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Town Hall & politics · Wokingham Borough Council

No party holds a majority on Wokingham Borough Council

Hurst is run by Wokingham Borough Council, with St. Nicholas, Hurst parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Wokingham Borough Council. Its MP is Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat), member for Wokingham.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,472

Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,472
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
3
1 ward · Wokingham
MP
Clive Jones
Liberal Democrat · Wokingham
Turnout, July 2024
72%
Wokingham · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Hurst’s politics has changed since 2021

No majority on Wokingham Borough Council

The Liberal Democrats, the largest group, hold 28 of its 60 seats as elected, 3 short of the 31 needed. The Conservatives hold 21, Labour 8. Who’s in charge ↓

The 2026 vote

Across Hurst’s wards, the Liberal Democrats took 59.2%, Reform UK took 16.2% and the Conservatives took 15% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Liberal Democrats had 68.7%. How Hurst has voted ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Hurst is £2,472 for 2026–27; Wokingham Borough Council keeps 82% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 58% 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’s in charge

No party has a majority

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of Wokingham’s 60 seats to run the council alone.

Unitary council · 60 councillorsWokingham Borough CouncilNo overall control
LabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservative57seats
  • Liberal Democrat28
  • Conservative21
  • Labour8

Latest election: May 2026.

LabourLiberal DemocratConservative

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.

Who runs Hurst

The councils that run Hurst

One council runs every main service here.

Town or parish councilSt. Nicholas, Hurst parish council

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.

100% of Hurst’s residents · Band D precept £55

Unitary councilWokingham Borough Council

Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.

Website ↗

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingWokingham Borough Council
Planning applicationsWokingham Borough Council
Council housing and homelessnessWokingham Borough Council
Council tax billsWokingham Borough Council
Parks and leisure centresWokingham Borough Council
Allotments, play areas, benchesSt. Nicholas, Hurst parish council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsWokingham Borough Council
Schools and school placesWokingham Borough Council
Adult and children’s social careWokingham Borough Council
LibrariesWokingham Borough Council
Tips and recycling centresWokingham Borough Council
Police priorities and budgetThames Valley Police police and crime commissioner
Fire safety visitsBerkshire Fire and Rescue

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.

Who represents Hurst

From the parish to Westminster

Every elected tier that speaks for Hurst, from the most recent elections.

  1. 1
    Town or parishParish tier
    St. Nicholas, Hurst parish council
  2. 2
    Wokingham Borough Council1 ward · 3 councillors
    Martijn AndreaStephen ConwayMartin Alder
  3. 3
    Police and crime commissionerThames Valley Police · elected May 2024
    Matthew Barber
  4. 4
    House of CommonsWokingham
ConservativeLiberal Democrat

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.

Councillors

3 councillors for 1 ward

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.

Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst
1,009 residents · 10% in Hurst
  • Martijn AndreaLiberal Democrat · May 2026
  • Stephen ConwayLiberal Democrat · May 2024
  • Martin AlderLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Liberal Democrat
Show as a table
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst10% in Hurst · 1,009 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 20243
Martijn AndreaStephen ConwayMartin Alder
May 2026, May 2024

Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Wokingham Borough 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).

How Hurst has voted

The Liberal Democrats have led every council vote since 2024

Share of all votes cast for candidates in Hurst’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%20242025noelection2026Green, 2024: 4.8%Green, 2026: 7.7%Labour, 2024: 6.7%Labour, 2026: 1.9%Liberal Democrat, 2024: 68.7%Liberal Democrat, 2026: 59.2%Conservative, 2024: 19.8%Conservative, 2026: 15%Reform UK, 2024: 0%Reform UK, 2026: 16.2%Liberal Democrat 59%Reform UK 16%Conservative 15%Green 8%Labour 2%

Seats won at each election

2024
3 seats · Liberal Democrat 3
2026
1 seats · Liberal Democrat 1
GreenLabourLiberal DemocratConservativeReform UK
Show as a table
Party20242026
Green4.8%7.7%
Labour6.7%1.9%
Liberal Democrat68.7%59.2%
Conservative19.8%15%
Reform UK0%16.2%

In 2026, the Liberal Democrats won 1 of the 1 seats up in Hurst’s wards.

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.

Local elections

Wokingham council election, May 2026

Results in the wards that make up Hurst, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.

Seats won in Hurst’s wards1 seat · 7 May 2026
Liberal Democrat1

1 ward voted. Wokingham elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.

Next elections

No election is scheduled yet for Hurst’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.

Who can I vote for? ↗
Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst7 May 2026
Martijn Andrea ElectedLiberal Democrat59.2%
Darren James GrantReform UK16.2%
Graham HoweConservative15.0%
Merv BonifaceGreen7.7%
Stuart Ashley HooperLabour1.9%

4,284 votes for candidates

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreen

Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.

Parliament

Hurst is in Wokingham constituency

The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Hurst).

Wokingham · general election4 July 2024
Clive Jones ElectedLiberal Democrat47.7%
Lucy DemeryConservative32.2%
Colin WrightReform UK9.8%
Monica HamidiLabour6.7%
Merv BonifaceGreen3.6%

53,999 votes for candidates · majority 8,345

MP for Wokingham

Clive Jones

Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.

72%

turnout in July 2024: 53,999 votes from 75,082 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 8,345 of 53,999 votes (15.5%): wider than in 55% of England’s 543 constituencies.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreen

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.

Council money

Hurst’s Band D council tax is £2,472 a year

Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.

COUNCIL TAXBand D · 2026–27 · a Band D home in St. Nicholas, Hurst
St. Nicholas, Hurst parish councilparish precept£54.93
Wokingham Borough Councilcouncil£2,027.40
Thames Valley police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£298.28
Berkshire Fire and Rescue Authorityfire and rescue£91.31
A year£2,471.92
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

Wokingham Borough Council keeps £2,027.40 of a Band D bill (82%); the rest goes to the St. Nicholas, Hurst parish council, the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner and the Berkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

Band D since 1993

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K1995200020052010201520202025England, 1993–94: £567.95England, 1994–95: £580.11England, 1995–96: £609.00England, 1996–97: £646.00England, 1997–98: £688.00England, 1998–99: £747.00England, 1999–00: £798.00England, 2000–01: £847.00England, 2001–02: £901.33England, 2002–03: £975.56England, 2003–04: £1,101.75England, 2004–05: £1,166.56England, 2005–06: £1,213.81England, 2006–07: £1,267.91England, 2007–08: £1,321.32England, 2008–09: £1,373.08England, 2009–10: £1,413.84England, 2010–11: £1,439.22England, 2011–12: £1,439.33England, 2012–13: £1,444.13England, 2013–14: £1,455.60England, 2014–15: £1,467.98England, 2015–16: £1,483.58England, 2016–17: £1,529.56England, 2017–18: £1,590.55England, 2018–19: £1,671.46England, 2019–20: £1,749.88England, 2020–21: £1,817.67England, 2021–22: £1,898.48England, 2022–23: £1,965.71England, 2023–24: £2,065.05England, 2024–25: £2,170.99England, 2025–26: £2,280.21England, 2026–27: £2,391.52Wokingham, 1993–94: £550.13Wokingham, 1994–95: £561.38Wokingham, 1995–96: £565.88Wokingham, 1996–97: £623.75Wokingham, 1997–98: £665.15Wokingham, 1998–99: £822.01Wokingham, 1999–00: £825.15Wokingham, 2000–01: £888.53Wokingham, 2001–02: £948.05Wokingham, 2002–03: £1,017.19Wokingham, 2003–04: £1,138.51Wokingham, 2004–05: £1,195.35Wokingham, 2005–06: £1,224.60Wokingham, 2006–07: £1,263.81Wokingham, 2007–08: £1,307.73Wokingham, 2008–09: £1,370.44Wokingham, 2009–10: £1,434.55Wokingham, 2010–11: £1,461.52Wokingham, 2011–12: £1,461.55Wokingham, 2012–13: £1,461.91Wokingham, 2013–14: £1,493.98Wokingham, 2014–15: £1,521.76Wokingham, 2015–16: £1,525.20Wokingham, 2016–17: £1,580.11Wokingham, 2017–18: £1,650.35Wokingham, 2018–19: £1,741.03Wokingham, 2019–20: £1,818.89Wokingham, 2020–21: £1,892.91Wokingham, 2021–22: £1,988.82Wokingham, 2022–23: £2,052.60Wokingham, 2023–24: £2,157.35Wokingham, 2024–25: £2,262.93Wokingham, 2025–26: £2,376.11Wokingham, 2026–27: £2,497.70Wokingham £2,498England £2,392

Wokingham’s Band D bill has risen 58% in ten years, from £1,580.11 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £550.13 in 1993–94.

Your bill by band

Band A 6/9£1,648
Band B 7/9£1,923
Band C 8/9£2,197
Band D 9/9£2,472
Band E 11/9£3,021
Band F 13/9£3,571
Band G 15/9£4,120
Band H 18/9£4,944

A Band D home in St. Nicholas, Hurst, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.

Berkshire’s councils

Windsor and Maidenhead£1,953
Bracknell Forest£2,265
Slough£2,414
Wokingham£2,498
West Berkshire£2,505
Reading£2,613

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £1,800.

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceWokinghamvs England
Adult social care£428−£59
Children’s social care£228−£62
Roads and transport£83+£42
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£18−£43
Bins, street cleaning, environment£100−£19
Libraries, leisure, culture£-3−£47
Planning and development£24−£2
Public health£36−£42
Running the council£91+£32
Other£0−£19
Hurst’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with Berkshire
WokinghamHurst’s councilsBerkshireEngland
Adult social care£428£465£487
Children’s social care£228£286£290
Roads and transport£83£37£41
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£18£46£61
Bins, street cleaning, environment£100£116£119
Libraries, leisure, culture£-3£20£44
Planning and development£24£17£26
Public health£36£56£78
Running the council£91£55£59
Other£0£2£19
Total, schools apart£1,005£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.

Get involved

Having a say in how Hurst is run

Register to vote

It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.

gov.uk ↗
Contact your councillors or MP

Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.

WriteToThem ↗
Report a pothole or a broken streetlight

GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.

gov.uk ↗
Watch or speak at a council meeting

Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.

wokingham.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

wokingham.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Hurst is run

Which council runs Hurst?

Hurst is run by Wokingham Borough Council.

Does Hurst have a town council?

Yes: Hurst has its own parish-tier council (St. Nicholas, Hurst parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £55 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.

Who is the MP for Hurst?

Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for Wokingham, which covers Hurst.

How many councillors does Hurst have?

3 ward councillors represent Hurst’s 1 ward.

When are the next elections in Hurst?

No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Hurst’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.

How much is council tax in Hurst?

Band D council tax in Hurst is £2,472 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).

Who controls Wokingham Borough Council?

No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 28 · Conservative 21 · Labour 8 of 60 seats; a majority needs 31. The council’s website lists who leads it now.

Who won the 2026 council election in Hurst?

In Hurst’s wards on 7 May 2026, Liberal Democrat 1 of the 1 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 59.2%.

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.