Photo: Colin Pyle · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Warrington Borough Council
Appleton Thorn is run by Warrington Borough Council, with Appleton parish council for local matters. Labour has a majority on Warrington Borough Council. Its MP is Sarah Hall (Labour), member for Warrington South.
£2,440
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Appleton Thorn’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Warrington Borough Council
Labour holds a majority on Warrington Borough Council: 41 of its 58 seats as elected (it held 36 before the May 2024 election). The Liberal Democrats hold 12, independents 3, the Conservatives 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2024 vote
Across Appleton Thorn’s wards, the Liberal Democrats took 55.2%, the Conservatives took 27.2% and Labour took 10.9% of votes in May 2024. In 2021, the Liberal Democrats had 49%. How Appleton Thorn has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Appleton Thorn is £2,440 for 2026–27; Warrington Borough Council keeps 82% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 62% 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
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 30 of Warrington’s 58 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour41+5
- Liberal Democrat12+4
- Independent3no change
- Conservative1−10
- Reform UK1+1
Change against the council before the 2 May 2024 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.
The councils that run Appleton Thorn
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.
100% of Appleton Thorn’s residents · Band D precept £37
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 Appleton Thorn, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierAppleton parish council
- 2Warrington Borough Council1 ward · 2 councillorsMark Damen BrowneHelen Speed
- 3Police and crime commissionerCheshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Dan Price
- 4House of CommonsWarrington South
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.
2 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.
- Mark Damen BrowneLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Helen SpeedLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grappenhall20% in Appleton Thorn · 1,372 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Mark Damen BrowneHelen Speed | May 2024 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Warrington 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).
The Liberal Democrats have led every council vote since 2021
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Appleton Thorn’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.
Seats won at each election
Show as a table
| Party | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| Labour | 10.3% | 10.9% |
| Liberal Democrat | 49% | 55.2% |
| Conservative | 36.8% | 27.2% |
In 2024, the Liberal Democrats won 2 of the 2 seats up in Appleton Thorn’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.
Warrington council election, May 2024
Results in the wards that make up Appleton Thorn, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Appleton Thorn’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,245 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.
Appleton Thorn is in Warrington South constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Appleton Thorn).
49,672 votes for candidates · majority 11,340
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 49,672 votes from 78,394 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,340 of 49,672 votes (22.8%): wider than in 73% of England’s 543 constituencies.
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.
Appleton Thorn’s Band D council tax is £2,440 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Warrington Borough Council keeps £2,007.50 of a Band D bill (82%); the rest goes to the Appleton parish council, the Cheshire police and crime commissioner and the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Warrington’s Band D bill has risen 62% in ten years, from £1,510.29 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £585.00 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Appleton, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Cheshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Cheshire
| Warrington | Appleton Thorn’s councils | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £619 | £579 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £277 | £302 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £50 | £69 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £23 | £35 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £98 | £101 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £61 | £55 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £6 | £27 | £26 |
| Public health | £74 | £64 | £78 |
| Running the council | £130 | £47 | £59 |
| Other | £7 | £6 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,342 | £1,284 | £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. Cheshire 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 Appleton Thorn 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.
warrington.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
warrington.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Appleton Thorn is run
Which council runs Appleton Thorn?
Appleton Thorn is run by Warrington Borough Council.
Does Appleton Thorn have a town council?
Yes: Appleton Thorn has its own parish-tier council (Appleton parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £37 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Appleton Thorn?
Sarah Hall (Labour) is the MP for Warrington South, which covers Appleton Thorn.
How many councillors does Appleton Thorn have?
2 ward councillors represent Appleton Thorn’s 1 ward.
When are the next elections in Appleton Thorn?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Appleton Thorn’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Appleton Thorn?
Band D council tax in Appleton Thorn is £2,440 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Warrington Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 41 of 58 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2024 council election in Appleton Thorn?
In Appleton Thorn’s wards on 2 May 2024, Liberal Democrat 2 of the 2 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 55.2%.
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.