2026 Winchester City Council election

2026 Winchester City Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
15 out of 45 seats to Winchester City Council
23 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Martin Tod Caroline Horrill
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Last election 33 seats, 47.7% 8 seats, 31.3%
Seats before 32[1] 8
Seats won 13 0
Seats after 36 4
Seat change Increase 4 Decrease 4
Popular vote 20,243 10,798
Percentage 41.6% 22.2%
Swing Decrease 6.1% Decrease 9.1%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Blank
Leader Malcolm Wallace None
Party Green Independent
Last election 3 seats, 14.4% 1 seat, 1.5%
Seats before 4 0
Seats won 1 1
Seats after 4 1
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 6,990 1,347
Percentage 14.4% 2.8%
Swing Steady 0.0% Increase 1.3%
Winner of each seat at the 2026 Winchester City Council election.
Ward Map for 2026 Winchester City Council Elections
Leader before election

Martin Tod
Liberal Democrats

 Leader after election

Martin Tod
Liberal Democrats

The 2026 Winchester 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 15 of 32 members of Winchester City Council in Hampshire, England.[2][3]

Prior to the election, the council was under Liberal Democrat majority control. They won thirteen of the fifteen seats contested at this election, increasing their majority on the council.[4]

Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this election is planned to be the final election to Winchester City Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority, Mid Hampshire Council. Elections to the successor authority are due to take place in 2027.

Summary

Background

In 2024, the Liberal Democrats retained control of the council with an increased majority.[5][6]

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Liberal Democrats 33 Liberal Democrats 32
Conservative 8 Conservative 8
Green 3 Green 4
Independent 1 Independent 1

Changes 2024–2026:

  • June 2024: George Prest (Liberal Democrats) resigns – by-election held July 2024[7]
  • July 2024: Richard Murphy (Liberal Democrats) wins by-election[8]
  • March 2025: Hannah Greenberg (Liberal Democrats) resigns – by-election held May 2025[9]
  • May 2025: Liam Bailey-Morgan (Green) gains by-election from Liberal Democrats[10]

Election result

2026 Winchester City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Liberal Democrats {{{candidates}}} 13 Increase 4 86.7 23 36 80.0 20,243 41.6 –6.1
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 0 Decrease 4 0.0 4 4 8.9 10,798 22.2 –9.1
  Green {{{candidates}}} 1 Steady 6.7 3 4 8.9 6,990 14.4 ±0.0
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 1 Steady 6.7 0 1 2.2 1,347 2.8 +1.3
  Reform {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 8,407 17.3 N/A
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 862 1.8 –3.3

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing Result
Alresford & Itchen Valley Margot Power Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
Badger Farm &
Oliver's Battery		 Brian Laming Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
Bishop's Waltham Steve Miller Conservative Yes Lib Dem Gain
Central Meon Valley Malcolm Wallace Green Yes Held seat
Colden Common & Twyford Susan Cook[a] Independent Yes Held seat
Denmead Caroline Brook Conservative Yes Lib Dem Gain
Southwick & Wickham Neil Cutler Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
St Barnabas James Batho Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
St Bartholomew Kathleen Becker Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
St Michael Mark Reach Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
St Paul Lucille Thompson Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
The Worthys Jackie Porter Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
Upper Meon Valley Neil Bolton Conservative Yes Lib Dem Gain
Whiteley & Shedfield Anne Small Liberal Democrats Yes Held seat
Wonston & Micheldever Patrick Cunningham Conservative Yes Lib Dem Gain

Results

Alresford & Itchen Valley

Alresford & Itchen Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Margot Power* 1,975 52.7 −1.2
Conservative Lisa Griffiths 901 24.1 −15.0
Reform Nicholas Hubbard 596 15.9 N/A
Green Tom Street 228 6.1 +1.6
Labour Tessa Valentine 45 1.2 −1.2
Majority 1074 28.7 +14
Turnout 3746 53.9 +6.4
Registered electors 6,975
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Badger Farm & Oliver's Battery

Badger Farm & Oliver's Battery
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Brian Laming* 1,735 45.3 +3.9
Conservative Ed Kennedy 1,192 31.2 −16.3
Reform Lincoln Redding 442 11.6 N/A
Green Max Priesemann 387 10.1 +2.7
Labour Alison Cochrane 75 2 −1.7
Majority 543 14.2 −0.5
Turnout 3826 59.4 11.9
Registered electors 6,475
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Bishops Waltham

Bishops Waltham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Simone Fleuren 1,493 43.7 −13.7
Conservative Steve Miller* 856 25.1 +0.2
Reform Peter Jordan 643 18.8 N/A
Green Doug Stinton 363 10.6 +4.5
Labour Steve Haines 59 1.7 −2.7
Majority 637 18.7 −13.8
Turnout 3415 50.4 8.5
Registered electors 6,787
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

Central Meon Valley

Central Meon Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Malcolm Wallace* 1,570 38.7 −12.8
Conservative David Newberry 874 21.5 −7.3
Reform Frances Baxter 858 21.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Roger Bentote 708 17.4 0.0
Labour Martyn Davis 51 1.3 −1.1
Majority 696 17.1 −5.6
Turnout 4061 53.3 +8.9
Registered electors 7,643
Green hold Swing

Colden Common & Twyford

Colden Common & Twyford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Sue Cook* 1,164 49.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Sophia Williams 540 22.8 −39.0
Reform Kevin Mills 382 16.1 N/A
Conservative Hugo Mabbott 245 10.3 −17.2
Labour Adrian Field 42 1.8 −2.1
Majority 624 26.3 +15.2
Turnout 2372 51.2 +12.9
Registered electors 4,659
Independent gain from Conservative Swing

Denmead

Denmead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Martin Clay 1,186 36.4 –7.8
Reform Amanda Aldridge 998 30.7 N/A
Conservative Caroline Brook* 800 24.6 –18.7
Green Laura O'Connor 185 5.7 –0.3
Labour Andrew Kirby 85 2.6 –3.6
Majority 188 5.7 +4.8
Turnout 3,266 46.9 +13.7
Registered electors 6,963
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

Southwick & Wickham

Southwick & Wickham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Neil Cutler* 1,056 39.4 –22.5
Reform Richard Harris 839 31.3 N/A
Conservative Denise Searle 471 17.6 –5.1
Green Ben Thomas 257 9.6 +2.3
Labour Alexander Hodgkinson 58 2.2 –5.8
Majority 217 8.1 –31.1
Turnout 2,691 44.8 +13.9
Registered electors 6,012
Liberal Democrats hold

St Barnabas

St Barnabas
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats James Batho* 1,981 53.2 −0.3
Conservative David Killeen 746 20.0 −9.2
Green Jessica Redway 479 12.9 +0.9
Reform Mark Adams 453 12.2 N/A
Labour Lucy Sims 66 1.8 −3.6
Majority 1,235 33.2 +8.9
Turnout 3,726 54.8 +9.2
Registered electors 6,823
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase4.5

St Bartholomew

St Bartholomew
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Kathleen Becker* 1,455 48.1 +2.3
Green Lorraine Estelle 779 25.8 +1.8
Reform Roseanna Curley 363 12.0 N/A
Conservative Fiona Mather 348 11.5 −5.8
Labour Patrick Davies 79 2.6 −5.7
Majority 676 22.3 −4.1
Turnout 3,025 46.8 +7.9
Registered electors 6,477
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase0.3

St Michael

St Michael
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Mark Reach* 1,390 42.5 −11.2
Conservative Ian Tait 760 23.3 +0.7
Green Kate Needham 636 19.5 +6.4
Reform David Delmonte 413 12.6 N/A
Labour Archie Ledger 68 2.1 −4.7
Majority 630 19.3 −11.8
Turnout 3,267 50.2 +8.3
Registered electors 6,526
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease6.0

St Paul

St Paul
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lucille Thompson* 1,616 48.3 –1.2
Green Simon Warde 951 28.4 +2.1
Conservative Joe Hill 439 13.1 –3.9
Reform Paul O'Nions 275 8.2 N/A
Labour Peter Rees 64 1.9 –5.3
Majority 665 19.9 –3.3
Turnout 3,355 52.0 +11.7
Registered electors 6,448
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease1.7

The Worthys

The Worthys
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jackie Porter* 1,542 53.2 –2.1
Conservative Signe Biddle 623 21.5 –12.5
Reform Liam Horton 431 14.9 N/A
Green Luke Ainscough 253 8.7 +3.2
Labour Jamie Trodden 51 1.8 –3.4
Majority 919 31.7 +10.5
Turnout 2,905 50.7 +7.5
Registered electors 5,736
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase5.2

Upper Meon Valley

Upper Meon Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Ablitt 933 41.3 0.0
Conservative Neil Bolton* 917 36.3 −4.6
Reform Charlotte Northbrook 444 17.6 N/A
Green Amanda Griffith 208 8.2 −7.4
Labour Nicholas Bennett-Britton 23 0.9 −1.3
Majority 16 0.6 +0.2
Turnout 2,525 55.3 +5.5
Registered electors 4,578
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing Increase0.1

Whiteley & Shedfield

Whiteley & Shedfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Anne Small* 1,301 39.7 –8.5
Reform Julie Harrison 781 23.8 N/A
Conservative Marcus Garth 496 15.1 –5.7
Green Ben Russell 461 14.1 +2.4
Independent Sean Whelan 183 5.6 –9.6
Labour Richard Carthew 53 1.6 –2.5
Majority 520 15.9 –11.5
Turnout 3,293 38.9 +4.8
Registered electors 8,464
Liberal Democrats hold

Wonston & Micheldever

Wonston & Micheldever
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Andrew Adams 1,332 41.3 –1.3
Conservative Patrick Cunningham* 1,130 35.0 –14.6
Reform Nick Constable 489 15.2 N/A
Green Cameron Hardie 233 7.2 +1.7
Labour Antony de Peyer 43 1.3 –1.0
Majority 202 6.3 N/A
Turnout 3,232 55.7 +6.5
Registered electors 5,800
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing Increase6.7

References

  1. ↑ Originally elected as a Conservative, but subsequently left the party to sit as an Independent.
  1. ↑ "Winchester Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Elections should go ahead - unanimous agreement". Winchester City Council. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Voters across Hampshire will head to the polls as local elections set to go ahead". Hampshire Chronicle. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Atkinson, Christopher (8 May 2026). "Winchester Lib Dems make big gains as city council election ends". Hampshire Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Lib Dems reign supreme in Winchester as Conservatives lose four seats". Hampshire Chronicle. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Winchester result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Atkinson, Christopher (5 June 2024). "City councillor George Prest stands down triggering by-election". Hampshire Chronicle. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — St Michael Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Notice of Vacancy - Colden Common and Twyford Ward" (PDF). Winchester City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Colden Common and Twyford Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
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