2026 Preston City Council election

2026 Preston City Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
16 out of 48 seats to Preston City Council
25 seats needed for a majority
Turnout33.7%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Matthew Brown John Potter Stephen Thompson
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Reform
Last election 30 seats, 40.3% 12 seats, 29.1% 0 seats, 0.8%
Seats before 26[1] 14 1
Seats won 4 5 5
Seats after 22 14 5
Seat change Decrease 4 Steady Increase 4
Popular vote 7,859 8,582 10,235
Percentage 21.0% 22.9% 27.3%
Swing Decrease 19.3% Decrease 6.2% Increase 26.5%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Harry Landless Avery Greatorex
Party Conservative Green Independent
Last election 6 seats, 21.4% Did not stand 0 seats, 1.7%
Seats before 5 0 2[a]
Seats won 0 2 0
Seats after 3 2 2
Seat change Decrease 2 Increase 2 Steady
Popular vote 4,053 6,170 460
Percentage 10.8% 16.6% 1.2%
Swing Decrease 10.6% N/A Decrease 0.5%
Results of the 2026 Preston City Council Election
Leader before election

Matthew Brown
Labour Co-op

 Leader after election

Matthew Brown
Labour Co-op
No overall control[b]

The 2026 Preston City 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 16 of 48 members of Preston City Council in Lancashire, England.[2]

Background

In 2024, the Labour Party retained majority control of the council.[3][4] In January 2026, the council asked for the election to be postponed pending local government reorganisation.[5] However it was rescheduled on 16 February 2026.[6]

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 30 Labour 26
Liberal Democrats 12 Liberal Democrats 14
Conservative 6 Conservative 5
Reform 0 Reform 1
Independent 0 Independent 3

Changes 2024–2026:

  • May 2024: David Borrow (Labour) resigns – by-election held July 2024[7]
  • July 2024: Sean Little (Liberal Democrats) gains by-election from Labour[8]
  • March 2025: Carol Henshaw (Labour) suspended from party[a][9]
  • September 2025:
    • Robert Boswell (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2025[10]
    • Stephen Thompson (Conservative) joins Reform[11]
  • October 2025:
    • Ronan Hodgson (Liberal Democrats) gains by-election from Labour[12]
    • Liz Atkins (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[13]
  • May 2026: Freddie Bailey (Labour) suspended from party[14]

Election result

Preston City Council's composition following the 2026 elections.
2026 Preston City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 4 Decrease 4 21.0 18 22 45.8 7,859 21.0 –19.3
  Liberal Democrats {{{candidates}}} 5 Steady 31.3 9 14 29.2 8,582 22.9 –6.2
  Reform {{{candidates}}} 5 Increase 4 31.3 0 5 10.4 10,235 27.3 +26.5
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 0 Decrease 2 0.0 0 3 6.3 4,053 10.8 –10.6
  Green {{{candidates}}} 2 Increase 2 12.5 0 2 4.2 6,223 16.6 N/A
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 2 2 4.2 460 1.2 –0.5
  TUSC {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 22 0.1 –2.4

Ward results

Ashton

Ashton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ronan Hodgson* 836 33.5 +12.0
Reform Lee Slater 723 29.0 N/A
Labour Andrew Maclaren 428 17.1 −41.7
Green Rachel Gill 373 14.9 N/A
Conservative Keith Sedgewick 136 5.4 −14.3
Majority 113 4.5 N/A
Turnout 2,503 38.6 +11.4
Registered electors 6,481
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour

Brookfield

Brookfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Rob Walsh 665 42.5 N/A
Labour Mel Close* 437 28.0 −38.5
Green Robin Weston 237 15.2 N/A
Conservative Daniel Duckworth 118 7.5 −6.4
Liberal Democrats Rebecca Potter 106 6.8 −12.8
Majority 228 14.5 N/A
Turnout 1,565 27.4 +8.6
Registered electors 5,721
Reform gain from Labour

Cadley

Cadley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Daniel Gregg* 1,037 40.2 −8.1
Reform Flo Emmanuel 762 29.6 N/A
Labour Isaac Omopariola 304 11.8 −14.6
Green Jono Grisdale 282 10.9 N/A
Conservative Lakwinder Singh 192 7.5 −9.5
Majority 275 10.6 –11.3
Turnout 2,584 38.4 +8.6
Registered electors 6,728
Liberal Democrats hold

City Centre

City Centre
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Tina Balmer 821 39.7 N/A
Labour Mark Routledge 572 27.7 Decrease30.7
Reform Lorenzo More 357 17.3 N/A
Conservative Andy Pratt 199 9.6 Decrease11.5
Liberal Democrats Sam Zhang-Peak 119 5.8 Decrease14.7
Majority 249 12.0 N/A
Turnout 2,080 24.0 Increase5.0
Registered electors 8,655
Green gain from Labour

Deepdale

Deepdale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Zafar Coupland* 1,219 54.1 +3.2
Green Kevin Rigotti 636 28.2 N/A
Reform John Knight 231 10.2 N/A
Liberal Democrats Nathalie Cain 87 3.9 −6.7
Conservative Nigel Lister 82 3.6 −3.6
Majority 583 25.9 +6.0
Turnout 2,260 33.8 +5.7
Registered electors 6,682
Labour hold

Fishwick & Frenchwood

Fishwick & Frenchwood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Valerie Wise* 846 43.9 −17.2
Green Christopher Soames 594 30.8 N/A
Reform Stephen Gregson 298 15.5 N/A
Conservative Ash Jariwala 115 6.0 −7.3
Liberal Democrats Joanne Joyner 73 3.8 −21.8
Majority 252 13.1 N/A
Turnout 1,932 31.4 +3.9
Registered electors 6,146
Labour Co-op hold

Garrison

Garrison
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Amber Afzal* 983 36.8 −17.0
Reform Simon Holmes 774 29.0 N/A
Green Helen Disley 356 13.3 N/A
Conservative Al-Yasa Khan 254 9.5 −10.8
Liberal Democrats Claire Craven 239 9.0 −16.9
Independent Aran Bailey 64 2.4 N/A
Majority 209 7.8 –20.1
Turnout 2,674 39.8 +9.8
Registered electors 6,716
Labour hold

Greyfriars

Greyfriars
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Fiona Duke* 1,258 45.1 −2.3
Reform Simon Crowe 622 22.3 N/A
Labour Joanne Black 309 11.1 −12.8
Conservative Andrew Bielas-Barnes 309 11.1 −17.6
Green Jacon Bilsborrow 294 10.5 N/A
Majority 636 22.8 +4.1
Turnout 2,796 44.6 +8.9
Registered electors 6,276
Liberal Democrats hold

Ingol & Cottam

Ingol & Cottam
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Neil Darby* 1,248 45.3 +1.6
Reform David Preston 821 29.8 +19.4
Conservative Sarah Hart 281 10.2 −17.7
Green Toby Worth 239 8.7 N/A
Labour Derek Barton 163 5.9 −12.1
Majority 427 15.5 –0.3
Turnout 2,756 35.1 +8.8
Registered electors 7,853
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease8.9

Lea & Larches

Lea & Larches
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jemma Rushe 829 39.2 N/A
Liberal Democrats Sean Little* 823 38.9 +2.7
Labour Bill Adams 222 10.5 −24.9
Green Keith Berry 162 7.7 N/A
Conservative Javaris Maharaj 79 3.7 −5.5
Majority 6 0.3 N/A
Turnout 2,122 32.8 +7.8
Registered electors 6,480
Reform gain from Labour

Plungington

Plungington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Gabie Lowe 641 37.3 N/A
Labour Pav Akhtar* 538 31.3 Decrease30.8
Reform Susan Brown 438 25.5 N/A
Conservative Frankie Kennedy 81 4.7 Decrease10.3
TUSC Penelope Dawber 22 1.3 Decrease8.8
Majority 103 6.0 N/A
Turnout 1,831 21.8 Increase4.5
Registered electors 8,417
Green gain from Labour

Preston Rural East

Preston Rural East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Daniel Nuttall 1,172 32.3 N/A
Conservative Steven Whittam* 980 27.0 −21.5
Liberal Democrats Liam Yip 610 16.8 −2.7
Green Karen Kendall 523 14.4 N/A
Labour Beth Moore 345 9.5 −22.5
Majority 192 5.3 N/A
Turnout 3,634 39.4 +11.4
Registered electors 9,222
Reform gain from Conservative

Preston Rural North

Preston Rural North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Stephen Thompson* 983 34.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Rene van Mierlo 932 32.3 −15.6
Conservative Fay Whittam 515 17.8 −17.5
Green Daniel Bennett 244 8.5 N/A
Labour Lynne Brooks 212 7.3 −9.5
Majority 51 1.8 N/A
Turnout 2,892 39.4 +11.9
Registered electors 7,339
Reform gain from Conservative

Ribbleton

Ribbleton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Vasile Alecu 625 47.1 N/A
Labour Michael McGowan 340 25.6 −39.6
Green Daniel Thompson 200 15.1 N/A
Conservative Tes Slater 89 6.7 −11.2
Liberal Democrats Edward Craven 72 5.4 −11.6
Majority 285 21.5 –25.8
Turnout 1,328 22.7 +6.2
Registered electors 5,846
Reform gain from Labour

Sharoe Green

Sharoe Green
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jack Singh 975 34.3 −9.3
Reform Brian Ollerton 638 22.5 N/A
Conservative Maxwell Green* 552 19.4 −2.3
Green Amy Strettle 351 12.4 N/A
Labour Rick Seymour 323 11.4 −23.2
Majority 337 11.8 N/A
Turnout 2,847 45.0 +5.7
Registered electors 6,324
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

St Matthew's

St Matthew's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Takhsin Akhtar 618 36.1 −28.2
Independent Waqas Ahmed 396 23.1 N/A
Reform Charlie Fitzpatrick 297 17.4 N/A
Green Gareth Basterfield 270 15.8 N/A
Conservative Tayo Korede 71 4.1 −9.6
Liberal Democrats Anita Murray 59 3.4 −18.6
Majority 222 13.0 –29.3
Turnout 1,713 26.7 +6.5
Registered electors 6,408
Labour hold

Notes

  1. 1 2 Some sources report that Carol Henshaw has joined Your Party. However, she is listed by Preston City Council as an independent.
  2. ↑ Labour minority.

References

  1. ↑ "Preston Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. ↑ mhclgpress (16 February 2026). "Update on May 2026 local authority elections – MHCLG in the Media". mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Preston result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ↑ Coyle, Simon (2 May 2024). "Preston local council election 2024 results in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Lancashire local elections 2026: where and why they have been cancelled - and when you can now vote". Lancashire Evening Post. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Elections 2026". Preston City Council. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. ↑ Beardsworth, Luke (24 May 2024). "Prominent Preston City Council Labour councillor David Borrow resigns triggering by-election for Lea and Larches". Blog Preston. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Lea and Larches Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  9. ↑ Faulkner, Paul (11 March 2025). "Preston Labour councillor suspended after 'antisemitism' complaint". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  10. ↑ Faulkner, Paul (5 September 2025). "Veteran Preston councillor steps down for 'personal reasons' prompting by-election". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Faulkner, Paul (2 September 2025). "Preston City Coucil's Conservative group leader defects to Reform". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  12. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Ashton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  13. ↑ Walker, Ed (23 October 2025). "Ashton councillor Liz Atkins quits Preston Labour to sit as independent". Blog Preston. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Faulkner, Paul (7 May 2026). "Preston city councillor and cabinet member suspended by Labour Party". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
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