Tunbridge Wells council election, 2026

07/05/2026 · 13 wards · 15 seats contested

Most seats
11
Liberal Democrats
Seats contested
15
across 13 wards
Turnout
45.8%
average of reporting wards

Summary

Party Seats +/− Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats 11 -11 16,658 37.3% +3.2
Conservative and Unionist Party 2 -5 10,235 22.9% -6.4
Tunbridge Wells Alliance 1 -3 1,563 3.5% -5.2
Independents for Tunbridge Wells 1 +0 934 2.1% -3.0
Reform UK 0 +0 9,952 22.3% +21.2
Green Party 0 +0 4,144 9.3% +2.8
Labour Party 0 -5 1,043 2.3% -11.9
English Democrats 0 +0 62 0.1% —
Independent 0 +0 27 0.1% -0.9

Changes are against the previous council election on 02/05/2024. Vote share is each party's share of all votes cast across the borough.

Candidates

Party Candidates Of a possible 15
Reform UK 16
Conservative and Unionist Party 15
Liberal Democrats 15
Green Party 14
Labour Party 8
Tunbridge Wells Alliance 3
English Democrats 1
Independent 1
Independents for Tunbridge Wells 1

A party standing a full slate could field 15 candidates, one per seat.

Results by ward

Share is each candidate's share of ballots cast in the ward. Change compares each party's lead candidate with the ward's previous contest. Bold rows are elected candidates.

Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Conservative and Unionist Party Alexander Ellison Elected 1,227 46.2% -6.9
Reform UK Matthew Beattie 674 25.4% —
Liberal Democrats Vivian Widgery 384 14.5% +3.1
Green Party Paul Jeremy Keith Froome 370 13.9% -6.9
Majority553
Turnout45.8%
Registered electors5,823
Ballots cast2,655

Conservative and Unionist Party hold

Culverden

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats David Osborne Elected 1,402 49.5% -1.6
Conservative and Unionist Party Alex Dunn 685 24.2% -6.6
Reform UK Tina Seymour 406 14.3% —
Green Party Mark McBennett 230 8.1% -6.4
Labour Party Aleksander Klimanski 85 3.0% -11.2
Independent Ahsan Azam Ahmad 27 1.0% —
Majority717
Turnout44.8%
Registered electors6,339
Ballots cast2,835

Liberal Democrats hold

Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Tunbridge Wells Alliance Ellen Neville Elected 943 31.7% -5.2
Conservative and Unionist Party Rosanna Taylor-Smith 894 30.0% -11.1
Reform UK John Spence 767 25.8% +14.5
Liberal Democrats Michael Edward Appelbe 373 12.5% +0.4
Majority49
Turnout45.7%
Registered electors6,534
Ballots cast2,977

Tunbridge Wells Alliance hold

Paddock Wood

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Christopher Digby Elected 1,195 39.4% +0.6
Reform UK Begnat Robichaud 882 29.1% —
Conservative and Unionist Party Lynne Scott 749 24.7% -9.9
Green Party Trevor Tyrone Bisdee 207 6.8% -8.3
Majority313
Turnout43.1%
Registered electors7,052
Ballots cast3,033

Liberal Democrats hold

Pantiles

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Pamela Jean Wilkinson Elected 1,246 41.0% -6.0
Conservative and Unionist Party Daniel Dzenkowski 931 30.6% +3.5
Reform UK Kristof Niewolski 531 17.5% +9.2
Green Party Joe Mattei 232 7.6% -5.6
Labour Party Dominic Nutland Frankel 100 3.3% -9.9
Majority315
Turnout45.0%
Registered electors6,770
Ballots cast3,040

Liberal Democrats hold

Park

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Richard William James Brown Elected 1,515 48.2% +9.8
Reform UK Michael Jerrom 523 16.6% +0.6
Conservative and Unionist Party David Scott 497 15.8% -1.9
Tunbridge Wells Alliance Nick Pope 268 8.5% -7.9
Green Party Alasdair James Milner Fraser 250 8.0% +0.9
Labour Party Stephen Burgess 91 2.9% -1.4
Majority992
Turnout46.6%
Registered electors6,748
Ballots cast3,144

Liberal Democrats hold

Pembury & Capel

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Independents for Tunbridge Wells David Hayward Elected 934 29.7% -7.0
Liberal Democrats Nick Slessor-Pavely 916 29.2% -11.7
Reform UK Val Dachille 659 21.0% —
Conservative and Unionist Party Andrew Hobart 466 14.8% -14.8
Green Party Sue Lovell 167 5.3% -3.1
Majority18
Turnout47.3%
Registered electors6,649
Ballots cast3,142

Independents for Tunbridge Wells hold

Rural Tunbridge Wells

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Conservative and Unionist Party David Knight Elected 1,474 37.4% -0.3
Liberal Democrats Susan Hindle Barone 1,131 28.7% +15.3
Reform UK Dennis Deane 987 25.1% —
Green Party Helen Claire Yeo 274 7.0% -12.4
Labour Party Anne Musker 73 1.9% -9.1
Majority343
Turnout49.9%
Registered electors7,902
Ballots cast3,939

Conservative and Unionist Party hold

Rusthall & Speldhurst

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Ian William Standing Elected 1,192 34.1% +8.9
Conservative and Unionist Party David Sumner 717 20.5% -1.4
Reform UK Rob Grindley 655 18.7% +13.0
Tunbridge Wells Alliance Kit Hawes-Webb 352 10.1% -22.3
Labour Party Greg Holder 317 9.1% -24.2
Green Party Stephanie Teresa Gandon 264 7.5% -1.5
Majority475
Turnout48.4%
Registered electors7,260
Ballots cast3,497

Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Party

Sherwood 2 seats

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Courtney Souper Elected 847 36.4% +24.8
Liberal Democrats Andrew Wallace Elected 787 33.8% —
Reform UK Chris Hoare 592 25.5% —
Reform UK Oliver Kinkade 549 23.6% —
Conservative and Unionist Party Christian Atwood 453 19.5% -17.6
Green Party Kate Sergeant 445 19.1% +6.9
Green Party Eben Phoebe Lenton 420 18.1% —
Conservative and Unionist Party Ellis Wiggins 384 16.5% —
Labour Party Tina Kesterton 176 7.6% -31.7
Majority195
Turnout—
Registered electors6,467
Ballots cast (estimated)2,326

Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Party · Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Party

Southborough & Bidborough 2 seats

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Kimberley Louise Johnson Elected 1,614 44.5% +8.9
Liberal Democrats Ash Shukla Elected 1,531 42.2% —
Reform UK Stephen Humphreys 719 19.8% —
Reform UK Robert Henry Mayall 675 18.6% —
Reform UK Robert Mayall 675 18.6% —
Conservative and Unionist Party Richard Long 652 18.0% -8.7
Conservative and Unionist Party Jack Bradley 615 16.9% —
Green Party Maria Gavin 435 12.0% +2.7
Green Party Iqbal Sidhu 280 7.7% —
English Democrats Aaron James Brand 62 1.7% —
Majority812
Turnout—
Registered electors7,437
Ballots cast (estimated)3,629

Liberal Democrats hold

St James'

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Gavin Barrass Elected 1,478 57.7% -8.3
Reform UK Philip Dwyer 365 14.3% —
Green Party Lucy Ann Miller 316 12.3% -7.2
Conservative and Unionist Party George Barr 271 10.6% -1.2
Labour Party Nick Maltby 130 5.1% -13.8
Majority1,113
Turnout42.5%
Registered electors6,042
Ballots cast2,560

Liberal Democrats hold

St John's

Party Candidate Votes Share +/−
Liberal Democrats Ukonu Elisha Obasi Elected 1,047 55.5% +2.3
Reform UK Chris Pendleton 293 15.5% +0.6
Green Party Lewis Patrick Jenkins 254 13.5% -0.1
Conservative and Unionist Party Alexander Lewis-Grey 220 11.7% +4.1
Labour Party Lorna Blackmore 71 3.8% —
Majority754
Turnout45.3%
Registered electors4,171
Ballots cast1,885

Liberal Democrats hold

Other elections here

2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2019 · 2018 · 2016