2026 Stevenage Borough Council election

2026 Stevenage Borough Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
14 out of 39 seats to Stevenage Borough Council
(including 1 by-election)
20 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Richard Henry Mason Humberstone
(defeated)
Party Labour Co-op Reform
Last election 32 seats, 51.8% 0 seats, 2.8%
Seats before 30[1] 2
Seats won 3 9
Seats after 22 10
Seat change Decrease 8 Increase 8
Popular vote 6,286 9,616
Percentage 23.0% 35.2%
Swing Decrease 28.8% Increase 32.4%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Andy McGuinness Phil Bibby
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Last election 6 seats, 17.1% 1 seat, 19.2%
Seats before 6 1
Seats won 2 0
Seats after 6 1
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 3,426 3,643
Percentage 12.5% 13.3%
Swing Decrease 4.6% Decrease 5.9%
Winner of each seat at the 2026 Stevenage Borough Council election.
Leader before election

Richard Henry
Labour Co-op

 Leader after election

Richard Henry
Labour Co-op

The 2026 Stevenage Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 14 of 39 members of Stevenage Borough Council in Hertfordshire, England.[2]

Reform UK won 9 of the 14 seats contested at this election, but Labour retained its overall majority on the council.[3]

Summary

Background

In 2024, the Labour Party retained majority control of the council.[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]

Election result

2026 Stevenage Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour Co-op 3 Decrease 8 21.4 20 23 57.5 6,286 23.0 –28.8
  Reform 9 Increase 8 64.3 1 10 25.0 9,616 35.2 +32.4
  Liberal Democrats 2 Steady 14.3 4 6 15.0 3,426 12.5 –4.6
  Conservative 0 Steady 0.0 1 1 2.5 3,643 13.3 –5.9
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 4,279 15.7 +8.1
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 73 0.3 –1.2

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 32 Labour 30
Liberal Democrats 6 Liberal Democrats 6
Reform 0 Reform 2
Conservative 1 Conservative 1

Changes 2024–2026:

  • November 2024: Graham Snell (Liberal Democrats) dies – by-election held February 2025[7]
  • February 2025: Peter Wilkins (Liberal Democrats) wins by-election[8]
  • April 2025: Conor McGrath (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[9]
  • May 2025: Conor McGrath (independent) resigns – by-election held June 2025[9]
  • June 2025: Dermot Kehoe (Labour) wins by-election[10]
  • September 2025:
    • Anne Wells (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2025[11]
    • Mason Humberstone (Labour) joins Reform[12]
  • October 2025: Rob Henry (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[13]

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Almond Hill Jeannette Thomas Labour Co-op Yes
Bandley Hill & Poplars Kamal Choudhury Labour Co-op Yes
Bedwell Ellie Plater Labour Co-op Yes
Chells Stephen Booth Liberal Democrats No
Longmeadow Akin Elekolusi Labour Co-op Yes
Manor Peter Wilkins[a] Liberal Democrats Yes
Martins Wood Carolina Veres Labour Co-op Yes[b]
Old Town Mason Humberstone[c] Reform Yes
Roebuck Alistair Gordon Labour Co-op Yes
Shephall Simon Speller Labour Co-op Yes
St Nicholas Claire Parris Labour Co-op Yes
Symonds Green Ceara Roopchand Labour Co-op Yes[d]
Woodfield Robert Boyle Labour No

Ward results

Almond Hill

Almond Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jody Hanafin 717 34.4 N/A
Green Becca Watts 615 29.5 +8.3
Labour Co-op Jeannette Thomas* 392 18.8 –20.8
Conservative Catherine Bibby 228 10.9 –11.4
Liberal Democrats Charles Littleton 132 6.3 –10.6
Majority 102 4.9 N/A
Turnout 2,084 38.2 +9.1
Registered electors ~5,455
Reform gain from Labour Co-op

Bandley Hill & Poplars

Bandley Hill & Poplars
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Wendy Rouse 842 40.3 +27.4
Labour Co-op Kamal Choudhury* 453 21.7 –14.6
Conservative David Stubbs 291 13.9 –11.8
Green Shaun Rockwood 269 12.9 +4.0
Liberal Democrats Andrew Anderson 225 10.8 –2.3
TUSC Martin Slade 7 0.3 –2.7
Majority 389 18.6 N/A
Turnout 2,087 38.3 +5.8
Registered electors ~5,449
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase21.0

Bedwell

Bedwell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Ellie Plater* 626 34.6 –11.1
Reform Dan Ashton 589 32.5 N/A
Green Harrison Pinner 294 16.2 +1.7
Conservative Adam Mitchell 169 9.3 –9.6
Liberal Democrats Emma Ewart 125 6.9 –8.3
TUSC Mark Pickersgill 7 0.4 –5.2
Majority 37 2.1 N/A
Turnout 1,810 33.9 +6.6
Registered electors ~5,339
Labour Co-op hold

Chells

Chells
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jaysica Marvell 701 35.3 –7.0
Reform Gary Smith 651 32.8 N/A
Labour Yvonne Pendlebury 235 11.8 –17.3
Green Dave Ingarfill 227 11.4 –0.7
Conservative Matthew Wyatt 172 8.7 –7.9
Majority 50 2.5 N/A
Turnout 1,986 36.1 +7.6
Registered electors ~5,501
Liberal Democrats hold

Longmeadow

Longmeadow
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jan Bainbridge 759 37.3 +28.5
Conservative Bret Facey 487 23.9 –2.9
Labour Co-op Akin Elekolusi* 360 17.7 –14.1
Green Wendy Attwell 258 12.7 –9.6
Liberal Democrats Stephen Booth 159 7.8 –0.4
TUSC Helen Kerr 14 0.7 –1.5
Majority 272 13.4 N/A
Turnout 2,037 40.3 +3.5
Registered electors ~5,055
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase15.7

Manor

Manor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Wilkins* 955 42.0 –13.6
Reform Julia Lawrence 737 32.4 N/A
Green Stephani Mok 208 9.2 –0.2
Conservative Marcel Houps 187 8.2 –7.2
Labour Co-op Maureen McKay 185 8.1 –11.6
Majority 218 9.6 N/A
Turnout 2,272 41.9 +8.6
Registered electors ~5,422
Liberal Democrats hold

Martins Wood

Martins Wood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Blackwood 799 41.9 +28.6
Labour Thea Pendlebury 440 23.0 –16.6
Green Maria Fekete 268 14.0 +2.2
Conservative Alex Farquharson 200 10.5 –10.4
Liberal Democrats Jill Brinkworth 195 10.2 –1.1
TUSC Mark Gentleman 7 0.4 –2.6
Majority 359 18.9 N/A
Turnout 1,909 38.1 +7.2
Registered electors ~5,010
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase22.6

Old Town

Old Town
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Graham Spencer 542 30.4 –9.2
Reform Mason Humberstone* 509 28.6 N/A
Green Andy Whitmore 326 18.3 +2.0
Conservative Richard Liversidge 272 15.3 –12.9
Liberal Democrats Neil Brinkworth 122 6.9 –5.3
TUSC Mark Kerr 10 0.6 –3.1
Majority 33 1.8 N/A
Turnout 1,781 41.8 +6.1
Registered electors ~4,261
Labour Co-op gain from Reform

Roebuck

Roebuck
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Liam Morrell-Phillips 667 38.0 N/A
Labour Co-op Alistair Gordon* 407 23.2 –16.1
Green Sara Warden 279 15.9 +0.4
Conservative Pawel Gora 238 13.6 –9.8
Liberal Democrats Nigel Bye 163 9.3 –7.5
Majority 260 14.8 N/A
Turnout 1,754 35.3 +7.8
Registered electors ~4,969
Reform gain from Labour Co-op

Shephall

Shephall
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Ricki Rands 670 39.4 N/A
Labour Co-op Simon Speller* 505 29.7 –17.7
Green Dan Cornwell-Groves 227 13.4 ±0.0
Conservative Nicholas Leech 189 11.1 –7.5
Liberal Democrats Riad Mannan 92 5.4 –8.7
TUSC Barbara Clare 16 0.9 –5.5
Majority 165 9.7 N/A
Turnout 1,699 35.2 +9.9
Registered electors ~4,827
Reform gain from Labour Co-op

St Nicholas

St Nicholas (2 seats due to by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Claire Parris* 716 36.0 –12.9
Reform Matthew Hurst 666 33.4 N/A
Reform Ian Marshall 616 30.9 N/A
Labour Co-op Carolina Veres* 590 29.6 –19.3
Green Jenn Arndt 371 18.6 +4.4
Green Philip Notley 324 16.3 +2.1
Conservative Jeremy Beadle 235 11.8 –7.1
Conservative Jack Ingarfill 200 10.0 –8.9
Liberal Democrats David Barks 150 7.5 –4.6
Liberal Democrats Richard Reece 115 5.8 –6.3
Turnout ~1,992 38.8 +7.7
Registered electors ~5,134
Labour Co-op hold
Reform gain from Labour Co-op

Symonds Green

Symonds Green
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jeff Bullock 761 39.3 N/A
Labour Jamie Pendlebury 392 20.2 –17.7
Green Jack Downie-Webb 378 19.5 +2.6
Conservative Maria Wheeler 264 13.6 –11.4
Liberal Democrats Clive Heramon 131 6.8 –8.4
TUSC Trevor Palmer 12 0.6 –4.3
Majority 369 19.1 N/A
Turnout 1,938 41.6 +9.4
Registered electors ~4,659
Reform gain from Labour

Woodfield

Woodfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Doug Bainbridge 633 31.9 +23.9
Conservative Margaret Notley 511 25.8 –8.4
Labour Co-op Ceara Roopchand* 443 22.3 –10.7
Green Richard Warr 235 11.9 –0.5
Liberal Democrats Emma Fielding 161 8.1 –4.3
Majority 122 6.1 N/A
Turnout 1,983 44.5 +6.3
Registered electors ~4,456
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase16.2

References

  1. ↑ Elected at the 2025 Manor by-election.
  2. ↑ Stood in St Nicholas ward.
  3. ↑ Originally elected as Labour, but later defected to Reform.
  4. ↑ Standing in Woodfield ward.
  1. ↑ "Stevenage Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 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. ↑ "Stevenage: England local elections 2026". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Stevenage result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Hertfordshire councils ask to cancel 2026 local elections". BBC News. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Government abandons plans to postpone local elections 2026". The Comet. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. ↑ McEvoy, Louise (18 November 2024). "Stevenage councillor who 'worked tirelessly' dies suddenly at home". The Comet. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Manor Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Day, Christopher (12 June 2025). "FOI into ex-Stevenage councillor Conor McGrath's resignation". The Comet. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Bedwell Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  11. ↑ McEvoy, Louise (16 September 2025). "'Absolutely gutted' Stevenage councillor resigns due to ill health". The Comet. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Heath, Martin (17 September 2025). "Stevenage Labour councillor defects to Reform UK". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Roebuck Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
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