2026 Wokingham Borough Council election

2026 Wokingham Borough Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
18 out of 54 seats to Wokingham Borough Council
28 seats needed for a majority
 
Leader Stephen Conway Pauline Jorgensen
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Last election 27 seats, 41.2% 19 seats, 37.9%
Current seats 28[1] 19
 
Leader Rachel Burgess
Party Labour Independent
Last election 8 seats, 18.1% 0 seats, 0.2%
Current seats 5 2
Incumbent Leader

Stephen Conway
Liberal Democrats



The 2026 Wokingham Borough 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 54 members of Wokingham Borough Council.[2]

As Wokingham is already a unitary authority. It will not be affected by the ongoing local government reorganisation that is happening in some areas of the country.

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Liberal Democrats 27 Liberal Democrats 28
Conservative 19 Conservative 19
Labour 8 Labour 5
Independent 0 Independent 2

Changes 2024–2026:

  • October 2024: Sarah Bell (Labour) resigns – by-election held December 2024[3]
  • November 2024: Paul Fishwick (Liberal Democrats) dies – by-election held February 2025[4]
  • December 2024: Jackie Rance (Conservative) gains by-election from Labour[5]
  • Alex Freeney (Labour) suspended from party[6]
  • February 2025: Chetna Jamthe (Liberal Democrats) wins by-election[7]
  • March 2025: Norman Jorgensen (Conservative) dies – by-election held June 2025[8]
  • June 2025: Mike Smith (Liberal Democrats) gains by-election from Conservatives[9]
  • September 2025: Majid Nagra (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[10]

Summary

Background

In 2024, the council remained under no overall control.[11] After several by-elections and defections, the Liberal Democrats took mid-term control of the council and currently lead a majority administration going into the 2026 election.

Election result

2026 Wokingham Borough Council election[1]
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Liberal Democrats 18
  Conservative 13
  Labour 4
  Independent 1
  Green 0
  Reform UK 0

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent
councillor 		Party Re-standing
Barkham & Arborfield George Evans Conservative
Bulmershe & Coronation Yusra Salman Conservative
Emmbrook Basit Alvi Liberal Democrats
Evendons Adrian Mather Liberal Democrats
Finchampstead Peter Harper Conservative
Hawkedon Melanie De Jong Liberal Democrats
Hillside Caroline Smith Liberal Democrats
Loddon Alex Freeney[a] Independent
Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates Andy Siu-Hong Ng Liberal Democrats
Norreys Nagi Nagella Labour
Shinfield Vishal Srinivasan Conservative
South Lake Carol Jewell Liberal Democrats
Spencers Wood & Swallowfield Stuart Munro Conservative
Thames Katrin Harding Liberal Democrats
Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst Martijn Andrea Liberal Democrats
Wescott Chris Cooke Liberal Democrats
Winnersh Chetna Jamthe[b] Liberal Democrats
Wokingham Without Séona Turtle Conservative

Results

Sitting councillors are marked with an asterisk (*).

Barkham & Arborfield

Barkham & Arborfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats
Conservative
Labour
Independent
Green
Reform UK
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
gain from Swing

Bulmershe & Coronation

Bulmershe & Coronation
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Reform UK
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Emmbrook

Emmbrook
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Evendons

Evendons
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Finchampstead

Finchampstead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Hawkedon

Hawkedon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Hillside

Hillside
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Loddon

Loddon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates

Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Norreys

Norreys
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Shinfield

Shinfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

South Lake

South Lake
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Spencerswood & Swallowfield

Spencerswood & Swallowfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Thames

Thames
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Twyford Ruscombe & Hurst

Twyford Ruscombe & Hust
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Wescott

Wescott
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Winnersh

Winnersh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

Wokingham Without

Wokingham Without
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Green
Majority
Total valid votes
Rejected ballots
Turnout
Swing

References

  1. ^ Originally elected as Labour, but was suspended from the party in December 2024 and now sits as an Independent.
  2. ^ Elected at the 2025 Winnersh by-election.
  1. ^ a b "Wokingham Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Current elections". www.wokingham.gov.uk. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  3. ^ Lucas, Ruth (16 October 2024). "Shinfield Councillor resigns Wokingham Borough Council over 'personal reasons'". Bracknell News. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  4. ^ Mowl, Olivia (15 November 2024). "Councillor, 65, dies after a short illness". Bracknell News. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Shinfield Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  6. ^ Batt, Andrew (30 January 2025). "Wokingham Borough councillor suspended from Labour pending investigation". Wokingham.Today. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Winnersh Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  8. ^ Aldridge, James (28 March 2025). "Tributes paid to sitting Earley Conservative councillor, dad and husband". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Maiden Erlegh and Whitegates Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  10. ^ Aldridge, James (17 September 2025). "Woodley councillor quits Labour over 'genocide' and mass killing of children in Gaza". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Wokingham result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
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