2026 Exeter City Council election
7 May 2026
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13 out of 39 seats to Exeter City Council 20 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Exeter City Council election will take place on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Exeter City Council in Devon, England.[2] This is 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]
Summary
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 24 | Labour | 22 | ||
| Green | 7 | Green | 7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | Liberal Democrats | 4 | ||
| Conservative | 3 | Conservative | 2 | ||
| Reform UK | 0 | Reform UK | 2 | ||
| Independent | 1 | Independent | 2 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- January 2025: Zoë Hughes (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[5]
- April 2025: Naima Allcock (Labour) and Joshua Ellis-Jones (Labour) resign – by-elections held May 2025[6]
- May 2025: James Cookson (Labour) wins by-election;[7] Tony Payne (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[8]
- December 2025: Alison Sheridan (Conservative) joins Reform[9]
Election result
| 2026 Exeter City Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 14 | |||||||||
| Green | 5 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 1 | |||||||||
| Independent | 2 | |||||||||
| Reform UK | 1 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphington | Bob Foale | Labour | ||
| Duryard & St James | Kevin Mitchell | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Exwick | Paul Knott | Labour | ||
| Heavitree | Catherine Rees | Green | ||
| Mincinglake & Whipton | Tony Payne[d] | Reform UK | ||
| Newton & St Leonard's | Matthew Vizard | Labour | ||
| Pennsylvania | Josie Parkhouse | Labour Co-op | ||
| Pinhoe | Duncan Wood | Labour Co-op | ||
| Priory | Marina Asvachin | Labour | ||
| St David's | Tess Read | Green | ||
| St Loyes | Peter Holland | Conservative | ||
| St Thomas | Laura Wright | Labour | ||
| Topsham | James Cookson[e] | Labour | ||
Candidates
Notes
- ^ Exeter City Council is planned to be abolished in 2028 alongside other Devon local authorities. Elections will take place in 2027 to the replacement authorities, however these will not include Exeter City Council in its current form as a district council.
- ^ Equity Independent group co-leaders.
- ^ The 2 Independent councillors before the election sat in the Equity Independent group.
- ^ Elected at the 2025 by-election in Mincinglake & Whipton.
- ^ Elected at the 2025 by-election in Topsham.
References
- ^ "Exeter Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Timeline". Exeter City Council. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ Redfern, Martin (16 February 2026). "Exeter local elections to go ahead in May after government cancellation U-turn". Exeter Observer. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ Davis, Miles (3 January 2025). "Labour councillor quits party in transgender row". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ Henderson, Guy (22 April 2026). "Resignations spark Exeter city council elections". Devon Live. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Topsham Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Mincinglake and Whipton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ Davis, Miles (10 December 2025). "Councillor defects from Conservatives to Reform". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2026.