2026 Chorley Borough Council election

The 2026 Chorley Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Chorley Borough Council in Lancashire, England.[4] This was on the same day as other local elections.

2026 Chorley Borough Council election

 2024
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
2027 (TBD) 

14 out of 42 seats to Chorley Borough Council
22 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Alistair Bradley
Party Labour Reform Conservative
Last election 39 seats, 60.5% Did not stand 3 seats, 26.8%
Seats before 36[1] 1[2] 4[3]
Seats after 29 7 4
Seat change Decrease8 Increase7 Steady

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Party Green Independent
Last election 0 seats 10.0% Did not stand
Seats before 0 1
Seats after 1 1
Seat change Increase1 Steady

Results of the 2026 Chorley Council election

Leader before election

Alistair Bradley
Labour

Leader after election

Alistair Bradley
Labour

Summary

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Council composition

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After 2024 election Before 2026 election After 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 39 Labour 36 Labour 29
Conservative 3 Conservative 4 Conservative 4
Reform 0 Reform 1 Reform 7
Independent 0 Independent 1 Independent 1
Green 0 Green 0 Green 1

Changes 2024–2026:

  • March 2025: Zara Khan (Labour) resigns – by-election held May 2025[5]
  • May 2025:
    • Martin Topp (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[6]
    • Samantha Martin (Labour) resigns – by-election held June 2025[7]
  • June 2025: Aidy Riggott (Conservative) gains by-election from Labour[8]
  • February 2026: Chris Snow (Labour) suspended from party[9]

Election result

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2026 Chorley Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 5 Decrease8 35.7% 24 29 69.0% 12,106 33.3% Decrease27.2
  Conservative 1 Steady 7.1% 3 4 9.5% 5,814 16.0% Decrease10.8
  Reform 7 Increase7 50.0% 0 7 16.7% 13,048 35.9 New
  Independent 0 Steady 0.0% 1 1 2.3% 21 0.1% New
  Green 1 Increase1 7.1% 0 1 2.3% 4,662 12.8% Increase2.8
  Liberal Democrats 0 Steady 0.0% 0 0 0.0% 612 1.6% Steady
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 54 0.1% Decrease1.1

Incumbents

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Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Adlington & Anderton June Molyneaux Labour Yes
Buckshaw & Whittle Dedrah Moss Labour Yes
Chorley East Martin Topp[a] Reform Yes
Chorley North & Astley Alistair Morwood Labour Yes
Chorley North East Jenny Whiffen Labour Yes
Chorley North West Matthew Lynch Labour No
Chorley South East &
Heath Charnock
Samir Khan Labour Yes
Chorley South West Terry Howarth Labour Yes
Clayton East, Brindle &
Hoghton
Michelle Beach Labour Yes
Clayton West & Cuerden Neville Whitham Labour Yes
Coppull Ryan Towers Labour No
Croston, Mawdesley &
Euxton South
Alan Platt Conservative Yes
Eccleston, Heskin &
Charnock Richard
Arjun Singh Labour Yes
Euxton Tommy Gray Labour No

Ward Results

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Adlington & Anderton

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Adlington & Anderton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op June Molyneux* 1,266 46.4 Decrease15.6
Reform Graham Thornton 928 34.0 New
Conservative Neil Baglow 280 10.3 Decrease22.1
Green Amy Hardcastle 257 9.4 Increase3.8
Majority 338 12.4 Decrease17.2
Turnout 2,731 45.0 Increase8.3
Labour Co-op hold Swing

Buckshaw & Whittle

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Buckshaw & Whittle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dedrah Moss* 824 32.1 Decrease15.8
Reform Craig Tommony 781 30.4 New
Conservative Christine Turner 589 22.9 Decrease18.9
Green Rachel Smith 375 14.6 Increase4.3
Majority 43 1.7 Decrease4.3
Turnout 2,569 35.1% Increase5.9
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Chorley East

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Chorley East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Martin Topp* 778 39.7 New
Labour Ian Cardwell 677 34.6 Decrease36.0
Green Louise Hall 296 15.1 Increase4.4
Conservative Mark Grandi 171 8.7 Decrease9.9
TUSC Carole Sasaki 37 1.9 New
Majority 101 5.1 N/A
Turnout 1,959 32.5 Increase5.2
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Chorley North & Astley

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Chorley North & Astley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Mark Perks 944 39.3 New
Labour Alistair Morwood* 820 34.2 Decrease24.4
Conservative Jeffrey Green 327 13.6 Decrease17.0
Green Jon Royle 310 12.9 Increase2.1
Majority 124 5.1 N/A
Turnout 2,401 38.9 Increase10.9
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Chorley North East

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Chorley North East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jen Whiffen* 1,470 51.3 Decrease19.5
Reform Paul Hazzard 768 26.8 New
Conservative Wendy Paterson 350 12.2 Decrease9.4
Green Mark Tebbutt 214 7.5 Decrease0.1
Liberal Democrats David Golden 64 2.2 New
Majority 702 24.5 Decrease5.0
Turnout 2,866 44.4 Increase7.4
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Chorley North West

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Chorley North West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Emma Walker 1,093 42.1 Decrease22.0
Reform Shaz Malik 727 28.0 New
Conservative Peter Malpas 403 15.5 Decrease7.7
Green Anne Calderbank 375 14.4 Increase4.2
Majority 366 14.1 Decrease 13.0
Turnout 2,598 43.4 Increase8.0
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Chorley South East & Heath Charnock

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Chorley South East & Heath Charnock
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Mark Hill 1,196 42.7 New
Labour Samir Khan* 939 33.5 Decrease24.7
Green Jane Weston 365 13.0 Increase4.8
Conservative Diana Khan 301 10.7 Decrease18.7
Majority 257 9.2 N/A
Turnout 2,801 41.03 Increase11.0
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Chorley South West

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Chorley South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Olga Cash 866 39.7 Increase5.6
Reform Barry Young 774 35.5 New
Labour Terry Howarth* 423 19.4 Decrease37.4
Conservative Dorothy Livesey 120 5.5 Decrease3.6
Majority 92 4.2 N/A
Turnout 2,183 37.0 Increase7.7
Green gain from Labour Swing

Clayton East, Brindle & Hoghton

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Clayton East, Brindle & Hoghton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Ellie Close 1,017 39.7 New
Labour Michelle Beach* 717 28.0 Decrease18.5
Conservative Greg Morgan 400 15.6 Decrease28.8
Green Amy Coxley 263 10.3 Increase1.2
Liberal Democrats Stephen Fenn 149 5.8 New
TUSC Geoff Fielden 17 0.7 New
Majority 300 11.7 N/A
Turnout 2,563 37.8 Increase4.7
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Clayton West & Cuerden

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Clayton West & Cuerden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Lesley Durose 1,153 38.8 New
Labour Neville Whitham* 989 33.3 Decrease29.8
Conservative Sam Chapman 477 16.1 Decrease8.8
Green Simon Cash 233 7.8 Increase0.1
Liberal Democrats Alexandrea Simpson 115 3.8 Decrease0.5
Majority 164 5.5 N/A
Turnout 2,967 43.1 Increase11.4
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Coppull

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Coppull
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Joe McCartney 1,057 47.3 New
Labour Steve Holgate 520 23.3 Decrease47.8
Green Debbie Brotherton 421 18.8 Increase10.7
Conservative Harold Heaton 162 7.3 Decrease13.5
Liberal Democrats Mark Frost 71 3.2 New
Majority 537 24.1 N/A
Turnout 2,231 35.3 Increase11.9
Registered electors
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South

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Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Platt* 1,207 39.2 Decrease5.7
Reform Mark Wade 997 32.4 New
Labour Co-op Caroline Turner 462 15.0 Decrease26.3
Green Josh Collins 264 8.6 Decrease0.3
Liberal Democrats John Wright 127 4.1 Decrease0.7
Independent Barrie Duckworth 21 0.6 New
Majority 210 6.8 Increase3.2
Turnout 3,078 49.5 Increase14.6
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing

Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard

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Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arjun Singh* 997 36.6 Decrease26.6
Reform Fred Laithwaite 950 34.9 New
Conservative Ethan Howarth 558 20.5 Decrease7.9
Green Sef Churchill 127 4.6 Decrease0.4
Liberal Democrats Rowan Power 86 3.1 Decrease0.3
Majority 47 1.7 Decrease33.0
Turnout 2,718 46.8 Increase14.3
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Euxton

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Euxton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jonathan Close 978 36.9 New
Labour Gillian Sharples 906 34.2 Decrease27.8
Conservative Geoff Turner 469 17.7 Decrease14.4
Green Pauline Summers 296 11.2 Increase5.3
Majority 72 2.7 N/A
Turnout 2,649 43.1 Increase3.9
Reform gain from Labour Swing

References

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  1. Elected at the 2025 Chorley East by-election.
  1. "Chorley Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. "Chorley Council Composition: Latest". chorley.gov.uk. Chorley Council. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  3. "Chorley Council Composition: Latest". chorley.gov.uk. Chorley Council. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  4. "Update on May 2026 local authority elections". mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). 16 February 2026. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  5. Boothroyd, David. "Ready when you are, Ms McGill". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  6. "Local Elections Archive Project — Chorley East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  7. Boothroyd, David. "Reform gets Broads support". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  8. "Local Elections Archive Project — Buckshaw and Whittle Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. "Councillor suspended over 'inappropriate' post". BBC News. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.