Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Buckinghamshire Council
High Wycombe is run by Buckinghamshire Council. No party holds a majority on Buckinghamshire Council. Its MP is Emma Reynolds (Labour), member for Wycombe.
£2,430
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How High Wycombe’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Buckinghamshire Council
The Conservatives, the largest group, hold 48 of its 97 seats as elected, one short of the 49 needed. The Liberal Democrats hold 27, independents 11, Labour 4, Reform UK 3, the Greens 2 and Wycombe Independents 2. Who’s in charge ↓
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 49 of Buckinghamshire’s 97 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative48
- Liberal Democrat27
- Independent11
- Labour4
- Reform UK3
- Green2
- Wycombe Independents2
Latest election: May 2025.
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 High Wycombe
One council runs every main service here.
The parish council for the part of High Wycombe inside Downley parish.
3% of High Wycombe’s residents · Band D precept £56
The parish council for the part of High Wycombe inside Chepping Wycombe parish.
Who runs High Wycombe: same source as Who runs High Wycombe, 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.
93% of High Wycombe’s residents live outside any parish, with no parish council; there, its charter trustees (High Wycombe Charter Trustees) keep the ceremonial mayoralty and add £2.43 to a Band D bill.
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 High Wycombe, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsDownley parish councilChepping Wycombe parish council
- 2Buckinghamshire Council10 wards · 16 councillorsConservative 6 · Labour 3 · Independent 3 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Wycombe Independents 2 · all 16
- 3Police and crime commissionerThames Valley Police · elected May 2024Matthew Barber
- 4House of CommonsWycombe
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.
16 councillors for 10 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.
- Lesley ClarkeConservative · May 2025
- Mahboob HussainConservative · May 2025
- Julia Denise WassellWycombe Independents · May 2025
- Imran HussainWycombe Independents · May 2025
- Trevor SnaithIndependent · May 2025
- Khalil AhmedIndependent · May 2025
- Majid HussainLabour · May 2025
- Mohammad AyubConservative · May 2025
- Sarfaraz RajaConservative · May 2025
- Chris ChiltonLabour · May 2025
- Darren HaydayIndependent · May 2025
- Arman AlamConservative · May 2025
- Maz HussainConservative · May 2025
- Hazel Arthur-HewittLabour · May 2025
- Michael George WestLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Jonathan David Hammond WatersLiberal Democrat · May 2025
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeyall in High Wycombe · 12,406 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Lesley ClarkeMahboob Hussain | May 2025 |
| Totteridge & Bowerdeanall in High Wycombe · 11,873 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Julia Denise WassellImran Hussain | May 2025 |
| Marsh & Micklefieldall in High Wycombe · 11,586 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Trevor SnaithKhalil Ahmed | May 2025 |
| Castlefield & Oakridgeall in High Wycombe · 11,455 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Majid HussainMohammad Ayub | May 2025 |
| Terriers & Amersham Hillall in High Wycombe · 10,962 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Sarfaraz RajaChris Chilton | May 2025 |
| Sandsall in High Wycombe · 6,408 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Darren Hayday | May 2025 |
| Booker & Cressexall in High Wycombe · 6,316 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Arman Alam | May 2025 |
| Disraeliall in High Wycombe · 5,991 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Maz Hussain | May 2025 |
| Downleymostly in High Wycombe · 3,419 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Hazel Arthur-Hewitt | May 2025 |
| Penn, Tylers Green & Loudwater18% in High Wycombe · 2,273 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Michael George WestJonathan David Hammond Waters | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Buckinghamshire 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).
Buckinghamshire council election, May 2025
Results in the wards that make up High Wycombe, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
10 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for High Wycombe’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,365 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
5,313 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,646 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (7 more)
5,332 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,490 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,574 votes for candidates
1,376 votes for candidates
1,519 votes for candidates
1,514 votes for candidates
7,033 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.
High Wycombe is in Wycombe constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond High Wycombe).
44,637 votes for candidates · majority 4,591
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 44,637 votes from 73,415 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,591 of 44,637 votes (10.3%): the 192nd-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.
High Wycombe’s Band D council tax is £2,428 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Buckinghamshire Council keeps £2,037.50 of a Band D bill (84%); the rest goes to High Wycombe Charter Trustees, the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner and the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,430 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Buckinghamshire, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Buckinghamshire
| Buckinghamshire | High Wycombe’s councils | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £466 | £452 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £272 | £280 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £68 | £46 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £26 | £45 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £88 | £102 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £11 | £18 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £23 | £17 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £50 | £78 |
| Running the council | £37 | £41 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £0 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,039 | £1,051 | £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. Buckinghamshire 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 High Wycombe 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.
buckinghamshire.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
buckinghamshire.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how High Wycombe is run
Does High Wycombe have a town council?
Parts of it do: Downley parish council and Chepping Wycombe parish council.
Who is the MP for High Wycombe?
Emma Reynolds (Labour) is the MP for Wycombe, which covers High Wycombe.
How many councillors does High Wycombe have?
16 ward councillors represent High Wycombe’s 10 wards.
When are the next elections in High Wycombe?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for High Wycombe’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in High Wycombe?
Band D council tax in High Wycombe is £2,430 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Buckinghamshire Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 48 · Liberal Democrat 27 · Independent 11 · Labour 4 · Reform UK 3 · Green 2 · Wycombe Independents 2 of 97 seats; a majority needs 49. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2025 council election in High Wycombe?
In High Wycombe’s wards on 1 May 2025, Conservative 6 · Labour 3 · Independent 3 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Wycombe Independents 2 of the 16 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 28.3%.
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.