2026 Preston City Council election
7 May 2026
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16 out of 48 seats to Preston City Council 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Preston City Council election will be 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]
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton | Ronan Hodgson | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Brookfield | Mel Close | Labour | ||
| Cadley | Daniel Gregg | Liberal Democrats | ||
| City Centre | Lynne Brooks | Labour | ||
| Deepdale | Zafar Coupland | Labour | ||
| Fishwick & Frenchwood | Valerie Wise | Labour | ||
| Garrison | Amber Afzal | Labour | ||
| Greyfriars | Fiona Duke | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Ingol & Cottam | Neil Darby | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Lea & Larches | Sean Little | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Plungington | Pav Akhtar | Labour | ||
| Preston Rural East | Stephen Whittam | Conservative | ||
| Preston Rural North | Stephen Thompson[a] | Reform UK | ||
| Ribbleton | Jonathan Saksena | Labour | ||
| Sharoe Green | Maxwell Green | Conservative | ||
| St Matthew's | Jade Morgan | Labour | ||
Candidates
References
- ^ Originally elected as a Conservative, but later defected to Reform.
- ^ "Preston Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ mhclgpress (16 February 2026). "Update on May 2026 local authority elections – MHCLG in the Media". mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Preston result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ Coyle, Simon (2 May 2024). "Preston local council election 2024 results in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Elections 2026". Preston City Council. Retrieved 17 February 2026.