Wolfie Smith 168 9.8
Independent Daniel Baker 79 4.6
Majority 197 11.5
Turnout 1,717
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Halton Castle

Halton Castle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Davies 594 39.9 N/A
Labour Chris Carlin* 510 34.2 −28.8
Green Iain Ferguson 248 16.6 −0.8
Independent Darrin Whyte 138 9.3 −2.5
Majority 84 5.7
Turnout 1,490
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Halton Lea

Halton Lea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jack Raftree 695 45.4 N/A
Labour Nia Hayes 492 32.1 −46.4
Green Joshua Bell 286 18.7 +11.0
Conservative Luke Hanson 59 3.9 −7.7
Majority 203 13.3
Turnout 1,532
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Halton View

Halton View
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Damian Curzon 898 47.8 N/A
Labour Louise Nolan* 619 33.0 −47.1
Green Josh Watson 243 12.9 N/A
Conservative James Powell 118 6.3 −13.6
Majority 279 14.8
Turnout
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Highfield

Highfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Gilligan* 816
Reform Dave O'Connor 809
Green Kiel Oldfield 226
Conservative Pamela McDermott 112
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Hough Green

Hough Green[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Thomas Atherton 760 43.0
Labour Phil Harris* 688 38.9
Green Nicholas Parry 217 12.3
Conservative Raymond Roberts 103 5.8
Majority 72 4.1
Turnout 1768 33.5
Registered electors 5280[11]
Reform gain from Labour

Mersey & Weston

Mersey & Weston
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Siân Davidson* 784
Labour Norman Plumpton-Walsh* 567
Green Hayley Smith 327
Independent John Lunt 179
Liberal Democrats Joanne Rowe 154
Conservative Colleen Harper 74
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Norton North

Norton North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform William Davies 846
Labour Nathan Fitzpatrick 595
Green Lauren Hickton 280
Liberal Democrats Diane Inch 254
Conservative Mary Hanson 145
Majority
Turnout
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Norton South & Preston Brook

Norton South & Preston Brook[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Peter Davidson 618 41.6
Labour Martha Lloyd-Jones* 485 32.6
Green Emma Brown 264 17.8
Conservative Adam Burnett 119 8.0
Majority 133 9.0
Turnout 1486 30.2
Registered electors 4915[12]
Reform gain from Labour

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The incumbent Conservative councillor at the time of the 2024 local elections, Sian Davidson, defected to Reform UK in May 2025.[6] She then ran in a different ward for the 2026 local elections.
  2. 1 2 Three councillors resigned from the Labour Party in 2026 prior to the local elections and sit as independents.[4][5] None of these seats were up for election in 2026.
  1. ↑ "Elections". www3.halton.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Jordan, Barbara (19 April 2013). "No local elections in Halton this year". Runcorn & Widnes World. Newsquest. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "Halton result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 Smith, Mark. "Suspended former mayor quits Labour to become independent". Runcorn & Widnes World. Newsquest. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Mark (5 March 2026). "Former Labour colleagues trade blows as tax hike approved". Runcorn & Widnes World. Newsquest. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Mark (29 May 2025). "Halton's last Conservative councillor defects to Reform". Runcorn & Widnes World. Newsquest. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Mark (8 May 2026). "Turquoise tide sees Reform make huge gains in Halton". Runcorn & Widnes World. Newsquest. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Halton council results". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Simon Coyle (7 May 2026). "Halton local election results 2026 in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Election results for Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank". Halton Borough Council. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Election results for Hough Green". Halton Borough Council. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Election results for Norton South & Preston Brook". Halton Borough Council. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
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