2026 Southampton City Council election
7 May 2026
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18 out of 51 seats to Southampton City Council 26 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Southampton 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 18 of 51 members of Southampton City Council.[2] In addition to the regular 17 seats up for election, there will be an additional by-election in Shirley ward due to the resignation of the incumbent councillor.
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Southampton City Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority. Elections to the successor authority are due to take place in 2027.
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 36 | Labour | 32 | ||
| Conservative | 10 | Conservative | 9 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | Liberal Democrats | 7 | ||
| Green | 1 | Green | 2 | ||
| Reform UK | 0 | Reform UK | 1 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- August 2024: Satvir Kaur (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2024[3]
- October 2024: George Percival (Liberal Democrats) gains by-election from Labour[4]
- March 2025: Matt Renyard (Labour) joins Greens[5]
- June 2025: Matthew Bunday (Labour) joins Liberal Democrats[6]
- August 2025: Rebecca McCreanor (Labour) joins Liberal Democrats[7]
- January 2026: George Percival (Liberal Democrats) resigns – by-election held February 2026[8]
- February 2026:
Summary
Background
In 2024, Labour retained control of the council.[11]
Election result
| 2026 Southampton City Council election[1] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 22 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 6 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | |||||||||
| Green | 1 | |||||||||
| Reform UK | 0 | |||||||||
| Independent | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor |
Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banister & Polygon | Steve Leggett | Labour | ||
| Bargate | John Noon | Labour | ||
| Bassett | Sam Chapman | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Bevois | Mike Denness | Labour | ||
| Bitterne Park | Phil Webb | Labour | ||
| Coxford | Rebecca McCreanor | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Freemantle | Pam Kenny | Labour | ||
| Harefield | Valerie Laurent | Conservative | ||
| Millbrook | Jeremy Moulton | Conservative | ||
| Peartree | Alex Houghton | Conservative | ||
| Portswood | Marie Finn | Labour | ||
| Redbridge | Lee Whitbread | Labour | ||
| Shirley | Alexander Winning | Labour | ||
| Shirley (by-election) | George Percival[b] | Liberal Democrats | No | |
| Sholing | Sarah Powell-Vaughan[c] | Reform | ||
| Swaythling | Matthew Bunday[d] | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Thornhill | Andy Frampton | Labour | ||
| Woolston | Sue Blatchford | Labour | ||
Results
Notes
- ^ Includes the vacant seat in Shirley last held by the Liberal Democrats.
- ^ Percival was the last councillor to hold this seat. He resigned from the council in January 2026 and the seat was left vacant until the 2026 election.
- ^ Originally elected as Conservative, but defected to Reform in February 2026.
- ^ Originally elected as Labour, but defected to the Liberal Democrats in June 2025.
References
- ^ a b "Southampton Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Forero, Natalia (22 January 2026). "Hampshire voters will go to the polls after Government confirms May elections". Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Lewis, Jason; Dimitrova, Galya (31 August 2024). "Southampton MP standing down as city councillor". BBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Shirley Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Barrett, Reece (26 March 2025). "'Labour have broken my heart' - Southampton councillor quits party". Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Lewis, Jason (30 June 2025). "Labour city councillor joins Lib Dems saying 'party not the same as it was'". Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Lewis, Jason (7 August 2025). "Second councillor in six weeks switches from Labour to Lib Dems". Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Lewis, Jason (9 January 2026). "Liberal Democrat councillor resigns 15 months after by-election win". Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Blackmur, Lucy (25 February 2026). "Southampton Conservative councillor defects to Reform UK". Daily Echo. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Shirley Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Southampton result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2026.