The 2026 Worthing Borough Council election was held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 13 of 37 members of Worthing Borough Council in West Sussex, England.[2]

Summary

Background

In 2024, the Labour Party won majority control of the council.[3] In January 2026, the council asked for the election to be postponed pending local government reorganisation.[4][5] However it was rescheduled on 16 February 2026.[6]

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 26 Labour 21
Conservative 9 Conservative 9
Green 2 Green 2
Reform 0 Reform 2

Changes 2024–2026:

  • May 2024: Margaret Howard (Labour), Hilary Schan (Labour), and Carl Walker (Labour) leave party to sit as independents[7]
  • July 2024: Beccy Cooper (Labour) resigns – by-election held September 2024[8]
  • August 2024: Richard Mulholland (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2024[9]
  • September 2024: Thomas Taylor (Conservative) gains by-election from Labour[10]
  • October 2024: Luke Houghton (Conservative) gains by-election from Labour[11]
  • May 2025: Luke Houghton (Conservative) joins Reform[12]
  • November 2025: Charles James (Conservative) joins Reform[13]

Election result

2026 Worthing Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 1 Decrease 6 7.7 14 15 42.9 8,903 22.9 –22.2
  Green 6 Increase 6 46.2 2 8 22.9 9,567 24.6 +11.0
  Conservative 0 Decrease 3 0.0 6 6 17.1 6,597 16.9 –14.9
  Reform 5 Increase 3 38.5 0 5 14.3 10,500 27.0 N/A
  Independent 0 Decrease 1 0.0 2 2 5.4 N/A[b] N/A N/A
  Liberal Democrats 1 Increase 1 7.7 0 1 2.9 3,364 8.6 –0.9

Ward results

Broadwater

Broadwater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Jimi Taylor 1,065 33.5 +24.4
Reform Lindsey Jackson 824 26.0 N/A
Labour Tim Hicks 741 23.3 –35.5
Conservative Christopher Moros 388 12.2 –12.6
Liberal Democrats John Aspey 157 4.9 –2.3
Majority 241 7.5 N/A
Turnout 3,175 46.8 +16.2
Green gain from Independent

Castle

Castle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Lionel Harman 953 31.4 N/A
Labour Ibsha Choudhury* 724 23.8 –23.2
Green Soraya Hatami 515 17.0 +8.3
Conservative Sean McDonald 511 16.8 –14.2
Liberal Democrats Iona Harte 334 11.0 –2.3
Majority 229 7.6 N/A
Turnout 3,037 43.5 +15.8
Reform gain from Labour

Central

Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Natasha Davie 1,256 36.6 +24.9
Labour Co-op Odul Bozkurt* 926 27.0 –32.2
Reform Edmund Rooke 713 20.8 N/A
Conservative Sam Mitchell-Innes 353 10.3 –12.1
Liberal Democrats David Kingston 185 5.4 –1.3
Majority 330 9.6 N/A
Turnout 3,433 44.2 +13.6
Green gain from Labour Co-op Swing Increase28.6

Durrington

Durrington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Charles James* 793 39.0 N/A
Conservative Bradley Rowatt 452 22.2 –20.5
Labour Nikki Joule 325 16.0 –23.4
Green Luke Angel 266 13.1 +7.5
Liberal Democrats Robin Rogers 196 9.6 –2.7
Majority 341 16.8 N/A
Turnout 2,032 45.1 +14.3
Reform hold

Gaisford

Gaisford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Claire Hatfield 1,000 27.9 +17.7
Labour Dale Overton* 966 26.9 –29.0
Reform Stuart James 805 22.4 N/A
Liberal Democrats Mathew Hoyland 310 8.6 +2.1
Conservative Bryan Turner 506 14.1 –13.3
Majority 34 1.0 N/A
Turnout 3,587 51.7 +16.5
Green gain from Labour Swing Increase23.4

Goring

Goring
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Jasmine Watkins 1,582 37.4 –18.4
Conservative Kevin Jenkins* 1,183 27.9 –4.4
Reform Jenni Price 1,077 25.4 N/A
Labour Jo Bayly 268 6.3 –1.9
Liberal Democrats Merlin Jones 124 2.9 ±0.0
Majority 399 9.5 –14.0
Turnout 4,234 60.3 +15.8
Green gain from Conservative Swing Decrease7.0

Heene

Heene
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Debbie Woudman 1,014 32.7 +22.2
Labour Anthony Squires 837 27.0 –29.3
Reform Luke Houghton* 614 19.8 N/A
Conservative Richard Smart 450 14.5 –11.7
Liberal Democrats Jenny Blackie 184 5.9 –1.0
Majority 177 5.7 N/A
Turnout 3,099 47.4 +13.6
Green gain from Reform Swing Increase25.8

Marine

Marine
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin McCabe 1,295 34.9 –21.1
Conservative Sally Nowak 868 23.4 –7.7
Reform Sophie Fatehnia 792 21.3 N/A
Green Jamie MacMillan 557 15.0 +7.6
Liberal Democrats Trudi Starling 201 5.4 –0.2
Majority 427 11.5 –13.4
Turnout 3,713 55.8 +15.4
Labour hold Swing Decrease6.7

Northbrook

Northbrook
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Rob Venn 719 33.7 N/A
Labour Mike Barrett* 470 22.1 –25.8
Conservative Russ Cochran 404 19.0 –19.2
Green Alice Pimley 314 14.7 +8.7
Liberal Democrats Nicholas Wiltshire 224 10.5 +2.9
Majority 249 11.6 N/A
Turnout 2,131 37.6 +12.6
Reform gain from Labour

Offington

Offington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jeremy Carter 1,134 32.3 N/A
Conservative Nigel Morgan* 1,066 30.4 –22.3
Labour Liz Nicholson 605 17.2 –15.6
Green Stephen Rhodes 421 12.0 +4.2
Liberal Democrats Sarah Waghorn 284 8.1 +1.3
Majority 68 1.9 N/A
Turnout 3,510 54.1 +17.3
Reform gain from Conservative

Salvington

Salvington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Karen Harman 1,300 37.2 N/A
Conservative Paisley Thomson 863 24.7 –23.1
Labour Peter Barnes 560 16.0 –19.1
Green Polly McGillivray 444 12.7 +5.6
Liberal Democrats Emma Norton 328 9.4 –0.6
Majority 437 12.5 N/A
Turnout 3,495 49.3 +15.2
Reform gain from Conservative

Selden

Selden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Katie Thornton 965 31.7 +22.3
Labour Joe Thornton 883 29.0 –28.1
Reform Steven Jackson 709 23.3 N/A
Conservative John Salisbury 314 10.3 –15.5
Liberal Democrats Christine Brown 174 5.7 –2.0
Majority 82 2.7 N/A
Turnout 3,045 49.7 +16.2
Green gain from Labour Swing Increase25.2

Tarring

Tarring
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Hazel Thorpe 887 27.4 –6.4
Reform Catherine Davies 786 24.2 N/A
Labour Co-op Rita Garner* 783 24.1 –20.5
Green Cloe Grampa 482 14.9 +8.2
Conservative Keith Bickers 305 9.4 –5.5
Majority 101 3.2 N/A
Turnout 3,243 50.7 +14.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour

References

  1. ↑ The 3 Independent councillors sat in the Worthing Community Independents group.
  2. ↑ Did not stand candidates.
  1. ↑ "Worthing Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  2. ↑ mhclgpress (16 February 2026). "Update on May 2026 local authority elections – MHCLG in the Media". mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Worthing result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "Councillors demand urgent meeting over risk to 2026 local elections". The Argus. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Will Sussex get to vote in 2026 or will elections be called off?". BBC News. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Elections back on across Sussex after government U-turn". Brighton and Hove News. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. ↑ Nicholson, Savannah (10 May 2024). "Councillors break with Labour to become independents". The Argus. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Boothroyd, David. "Three Rivers Lib Dems are two down". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Hunt, Lucy (25 August 2024). "Second council by-election due as councillor resigns". The Argus. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Marine Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Heene Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Hunt, Lucy (27 May 2025). "Tory councillor defects to Reform in shock move dubbed 'breach of trust' by leader". The Argus. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Nicholson, Savannah (20 November 2025). "Councillor defects to Reform UK". The Argus. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Worthing_Borough_Council_election