Photo: David Weston · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Cornwall Council
Launceston is run by Cornwall Council, with Launceston parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Cornwall Council. Its MP is Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat), member for North Cornwall.
£2,779
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Launceston’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Cornwall Council
Reform UK, the largest group, holds 28 of its 87 seats as elected, 16 short of the 44 needed (it held 0 before the May 2025 election). The Liberal Democrats hold 26, independents 16, the Conservatives 7, Labour 4, the Greens 3 and Mebyon Kernow 3. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2025 vote
Across Launceston’s wards, independents took 40.3%, Reform UK took 27.5% and the Liberal Democrats took 27% of votes in May 2025. In 2021, independents had 30.1%. How Launceston has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Launceston is £2,779 for 2026–27; Cornwall Council keeps 75% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 60% 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.
No party has a majority
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 44 of Cornwall’s 87 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK28+28
- Liberal Democrat26+12
- Independent16no change
- Conservative7−39
- Labour4−1
- Green3+2
- Mebyon Kernow3−2
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.
The councils that run Launceston
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 Launceston’s residents · Band D precept £390
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 Launceston, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierLaunceston parish council
- 2Cornwall Council2 wards · 2 councillorsDamon DennisAdam Richard Paynter
- 3Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024Alison Hernandez
- 4House of CommonsNorth Cornwall
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 2 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.
- Damon DennisLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Adam Richard PaynterIndependent · May 2025
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston Southmostly in Launceston · 5,329 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Damon Dennis | May 2025 |
| Launceston North & North Petherwin45% in Launceston · 3,102 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Adam Richard Paynter | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Cornwall 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 Conservatives led each vote to 2021; independents led in 2025
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Launceston’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 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 8.3% | 0% |
| Liberal Democrat | 17.6% | 27% |
| Independent | 30.1% | 40.3% |
| Conservative | 39.8% | 3.8% |
| Reform UK | 1% | 27.5% |
In 2025, the Liberal Democrats won 1 and independents won 1 of the 2 seats up in Launceston’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.
Cornwall council election, May 2025
Results in the wards that make up Launceston, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
2 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Launceston’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,549 votes for candidates
2,306 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Launceston is in North Cornwall constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Launceston).
51,245 votes for candidates · majority 9,957
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 51,245 votes from 76,741 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 9,957 of 51,245 votes (19.4%): wider than in 66% 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.
Launceston’s Band D council tax is £2,779 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Cornwall Council keeps £2,086.36 of a Band D bill (75%); the rest goes to the Launceston parish council and the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner.
Band D since 2009
Cornwall’s Band D bill has risen 60% in ten years, from £1,619.75 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £1,411.32 in 2009–10.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Launceston, 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 Cornwall
| Cornwall | Launceston’s councils | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £582 | £583 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £266 | £266 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £56 | £55 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £63 | £62 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £196 | £198 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £20 | £21 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £30 | £30 | £26 |
| Public health | £71 | £71 | £78 |
| Running the council | £29 | £34 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £0 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,373 | £1,381 | £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. Cornwall 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 Launceston 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.
cornwall.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
cornwall.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Launceston is run
Which council runs Launceston?
Launceston is run by Cornwall Council.
Does Launceston have a town council?
Yes: Launceston has its own parish-tier council (Launceston parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £390 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Launceston?
Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for North Cornwall, which covers Launceston.
How many councillors does Launceston have?
2 ward councillors represent Launceston’s 2 wards.
When are the next elections in Launceston?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Launceston’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Launceston?
Band D council tax in Launceston is £2,779 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Cornwall Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Reform UK 28 · Liberal Democrat 26 · Independent 16 · Conservative 7 · Labour 4 · Green 3 · Mebyon Kernow 3 of 87 seats; a majority needs 44. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2025 council election in Launceston?
In Launceston’s wards on 1 May 2025, Liberal Democrat 1 · Independent 1 of the 2 seats up. Independents had the largest share of votes, 40.3%.
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.