Edge Rewrite
restyle Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

Jump to content

2026 Watford Borough Council election

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2026 Watford Borough Council election
← 2024
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
2027 (TBD) →
12 out of 36 seats to Watford Borough Council
19 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Jennifer Pattinson Nigel Bell
Party Liberal Democrats Labour
Leader's seat Meriden Holywell
Last election 30 seats, 48.2% 6 seat, 29.1%
Seats before 30 6
Seats won 12 0
Seats after 32 4
Seat change Increase 2 Decrease 2
Popular vote 12,394 3,335
Percentage 44.8% 12.1%
Swing Decrease 3.4% Decrease 17.0%
Winner of each seat at the 2026 Watford Borough Council election.
Mayor before election

Peter Taylor
Liberal Democrats

 Mayor after election

Peter Taylor
Liberal Democrats

The 2026 Watford Borough Council election was held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom held on the same day, to elect 12 of 36 members of Watford Borough Council.[1] The election was held alongside the 2026 Watford mayoral election.

Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this was the final election to Watford 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. In the election, the Liberal Democrats won all 12 seats, including two gains from the Labour Party, and maintained control of the council.[2]

Background

[edit]

In the 2024 local elections, the Liberal Democrats won 11 of the 12 seats up for election, including three seats gained from the Labour Party, who held their leader's seat of Holywell.[3] With their election win, the Liberal Democrats maintained their 21-year control of the council.[3][4] In the 2024 general election, the Labour Party candidate Matt Turmaine gained the Watford constituency from the Conservative Party incumbent Dean Russell.[5] In January 2026, the council was given the option to cancel the 2026 elections in preparation for local government reorganisation, however, the council decided to proceed with the elections to "allow residents the right to exercise their democratic rights".[6]

Three by-elections were held between the 2024 and 2026 elections:

By-elections
Ward Date Incumbent Winner Cause Ref.
Party Councillor Party Candidate
Holywell 1 May 2025 Labour Matt Turmaine Labour Asma Suleman Elected as the Member of Parliament for Watford [7][8]
Oxhey 1 May 2025 Liberal Democrats Chris Newstead Liberal Democrats Iain Sharpe Resigned due to moving out of area [9][8]
Tudor 4 December 2025 Liberal Democrats Charlott Saunders Liberal Democrats Callum Robertson Resigned due to personal reasons [10][11]

Summary

[edit]

Election result

[edit]
2026 Watford Borough Council election[12]
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Liberal Democrats 12 Increase 2 100.0 20 32 88.9 12,394 44.8 –3.4
  Labour 0 Decrease 2 0.0 4 4 11.1 3,335 12.1 –17.0
  Reform 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 5,478 19.8 +15.0
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 3,748 13.6 +12.6
  Conservative 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 2,602 9.4 –6.1
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 78 0.3 –0.6
  Heritage 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 19 0.1 –0.2

Results by ward

[edit]

Callowland

[edit]
Callowland[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Stotesbury 1,030 50.2 –1.7
Green Seen Lavelle 343 16.7 N/A
Reform Lisa Godden 331 16.1 N/A
Labour Ola Alade 250 12.2 –28.1
Conservative Zeba Laskar 97 4.7 –3.1
Majority 687 33.5 +21.9
Turnout 2,051 33.7 –0.5
Registered electors ~6,068
Liberal Democrats hold

Central

[edit]
Central[12][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Aga Dychton 1,094 47.9 +1.7
Green Stephen Burrows 449 19.6 N/A
Reform Xiaolei Xie 307 13.4 +7.2
Labour Mo Hakim 265 11.6 –17.0
Conservative Avi Geller 170 7.4 –5.5
Majority 645 28.3 +10.7
Turnout 2,285 31.6 +3.4
Registered electors ~7,231
Liberal Democrats hold

Holywell

[edit]
Holywell[12][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Emil Rowe 728 29.3 +11.1
Labour Asma Suleman 649 26.1 –34.0
Green Jake Mitchell 467 18.8 N/A
Reform Michael Barrett 393 15.8 N/A
Conservative Sanjaya Pant 217 8.7 –8.3
TUSC Mark O'Connor 32 1.3 –3.4
Majority 79 3.2 N/A
Turnout 2,486 33.1 +6.1
Registered electors ~7,511
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour

Leggatts

[edit]
Leggatts[12][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Monjuma Rahman 776 36.3 –6.3
Reform Daniel Bagley 485 22.7 N/A
Green Malcolm Bush 349 16.3 N/A
Labour Marius Lupu 320 15.0 –19.0
Conservative Junaid Laskar 172 8.0 –9.3
Heritage Sarah Knott 19 0.9 –2.3
TUSC Derek Foster 17 0.8 –2.2
Majority 291 13.6 +5.0
Turnout 2,138 35.4 +0.9
Liberal Democrats hold

Meriden

[edit]
Meriden[12][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Pattinson 834 41.3 –3.4
Reform Mark Dixon 632 31.3 +23.9
Conservative Jennie Raperport 202 10.0 –11.8
Green Alison Wiesner 194 9.6 N/A
Labour Richard Smith 156 7.7 –18.5
Majority 202 10.0 –8.5
Turnout 2,018 33.9 +8.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease13.7

Nascot

[edit]
Nascot[12][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tom Osborn 1,329 49.1 –10.0
Reform Tristan Masson 441 16.3 +9.6
Conservative Ravi Kura 420 15.5 –2.4
Green Nicola Mitchell 314 11.6 N/A
Labour Mick Cash 204 7.5 –8.8
Majority 888 32.8 –8.4
Turnout 2,708 40.3 +5.6
Registered electors ~6,720
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease9.8

Oxhey

[edit]
Oxhey[12][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Shirena Counter 1,356 56.1 –10.0
Reform Neal Webber 410 17.0 +11.8
Green Angela Tunstall 262 10.8 +5.7
Conservative Carole Bamford 225 9.3 –2.3
Labour Dylan Bartley-Downer 165 6.8 –5.2
Majority 946 39.1 –15.0
Turnout 2,418 42.4 +8.2
Registered electors ~5,703
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease10.9

Park

[edit]
Park[12][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Kloss 1,510 53.4 –5.4
Reform John Craddock 423 15.0 +4.2
Green Maria Mandic 401 14.2 N/A
Conservative Arijit Mukherjee 323 11.4 –4.4
Labour Helen Rice 172 6.1 –8.5
Majority 1,087 38.4 –4.6
Turnout 2,829 43.1 +6.1
Registered electors ~6,564
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease4.8

Stanborough

[edit]
Stanborough[12][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Rhoda Amezado 945 43.6 –6.3
Reform Malcolm Caborn 603 27.8 +15.3
Conservative Peter Williams 269 12.4 –6.8
Green David Gordon 203 9.4 N/A
Labour Laura Griffiths 147 6.8 –11.6
Majority 342 15.8 –14.9
Turnout 2,167 38.1 +10.1
Registered electors ~5,688
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease10.8

Tudor

[edit]
Tudor[12][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Sean Silver 949 45.8 –1.6
Reform John Dowdle 513 24.8 +15.3
Conservative Danny Mosley 214 10.3 –9.5
Green Dave Dunckley 203 9.8 N/A
Labour Diana Ivory 192 9.3 –14.1
Majority 436 21.0 –3.0
Turnout 2,071 39.7 +6.4
Registered electors ~5,217
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease8.5

Vicarage

[edit]
Vicarage[12][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Sandra Mano 892 38.5 –5.0
Labour Nasreen Shah 648 28.0 –12.0
Green Sarah McMahon 368 15.9 +9.7
Reform David Ealey 254 11.0 N/A
Conservative Vibhor Agarwal 125 5.4 –4.8
TUSC James O'Connor 29 1.3 N/A
Majority 244 10.5 +7.0
Turnout 2,316 38.3 +0.4
Registered electors ~6,047
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing Increase3.5

Woodside

[edit]
Woodside[12][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Glen Saffery 951 43.9 –1.1
Reform Thomas Brooks 686 31.7 N/A
Green Dani White 195 9.0 N/A
Conservative Lola Adedoyin 168 7.8 –10.8
Labour Anne Joynes 167 7.7 –28.8
Majority 265 12.2 +3.7
Turnout 2,167 37.1 +9.8
Registered electors ~5,841
Liberal Democrats hold

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Watford mayor says local elections should go ahead in 2026". Watford Observer. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Liam (8 May 2026). "Watford local election result 2026 - Lib Dem clean sweep". Watford Observer. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Watford result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Roberts, Gabriel (3 May 2024). "Watford Borough Council local election results in full". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Watford - General election results 2024". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Council - Tuesday, 27 January 2026 printed draft minutes" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. 27 January 2026. p. 18. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. ↑ McGuinness, Fintan (10 March 2025). "Watford MP Matt Turmaine resigns borough council seat". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Borough Council by-elections". Watford Borough Council. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  9. ↑ McGuinness, Fintan (10 March 2025). "Liberal Democrat Watford councillor resigns from council". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  10. ↑ McGuinness, Fintan (24 October 2025). "Watford ward councillor steps down triggering by-election". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "2025 Tudor By-election results". Watford Borough Council. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2026 Ward Election results". Watford Borough Council. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Callowland Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  14. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Central Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Holywell Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Leggatts Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Meriden Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Nascot Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Oxhey Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Park Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Stanborough Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  22. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Tudor Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  23. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Vicarage Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  24. ↑ Nolan, Donna (10 April 2026). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Woodside Ward" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2026_Watford_Borough_Council_election&oldid=1362523224"