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Alms Houses at Playing PlacePhoto: Fred James · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall & politics · Cornwall Council

No party holds a majority on Cornwall Council

Playing Place is run by Cornwall Council, with Kea parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Cornwall Council. Its MP is Jayne Kirkham (Labour), member for Truro and Falmouth.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,460

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

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,460
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
1
1 ward · Cornwall
MP
Jayne Kirkham
Labour · Truro and Falmouth
Turnout, July 2024
69%
Truro and Falmouth · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Playing Place’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 Playing Place’s wards, the Conservatives took 34.8%, Reform UK took 29.7% and the Liberal Democrats took 23.4% of votes in May 2025. In 2021, the Conservatives had 59.1%. How Playing Place has voted ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Playing Place is £2,460 for 2026–27; Cornwall Council keeps 85% 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.

Who’s in charge

No party has a majority

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 44 of Cornwall’s 87 seats to run the council alone.

Unitary council · 87 councillorsCornwall CouncilNo overall control
GreenGreenGreenLabourLabourLabourLabourLiberal 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 DemocratIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKMebyon KernowMebyon KernowMebyon Kernow87seats
  • 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.

GreenLabourLiberal DemocratIndependentConservativeReform UKOther parties

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 Playing Place

The councils that run Playing Place

One council runs every main service here.

Town or parish councilKea 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 Playing Place’s residents · Band D precept £70

Unitary councilCornwall Council

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

Website ↗

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingCornwall Council
Planning applicationsCornwall Council
Council housing and homelessnessCornwall Council
Council tax billsCornwall Council
Parks and leisure centresCornwall Council
Allotments, play areas, benchesKea parish council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsCornwall Council
Schools and school placesCornwall Council
Adult and children’s social careCornwall Council
LibrariesCornwall Council
Tips and recycling centresCornwall Council
Police priorities and budgetDevon & Cornwall Police police and crime commissioner

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 Playing Place

From the parish to Westminster

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

  1. 1
    Town or parishParish tier
    Kea parish council
  2. 2
    Cornwall Council1 ward · 1 councillor
    Martyn Jon Alvey
  3. 3
    Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024
    Alison Hernandez
  4. 4
    House of CommonsTruro and Falmouth
LabourConservative

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

1 councillor 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.

Feock & Kea
855 residents · 16% in Playing Place
  • Martyn Jon AlveyConservative · May 2025
Conservative
Show as a table
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Feock & Kea16% in Playing Place · 855 residents1 seat · May 20251
Martyn Jon Alvey
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).

How Playing Place has voted

The Conservatives have led every council vote since 2021

Share of all votes cast for candidates in Playing Place’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%20212022noelection2023noelection2024noelection2025Green, 2021: 18.4%Green, 2025: 0%Labour, 2021: 9%Labour, 2025: 12.1%Liberal Democrat, 2021: 13.5%Liberal Democrat, 2025: 23.4%Conservative, 2021: 59.1%Conservative, 2025: 34.8%Reform UK, 2021: 0%Reform UK, 2025: 29.7%Conservative 35%Reform UK 30%Liberal Democrat 23%Labour 12%Green 0%

Seats won at each election

2021
1 seats · Conservative 1
2025
1 seats · Conservative 1
GreenLabourLiberal DemocratConservativeReform UK
Show as a table
Party20212025
Green18.4%0%
Labour9%12.1%
Liberal Democrat13.5%23.4%
Conservative59.1%34.8%
Reform UK0%29.7%

In 2025, the Conservatives won 1 of the 1 seats up in Playing Place’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

Cornwall council election, May 2025

Results in the wards that make up Playing Place, 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 Playing Place’s wards1 seat · 1 May 2025
Conservative1

1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.

Next elections

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

Who can I vote for? ↗
Feock & Kea1 May 2025
Martyn Jon Alvey ElectedConservative34.8%
Derek ReedReform UK29.7%
Susan Lesley BeloLiberal Democrat23.4%
Michele Ann PalmerLabour12.1%

2,002 votes for candidates

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UK

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

Parliament

Playing Place is in Truro and Falmouth constituency

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

Truro and Falmouth · general election4 July 2024
Jayne Kirkham ElectedLabour41.3%
Cherilyn MackroryConservative25.1%
Ruth GripperLiberal Democrat13.0%
Steve RubidgeReform UK12.3%
Karen La BordeGreen6.9%
Peter LawrenceIndependent1.0%
Peter WhiteLiberal0.3%

50,264 votes for candidates · majority 8,151

MP for Truro and Falmouth

Jayne Kirkham

Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.

69%

turnout in July 2024: 50,264 votes from 72,982 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 8,151 of 50,264 votes (16.2%): wider than in 57% of England’s 543 constituencies.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreenIndependentOther parties

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

Playing Place’s Band D council tax is £2,460 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 Kea
Kea parish councilparish precept£70.21
Cornwall Councilcouncil£2,086.36
Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£303.20
A year£2,459.77
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

Cornwall Council keeps £2,086.36 of a Band D bill (85%); the rest goes to the Kea parish council and the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner.

Band D since 2009

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K£3K2010201520202025England, 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: £2,391.52Cornwall, 2009–10: £1,411.32Cornwall, 2010–11: £1,457.51Cornwall, 2011–12: £1,459.64Cornwall, 2012–13: £1,467.79Cornwall, 2013–14: £1,477.05Cornwall, 2014–15: £1,512.38Cornwall, 2015–16: £1,549.57Cornwall, 2016–17: £1,619.75Cornwall, 2017–18: £1,685.51Cornwall, 2018–19: £1,772.29Cornwall, 2019–20: £1,864.02Cornwall, 2020–21: £1,943.26Cornwall, 2021–22: £2,041.95Cornwall, 2022–23: £2,108.89Cornwall, 2023–24: £2,221.39Cornwall, 2024–25: £2,342.54Cornwall, 2025–26: £2,459.92Cornwall, 2026–27: £2,590.93Cornwall £2,591England £2,392

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

Band A 6/9£1,640
Band B 7/9£1,913
Band C 8/9£2,186
Band D 9/9£2,460
Band E 11/9£3,006
Band F 13/9£3,553
Band G 15/9£4,100
Band H 18/9£4,920

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

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceCornwallvs England
Adult social care£582+£95
Children’s social care£266−£24
Roads and transport£56+£15
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£63+£2
Bins, street cleaning, environment£196+£77
Libraries, leisure, culture£20−£24
Planning and development£30+£4
Public health£71−£7
Running the council£29−£30
Other£0−£19
Playing Place’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with Cornwall
CornwallPlaying Place’s councilsCornwallEngland
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.

Get involved

Having a say in how Playing Place 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.

cornwall.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

cornwall.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Playing Place is run

Which council runs Playing Place?

Playing Place is run by Cornwall Council.

Does Playing Place have a town council?

Yes: Playing Place has its own parish-tier council (Kea parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £70 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.

Who is the MP for Playing Place?

Jayne Kirkham (Labour) is the MP for Truro and Falmouth, which covers Playing Place.

How many councillors does Playing Place have?

1 ward councillors represent Playing Place’s 1 ward.

When are the next elections in Playing Place?

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

How much is council tax in Playing Place?

Band D council tax in Playing Place is £2,460 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 Playing Place?

In Playing Place’s wards on 1 May 2025, Conservative 1 of the 1 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 34.8%.

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.