Photo: Richard Humphrey · CC BY-SA 2.0The Conservatives hold a majority on Fenland District Council
Wisbech is run by Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, with Wisbech parish council for local matters. The Conservatives have a majority on Fenland District Council. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Cambridgeshire County Council. Most of Wisbech is in North East Cambridgeshire (MP Steve Barclay, Conservative); 5% of residents are in North West Norfolk (MP James Wild, Conservative).
£2,535
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Wisbech’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Fenland District Council
The Conservatives hold a majority on Fenland District Council: 36 of its 43 seats as elected. Independents hold 5, the Liberal Democrats 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Cambridgeshire changed hands in 2025
Cambridgeshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from no overall control to a Liberal Democrat majority at the May 2025 election: the Liberal Democrats won 31 of 61 seats. Cambridgeshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Wisbech is £2,543 for 2026–27; Fenland District Council keeps 10% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 48% 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 Wisbech’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Fenland’s 43 or 31 of Cambridgeshire’s 61 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative36
- Independent5
- Liberal Democrat2
Latest election: May 2023.
- Liberal Democrat31+9
- Conservative10−17
- Reform UK10+10
- Labour5−4
- Green3+3
- Independent2no change
- St. Neots Independent Group0−1
Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 election.
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
Wisbech 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.
91% of Wisbech’s residents · Band D precept £62
The parish council for the part of Wisbech inside Walsoken parish.
Who runs Wisbech: same source as Who runs Wisbech, above.
The parish council for the part of Wisbech inside Leverington parish.
Who runs Wisbech: same source as Who runs Wisbech, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
95% of Wisbech’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Wisbech: same source as Who runs Wisbech, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Paul Bristow (Conservative), elected May 2025
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 Wisbech, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsWisbech parish councilWalsoken parish councilLeverington parish council
- 2Council wards6 wards · 14 councillorsConservative 13 · Independent 1 · all 14
- 3Cambridgeshire County Council3 divisions · 3 councillorsSteve TierneyChris TirrellChris Dawson
- 4Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined AuthorityCambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority · elected May 2025Paul Bristow
- 5Police and crime commissionerCambridgeshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Darryl Preston
- 6Police and crime commissionerNorfolk Constabulary · elected July 2026Colin Sutton
- 7House of CommonsSplit between 2 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.
14 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.
- Samantha HoyConservative · May 2023
- Steve TierneyConservative · May 2023
- Susan WallworkConservative · May 2023
- Sydney ImafidonConservative · May 2023
- Billy RackleyConservative · May 2023
- David Roy PatrickIndependent · May 2023
- Nick MeekinsConservative · May 2023
- Dave OliverConservative · May 2023
- Lucie Foice-BeardConservative · May 2023
- Samantha Jane ClarkConservative · May 2023
- Chris SeatonConservative · May 2023
- Brenda BarberConservative · May 2023
- Julian David KirkConservative · May 2023
- Richard Peter BluntConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Cambridgeshire County Council’s 3 divisions (3 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisbech SouthFenland · all in Wisbech · 8,848 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Samantha HoySteve TierneySusan Wallwork | May 2023 |
| Wisbech Walsoken & WaterleesFenland · all in Wisbech · 7,005 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Sydney ImafidonBilly RackleyDavid Roy Patrick | May 2023 |
| Wisbech RiversideFenland · all in Wisbech · 4,626 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Nick MeekinsDave Oliver | May 2023 |
| Wisbech NorthFenland · all in Wisbech · 3,136 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Lucie Foice-Beard | May 2023 |
| Leverington & Wisbech RuralFenland · 29% in Wisbech · 1,918 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Samantha Jane ClarkChris SeatonBrenda Barber | May 2023 |
| Walsoken, West Walton & WalpoleKing's Lynn and West Norfolk · 21% in Wisbech · 1,267 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Julian David KirkRichard Peter Blunt | May 2023 |
Cambridgeshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisbech West EDall in Wisbech · 23,615 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Steve Tierney | May 2025 |
| Roman Bank & Peckover ED14% in Wisbech · 1,918 residents1 seat · June 2026 | 1 | Chris Tirrellby-election | June 2026 |
| Marshland South ED6% in Wisbech · 1,267 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Chris Dawson | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Fenland District 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).
Fenland council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Wisbech, 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 Wisbech’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,462 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,364 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,102 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (3 more)
329 votes for candidates
3,630 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
2,067 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.
Wisbech is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010
95% of Wisbech’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 55% (England 60%).
Majority 7,189 of 39,176 votes (18.4%): wider than in 63% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019
5% of Wisbech’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 60% (England 60%).
Majority 4,954 of 44,566 votes (11.1%): the 212th-narrowest of 543 in England.
39,176 votes for candidates · majority 7,189
Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010.
turnout in July 2024: 39,176 votes from 71,511 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 7,189 of 39,176 votes (18.4%): wider than in 63% of England’s 543 constituencies.
North West Norfolk
44,566 votes for candidates · majority 4,954
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 44,566 votes from 74,415 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,954 of 44,566 votes (11.1%): the 212th-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.
Wisbech’s Band D council tax is £2,543 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Fenland District Council keeps £253.35 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to the Wisbech parish council, Cambridgeshire County Council, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Cambridgeshire police and crime commissioner and the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,535 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Fenland’s Band D bill has risen 48% in ten years, from £1,708.98 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £511.88 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Wisbech, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Cambridgeshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Cambridgeshire
| Fenland + Cambridgeshire | Wisbech’s councils | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £421 | £417 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £170 | £224 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £48 | £28 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £27 | £39 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £153 | £135 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £15 | £27 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £25 | £38 | £26 |
| Public health | £51 | £56 | £78 |
| Running the council | £49 | £40 | £59 |
| Other | £1 | £7 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £959 | £1,013 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Fenland per its residents plus Cambridgeshire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Cambridgeshire 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 Wisbech 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.
fenland.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
fenland.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Wisbech is run
Which council runs Wisbech?
Wisbech is run by Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Wisbech have a town council?
Yes: Wisbech has its own parish-tier council (Wisbech parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £62 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Wisbech?
Wisbech is split between 2 constituencies: North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay, Conservative) and North West Norfolk (James Wild, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Wisbech have?
14 ward councillors represent Wisbech’s 6 wards, and 3 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Wisbech?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Wisbech’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Wisbech?
Band D council tax in Wisbech is £2,535 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Fenland District Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 36 of 43 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Cambridgeshire County Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 31 of 61 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Wisbech?
In Wisbech’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 13 · Independent 1 of the 14 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 67.1%.
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.