Photo: Alan Hunt · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Ascot is run by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Bracknell Forest Council, with Sunninghill and Ascot parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Labour has a majority on Bracknell Forest Council. Ascot is split between 3 parliamentary constituencies.
£2,049
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Ascot’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead: 22 of its 41 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 7, the Borough first Independents 7, West Windsor Residents Association 2, Old Windsor Residents Association 2 and National Flood Prevention Party 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Ascot is £1,978 for 2026–27; the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead keeps 77% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 64% 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.
Who holds the seats on Ascot’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 21 of Windsor and Maidenhead’s 41 or 21 of Bracknell Forest’s 41 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat22
- Conservative7
- the Borough first Independents7
- Old Windsor Residents Association2
- West Windsor Residents Association2
- National Flood Prevention Party1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Labour22
- Conservative10
- Liberal Democrat7
- Green2
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.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Ascot has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
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.
54% of Ascot’s residents · Band D precept £61
The parish council for the part of Ascot inside Sunningdale parish.
Who runs Ascot: same source as Who runs Ascot, above.
The parish council for the part of Ascot inside Winkfield parish.
Who runs Ascot: same source as Who runs Ascot, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
77% of Ascot’s residents
Website ↗Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Who runs Ascot: same source as Who runs Ascot, above.
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Ascot: same source as Who runs Ascot, above.
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Ascot: same source as Who runs Ascot, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
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 Ascot, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsSunninghill and Ascot parish councilSunningdale parish councilWinkfield parish council
- 2Council wards3 wards · 8 councillorsConservative 9 · all 9
- 3Police and crime commissionerThames Valley Police · elected May 2024Matthew Barber
- 4Police and crime commissionerSurrey Police · elected May 2024Lisa Townsend
- 5House of CommonsSplit between 3 constituencies
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.
8 councillors for 3 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.
- Sally ConeronConservative · October 2024 · by-election
- Julian SharpeConservative · May 2023
- John StoryConservative · May 2023
- Asghar Mahmood MajeedConservative · May 2023
- Sayonara LuxtonConservative · May 2023
- Genevieve Florence GoslingConservative · May 2023
- Moira GawConservative · May 2023
- Dorothy HayesConservative · May 2023
- Tony VirgoConservative · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascot & SunninghillWindsor and Maidenhead · all in Ascot · 11,886 residents3 seats · October 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Sally Coneronby-electionJulian SharpeJohn StoryAsghar Mahmood Majeed | October 2024, May 2023 |
| Sunningdale & CheapsideWindsor and Maidenhead · all in Ascot · 6,603 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Sayonara LuxtonGenevieve Florence Gosling | May 2023 |
| Winkfield & Warfield EastBracknell Forest · mostly in Ascot · 5,068 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Moira GawDorothy HayesTony Virgo | May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’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).
Windsor and Maidenhead council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Ascot, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
3 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Ascot’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗7,195 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,129 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
5,032 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Ascot is split between 3 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024
78% of Ascot’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 62% (England 60%).
Majority 6,457 of 45,246 votes (14.3%): wider than in 51% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024
21% of Ascot’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 66% (England 60%).
Majority 2,963 of 50,329 votes (5.9%): the 114th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024
1% of Ascot’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 66% (England 60%).
Majority 5,640 of 47,788 votes (11.8%): the 230th-narrowest of 543 in England.
45,246 votes for candidates · majority 6,457
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 45,246 votes from 73,334 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,457 of 45,246 votes (14.3%): wider than in 51% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Maidenhead
50,329 votes for candidates · majority 2,963
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 50,329 votes from 75,687 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 2,963 of 50,329 votes (5.9%): the 114th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Surrey Heath
47,788 votes for candidates · majority 5,640
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 47,788 votes from 71,934 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,640 of 47,788 votes (11.8%): the 230th-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.
Ascot’s Band D council tax is £1,978 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead keeps £1,526.63 of a Band D bill (77%); the rest goes to the Sunninghill and Ascot parish council, the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner and the Berkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,049 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Windsor and Maidenhead’s Band D bill has risen 64% in ten years, from £1,187.07 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £499.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Sunninghill and Ascot, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Berkshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £1,800.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Berkshire
| Windsor and Maidenhead | Ascot’s councils | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £460 | £465 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £280 | £286 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £21 | £37 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £56 | £46 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £96 | £116 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £18 | £20 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £19 | £17 | £26 |
| Public health | £38 | £56 | £78 |
| Running the council | £22 | £55 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,009 | £1,101 | £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. Berkshire 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 Ascot 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.
rbwm.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
rbwm.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Ascot is run
Which council runs Ascot?
Ascot is run by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Bracknell Forest Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Ascot have a town council?
Yes: Ascot has its own parish-tier council (Sunninghill and Ascot parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £61 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Ascot?
Ascot is split between 3 constituencies: Windsor (Jack Rankin, Conservative), Maidenhead (Mr Joshua Reynolds, Liberal Democrat) and Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton, Liberal Democrat). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Ascot have?
8 ward councillors represent Ascot’s 3 wards.
When are the next elections in Ascot?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Ascot’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Ascot?
Band D council tax in Ascot is £2,049 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 22 of 41 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Bracknell Forest Council?
Labour has a majority: 22 of 41 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Ascot?
In Ascot’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 8 of the 8 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 51.5%.
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.