Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard was decided by 667 votes in 2024
Dunstable is run by Central Bedfordshire Council, with Dunstable parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Central Bedfordshire Council. Its MP is Alex Mayer (Labour), member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.
£2,617
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Dunstable’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Central Bedfordshire Council
Independents, the largest group, hold 27 of its 63 seats as elected, 5 short of the 32 needed. The Conservatives hold 20, the Liberal Democrats 10, Labour 4, the Greens 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
A close seat
Alex Mayer (Labour) won Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard by 667 votes in July 2024, 1.4% of votes cast: the 27th-narrowest result of 543 in England. Parliament ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Dunstable is £2,617 for 2026–27; Central Bedfordshire Council keeps 74% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 46% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
No party has a majority
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 32 of Central Bedfordshire’s 63 seats to run the council alone.
- Independent27
- Conservative20
- Liberal Democrat10
- Labour4
- Green1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
The councils that run Dunstable
One council runs every main service here.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
98% of Dunstable’s residents · Band D precept £266
The parish council for the part of Dunstable inside Houghton Regis parish.
Who runs Dunstable: same source as Who runs Dunstable, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Dunstable, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsDunstable parish councilHoughton Regis parish council
- 2Central Bedfordshire Council6 wards · 10 councillorsConservative 4 · Labour 2 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Independent 2 · all 10
- 3Police and crime commissionerBedfordshire Police · elected May 2024John Tizard
- 4House of CommonsDunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
10 councillors for 6 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Matthew John BrennanLabour · May 2023
- Matthew NeallLabour · May 2023
- Eugene GhentConservative · May 2023
- Nigel YoungConservative · May 2023
- Carole HegleyConservative · May 2023
- Philip Frederick CrawleyConservative · May 2023
- Kenson GurneyIndependent · May 2023
- John GurneyIndependent · May 2023
- Susan Anne GoodchildLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Yvonne Miriam FarrellLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunstable Northall in Dunstable · 10,425 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Matthew John BrennanMatthew Neall | May 2023 |
| Dunstable Westall in Dunstable · 9,119 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Eugene GhentNigel Young | May 2023 |
| Dunstable Centralall in Dunstable · 5,388 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Carole Hegley | May 2023 |
| Dunstable Southall in Dunstable · 5,280 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Philip Frederick Crawley | May 2023 |
| Dunstable East33% in Dunstable · 3,442 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Kenson GurneyJohn Gurney | May 2023 |
| Houghton Regis West11% in Dunstable · 844 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Susan Anne GoodchildYvonne Miriam Farrell | May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Central Bedfordshire Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Central Bedfordshire council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Dunstable, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
6 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Dunstable’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,050 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,282 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,011 votes for candidates
Every ward’s result (3 more)
950 votes for candidates
3,823 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,471 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Dunstable is in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Dunstable).
46,045 votes for candidates · majority 667
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 46,045 votes from 76,742 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 667 of 46,045 votes (1.4%): the 27th-narrowest of 543 in England.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Dunstable’s Band D council tax is £2,617 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Central Bedfordshire Council keeps £1,931.54 of a Band D bill (74%); the rest goes to the Dunstable parish council, the Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner and the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 2009
Central Bedfordshire’s Band D bill has risen 46% in ten years, from £1,725.44 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £1,595.64 in 2009–10.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Dunstable, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Bedfordshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Bedfordshire
| Central Bedfordshire | Dunstable’s councils | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £513 | £474 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £191 | £261 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £47 | £48 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £24 | £60 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £101 | £105 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £15 | £27 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £30 | £20 | £26 |
| Public health | £52 | £64 | £78 |
| Running the council | £20 | £47 | £59 |
| Other | £18 | £16 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,011 | £1,121 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Bedfordshire and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Dunstable is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
centralbedfordshire.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
centralbedfordshire.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Dunstable is run
Which council runs Dunstable?
Dunstable is run by Central Bedfordshire Council.
Does Dunstable have a town council?
Yes: Dunstable has its own parish-tier council (Dunstable parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £266 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Dunstable?
Alex Mayer (Labour) is the MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, which covers Dunstable.
How many councillors does Dunstable have?
10 ward councillors represent Dunstable’s 6 wards.
When are the next elections in Dunstable?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Dunstable’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Dunstable?
Band D council tax in Dunstable is £2,617 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Central Bedfordshire Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Independent 27 · Conservative 20 · Liberal Democrat 10 · Labour 4 · Green 1 · Reform UK 1 of 63 seats; a majority needs 32. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2023 council election in Dunstable?
In Dunstable’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 4 · Labour 2 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Independent 2 of the 10 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 30.3%.
Is Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard a marginal seat?
Alex Mayer (Labour) won it by 667 votes in July 2024, 1.4% of votes cast: the 27th-narrowest result of 543 in England.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.