2026 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election
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7 May 2026
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19 out of 38 seats to Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council 20 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Nuneaton and Bedworth 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 19 of 38 members of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in Warwickshire, England.[2]
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority. Elections to the successor authority are due to take place in 2027.
Summary
Background
In 2024, the Conservative Party lost control of the council to the Labour Party.[3]
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, the Local Government Secretary, Steve Reed, wrote to all local authorities due to have elections in 2026, asking if they would like to delay their elections to 2027.[4] The council's Labour group supported delaying the election, while the opposition parties were against the plans. Watkins said, "it was felt that holding [the election] for a local authority that is shortly to be abolished is not a prudent use of resources".[5]
Following this, an extraordinary general meeting of the council was called, and a motion of no confidence in the council leader was moved by Conservative leader Kris Wilson (Whitestone). The motion passed with the support of the Conservative, Green, and Liberal Democrat councillors, and Watkins was removed from the position. Labour councillor Steve Hey (Attleborough) was subsequently selected to replace Watkins as leader. He was confirmed in this role after receiving support from the Labour and Green groups.[5]
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 20 | Labour | 18 | ||
| Conservative | 16 | Conservative | 17 | ||
| Green | 2 | Green | 2 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | Liberal Democrats | 1 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- December 2024: Will Markham (Labour) joins Conservatives[6]
- August 2025: Rob Roze (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[7]
- September 2025: Rob Roze (Independent) joins Liberal Democrats[8]
Election result
| 2026 Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 9 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 9 | |||||||||
| Green | 1 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | |||||||||
| Reform | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbury | Christian Smith | Labour | ||
| Attleborough | Steve Hey | Labour | ||
| Bede | Anne-Marie Bull | Labour | ||
| Bulkington | Richard Smith | Conservative | ||
| Camp Hill | Eric Amaechi | Labour | ||
| Chilvers Coton | Tony Venson | Labour | ||
| Eastboro | Mark Etienne | Conservative | ||
| Exhall | Tim Jenkins | Labour | ||
| Galley Common | Samuel Croft | Conservative | ||
| Heath | Rob Roze[b] | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Milby | Jonathan Collett | Conservative | ||
| Poplar | Amarhit Khangura | Conservative | ||
| Slough | Martin Walsh | Conservative | ||
| St Mary's | Jill Sheppard | Labour | ||
| St Nicholas | Jamie Hartshorn | Conservative | ||
| Stockingford East | Nicky King | Labour | ||
| Stockingford West | Kathleen Price | Labour | ||
| Weddington | Mike Wright | Green | ||
| Whitestone | Julian Gutteridge | Conservative | ||
Candidates
References
- ^ "Nuneaton and Bedworth Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Harrison, Claire (6 January 2026). "The one political group which wants Nuneaton and Bedworth elections delayed". Coventry Live. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "Nuneaton & Bedworth result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ McKiernan, Jennifer; Forsyth, Alex (29 January 2026). "Thirty English councils to delay elections, minister confirms". bbc.com. BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Simon (22 January 2026). "Council leader ousted over election delay row". bbc.com. BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 January 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ Nevett, Joshua; McIntyre, Alex (12 December 2024). "Labour loses control of Nuneaton and Bedworth Council". BBC News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Going Green". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Reform's going to Topham". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
