The 2026 Colchester City Council election was held on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Colchester City Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections and the 2026 Essex County Council election (at which Colchester elected nine county councillors).[1][2]
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Colchester 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.
Summary
Background
Following the conclusion of the previous election, the council stayed under no overall control, with the Conservatives the largest party, but seven seats short of an overall majority.[3] For the 2024-2025 period, a Liberal Democrat minority ran the council, with informal support from Labour and the Greens. David King (Mile End) continued as council leader.
A few weeks after the previous election, Lesley Scott-Boutell (Stanway) left the Liberal Democrats group to sit as an Independent, becoming the first Independent councillor on the council since 2022.[4] This change put the Liberal Democrats and Labour on the same number of seats (14 each).
On 21 May 2025, a coalition was formed between the Liberal Democrats and Labour groups for the 2025-2026 period, with King being reconfirmed as council leader at the Annual Council Meeting on the same day.[5]
Election result
Four parties stood a full slate of 17 candidates, one in each ward. Unusually, the Conservatives stood only 16 candidates, with no candidate standing for the party in St Anne's & St John's. The recently formed Your Party failed to stand any candidates. Two Independent candidates also stood, one each in New Town & Christ Church and Stanway respectively.
| 2026 Colchester City Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Conservative | 5 |  1 |
29.4 | 13 | 18 | 35.3 | 10,684 | 21.0 | –9.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | 2 |
17.6 | 9 | 12 | 23.5 | 8,309 | 16.4 | –6.5 | |
| Labour | 3 | 2 |
17.6 | 9 | 12 | 23.5 | 7,736 | 15.2 | –17.3 | |
| Reform | 5 |  5 |
29.4 | 0 | 5 | 9.8 | 15,374 | 30.3 | +28.5 | |
| Green | 1 |  |
5.9 | 2 | 3 | 5.9 | 8,265 | 16.3 | +6.1 | |
| Independent | 0 | |
0.0 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 441 | 0.9 | –1.8 | |
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berechurch | Martyn Warnes | Labour Co-op | Yes | |
| Castle | Amy Kirkby-Taylor | Green | Yes | |
| Greenstead | Elizabeth Alake-Akinyemi[b] | Labour | Yes | |
| Highwoods | Jocelyn Law | Labour Co-op | Yes | |
| Lexden & Braiswick | Sara Naylor[c] | Conservative | Yes | |
| Marks Tey & Layer | Jackie Maclean | Conservative | Yes | |
| Mersea & Pyefleet | Robert Davidson | Conservative | Yes | |
| Mile End | David King | Liberal Democrats | Yes | |
| New Town & Christ Church | Kayleigh Rippingale | Labour | Yes | |
| Old Heath & The Hythe | Lee Scordis | Labour Co-op | Yes[6] | |
| Prettygate | Roger Buston | Conservative | No | |
| Rural North | William Sunnucks | Conservative | Yes | |
| Shrub End | Mick Spindler | Liberal Democrats | Yes | |
| St. Anne's & St. John's | Paul Smith | Liberal Democrats | Yes | |
| Stanway | Tracey Arnold | Liberal Democrats | No | |
| Tiptree | Rhys Smithson | Conservative | Yes | |
| Wivenhoe | Andrea Luxford-Vaughan | Liberal Democrats | Yes | |
Aftermath
Results
Following the election, the council remained in no overall control. Reform emerged as the strongest party in the popular vote, coming first with a lead of 9% over the second-placed Conservatives and gaining five seats from each of the three traditional parties. Labour, having won the popular vote at 2024 election, experienced an electoral collapse, coming fifth in the popular vote and taking unprecedented losses across all wards. Their city-wide vote share decreased by over 50% from the previous election and they lost two seats to Reform. This included the former safe seat of Greenstead, which the party had previously won[d] at every local election since the council's inaugural election in 1973.
Similarly to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives both had dismal results, with each party losing seats to Reform and recording the worst-ever city-wide popular vote share for their parties in the council's 53-year history. The Greens had their best-ever result, surpassing Labour for the first time in a Colchester election, coming fourth in the popular vote. Although they failed to win any additional seats, they made significant advances in their top targets of New Town & Christ Church and Wivenhoe, and held their seat in Castle by a wide margin.
The turnout at the 2026 election was significantly higher than usual, at 41.3%, a notable increase from the 2024 election with the city recording the highest turnout since the 2011 election.
Affiliation changes
On 27 May 2026, three sitting Labour councillors, Martyn Warnes (Berechurch), Chris Pearson (Berechurch), and Sam McLean (New Town & Christ Church) announced they were leaving the Labour group to sit as Independents. The three councillors subsequently formed the Progressive Independent Alliance group with former Liberal Democrat councillor Lesley Scott-Boutell (Stanway), becoming the fifth-largest grouping on the council with four seats.[7] This change left the Labour group with nine seats, the lowest number of councillors for the party since the conclusion of the 2014 election.
Administration formation
At the election, the Liberal Democrat–Labour coalition lost its majority on the council, holding a combined 24-out-of-51 seats, two short of an overall majority. This was further reduced to 21 seats (short of a majority of five seats) after the departure of three councillors from the Labour group.
At the council's Annual General Meeting on 27 May 2026, incumbent Liberal Democrat council leader David King (Mile End) was nominated to continue in the role. However, he failed to secure re-election, with 22 votes for and 26 against. All-but-one Liberal Democrat, all Labour, and all Green councillors supported his re-election, with the Conservatives, the Independent Progressive Alliance, and Reform councillors all voting against.
A second vote nominating Conservative leader Paul Dundas (Tiptree) for council leader was then held, but also failed, with 18 votes for and 29 voting against - only the Conservative group, along with a sole Liberal Democrat councillor, Sean Kelly (Wivenhoe), voting in favour of Dundas. The meeting concluded without being able to elect a leader and cabinet, with a further meeting to break the impasse scheduled for the following week.[8]
Ward results
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the official candidates standing in each ward at the election, was released following the close of nominations at 4:00pm on 10 April 2026.[9][10]
Incumbent councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*).
Berechurch
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Martyn Warnes* | 952 | 37.7 | –41.8 | |
| Reform | Max Maxwell | 947 | 37.5 | N/A | |
| Green | Patrick Merienne | 269 | 10.7 | +5.8 | |
| Conservative | Chris Piggott | 211 | 8.4 | –2.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Crystelle Roll-Hislop | 146 | 5.8 | +0.8 | |
| Majority | 5 | 0.2 | –68.6 | ||
| Turnout | 2,525 | 34.2 | +7.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,389 | ||||
| Labour Co-op hold | |||||
Castle
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Amy Kirkby-Taylor* | 1,509 | 43.9 | –0.6 | |
| Reform | Susan Jennings | 695 | 20.2 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Richard Martin | 432 | 12.6 | –6.0 | |
| Labour | Laura Philpin | 409 | 11.9 | –17.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Martin Gillingham | 391 | 11.4 | +3.9 | |
| Majority | 814 | 23.7 | +8.6 | ||
| Turnout | 3,438 | 40.1 | +6.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,580 | ||||
| Green hold | |||||
Greenstead
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Daryl Swain | 899 | 35.0 | N/A | |
| Labour | Elizabeth Alake-Akinyemi* | 781 | 30.4 | –27.5 | |
| Green | Lisa Cross | 393 | 15.3 | +2.4 | |
| Conservative | Ronnie Achille | 268 | 10.4 | –7.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Daniel Ribton | 224 | 8.7 | –2.5 | |
| Majority | 118 | 4.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,567 | 25.1 | +7.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,231 | ||||
| Reform gain from Labour | |||||
Highwoods
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Sue Ettritch | 842 | 28.2 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Jenkins | 727 | 24.4 | –29.6 | |
| Labour Co-op | Jocelyn Law* | 674 | 22.6 | –11.5 | |
| Conservative | Angus Allan | 436 | 14.6 | –1.8 | |
| Green | Alison Dyvig | 306 | 10.3 | +5.7 | |
| Majority | 115 | 3.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,985 | 40.5 | +11.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,365 | ||||
| Reform gain from Labour Co-op | |||||
Lexden & Braiswick
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sara Naylor* | 1,706 | 45.0 | –10.6 | |
| Reform | Keith Coomber | 956 | 25.2 | N/A | |
| Green | James Jefferies | 453 | 11.9 | +2.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jacqui Morley | 366 | 9.7 | –3.3 | |
| Labour | Paul Ojo | 309 | 8.1 | –13.7 | |
| Majority | 750 | 19.8 | –14.0 | ||
| Turnout | 3,792 | 49.6 | +15.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,648 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Marks Tey & Layer
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Andrew Harding | 1,452 | 38.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Jackie Maclean* | 1,257 | 33.0 | –20.2 | |
| Green | Berthold Lausen | 482 | 12.7 | +1.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Hull | 354 | 9.3 | –0.4 | |
| Labour | Wayne Tearle | 263 | 6.9 | –19.0 | |
| Majority | 195 | 5.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,810 | 44.5 | +17.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,555 | ||||
| Reform gain from Conservative | |||||
Mersea & Pyefleet
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Davidson* | 1,573 | 38.2 | +1.7 | |
| Reform | Christopher Perera | 1,468 | 35.6 | +23.6 | |
| Green | Heidi Cornish | 597 | 14.5 | +9.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Knight | 254 | 6.2 | +2.0 | |
| Labour | Natalie Eldred | 225 | 5.5 | –5.8 | |
| Majority | 105 | 2.6 | –2.7 | ||
| Turnout | 4.119 | 50.7 | +13.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,121 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 11.0 |
|||
Mile End
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | David King* | 1,912 | 50.4 | –17.8 | |
| Reform | Flavia Popescu-Richardson | 800 | 21.1 | N/A | |
| Green | Amanda Kirke | 470 | 12.4 | +7.7 | |
| Conservative | Marianne Andersen | 350 | 9.2 | –1.9 | |
| Labour Co-op | Pauline Bacon | 264 | 7.0 | –9.1 | |
| Majority | 1,112 | 29.3 | –23.0 | ||
| Turnout | 3,796 | 36.6 | +8.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,369 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
New Town & Christ Church
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Kayleigh Rippingale* | 1,249 | 32.4 | –24.9 | |
| Green | Andrew Canessa | 899 | 23.3 | +13.7 | |
| Reform | Andrew Eddy | 746 | 19.3 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Annesley Hardy | 467 | 12.1 | –4.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alan Mathias | 459 | 11.9 | –0.3 | |
| Independent | Ian Partridge | 39 | 1.0 | –3.5 | |
| Majority | 350 | 9.1 | –31.8 | ||
| Turnout | 3,859 | 38.4 | +8.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,058 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | 19.3 |
|||
Old Heath & The Hythe
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Lee Scordis* | 1,351 | 40.3 | –18.6 | |
| Reform | Simon Hughes | 1,063 | 31.7 | N/A | |
| Green | Alyssa Carrington | 566 | 16.9 | +3.3 | |
| Conservative | Andrew Higginson | 221 | 6.6 | –9.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jenny Stevens | 154 | 4.6 | –1.7 | |
| Majority | 288 | 8.6 | –33.9 | ||
| Turnout | 3,355 | 39.1 | +13.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,590 | ||||
| Labour Co-op hold | |||||
Prettygate
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | David Linghorn-Baker | 1,350 | 36.5 | –14.2 | |
| Reform | Sophie Preston-Hall | 918 | 24.8 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Loxley | 728 | 19.7 | –12.3 | |
| Green | Stella Eldon | 380 | 10.3 | +6.0 | |
| Labour | Chris Coates | 322 | 8.7 | –4.3 | |
| Majority | 432 | 11.7 | –7.0 | ||
| Turnout | 3,698 | 47.9 | +6.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,724 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Rural North
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Sunnucks* | 1,847 | 42.2 | –15.3 | |
| Reform | Graham Wilson | 1,385 | 31.7 | N/A | |
| Green | Alex McCormick | 450 | 10.3 | –1.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Karen Maxwell | 375 | 8.6 | –3.8 | |
| Labour | Gary Braddy | 315 | 7.2 | –11.0 | |
| Majority | 462 | 10.5 | –28.8 | ||
| Turnout | 4,372 | 50.8 | +18.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,608 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Shrub End
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | James Child | 937 | 34.0 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mick Spindler* | 850 | 30.8 | +0.9 | |
| Labour | Cameron Hope | 333 | 12.1 | –25.8 | |
| Green | Robert Brannan | 321 | 11.6 | +5.3 | |
| Conservative | Bevan Waghorn | 316 | 11.5 | –14.4 | |
| Majority | 87 | 3.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,757 | 31.5 | +6.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,745 | ||||
| Reform gain from Liberal Democrats | |||||
St Anne's & St John's
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Smith* | 1,576 | 46.8 | +1.7 | |
| Reform | Dean Dasley | 1,208 | 35.9 | N/A | |
| Green | Sebastian Dwyer | 333 | 9.9 | +3.4 | |
| Labour | Christine Dale | 250 | 7.4 | –12.6 | |
| Majority | 368 | 10.9 | –5.8 | ||
| Turnout | 3,355 | 41.4 | +12.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,112 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
Stanway
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Mike Saunders | 995 | 32.8 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Amir Anbouche | 671 | 22.1 | –16.2 | |
| Conservative | Cody Butler | 470 | 15.5 | –24.6 | |
| Independent | Lizzie Bolton | 402 | 13.2 | N/A | |
| Green | Clare Smee | 266 | 8.8 | +1.5 | |
| Labour Co-op | John Spademan | 228 | 7.5 | –6.7 | |
| Majority | 324 | 10.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,034 | 42.2 | +13.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,198 | ||||
| Reform gain from Liberal Democrats | |||||
Tiptree
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rhys Smithson* | 1,364 | 38.71 | –5.8 | |
| Reform | Aimee Keteca | 1,363 | 38.68 | +19.9 | |
| Green | Lewis Burn | 359 | 10.2 | +4.0 | |
| Labour | Barry Gilheany | 224 | 6.4 | –17.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Sue Waite | 214 | 6.1 | –0.3 | |
| Majority | 1 | 0.03 | –20.37 | ||
| Turnout | 3,524 | 45.4 | +16.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,767 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 12.9 |
|||
Wivenhoe
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Andrea Luxford-Vaughan* | 1,548 | 46.3 | –5.8 | |
| Green | Cecily Spelling | 1,062 | 32.6 | +26.2 | |
| Reform | Leighton Sealeaf | 418 | 12.5 | N/A | |
| Labour | Zac Heskins | 173 | 5.2 | –28.7 | |
| Conservative | Christopher Thompson | 116 | 3.5 | –4.1 | |
| Majority | 486 | 13.7 | –4.5 | ||
| Turnout | 3,347 | 50.1 | +9.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 6,687 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 16.0 |
|||
References
- ↑ "Colchester City Council". colchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ↑ "Local elections to proceed in Colchester on 7 May 2026 | Colchester City Council". new.colchester.gov.uk. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ↑ "Colchester election result". bbc.com. BBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Deady, Elliot (30 May 2024). "Colchester councillor Lesley Scott-Boutell quits Lib Dems". gazette-news.co.uk. Colchester: Daily Gazette. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ "New Coalition Administration at Colchester City Council". new.colchester.gov.uk. Colchester: Colchester City Council. 21 May 2025. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Scordis, Lee (15 January 2026). "Colchester City elections to go ahead in May". facebook.com. Facebook. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ↑ Rees, Daniel (27 May 2026). "Colchester Labour councillors resign to become independents". gazette-news.co.uk. Colchester: Colchester Gazette. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Dedman, Simon (27 May 2026). "Parties fail to elect leader after local elections". bbc.co.uk/news. Colchester: BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Elections 2026". colchester.gov.uk. Colchester: Colchester City Council. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). colchester.gov.uk. Colchester City Council. 10 April 2026. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
