Photo: Bill Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Cumberland Council
Carlisle is run by Cumberland Council. Labour has a majority on Cumberland Council. Most of Carlisle is in Carlisle (MP Ms Julie Minns, Labour); 1% of residents are in Penrith and Solway (MP Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour).
£2,447
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Carlisle’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Cumberland Council
Labour holds a majority on Cumberland Council: 29 of its 46 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 7, the Liberal Democrats 4, independents 3, the Greens 2 and Reform UK 1. 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.
Who holds the seats
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 24 of Cumberland’s 46 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour29
- Conservative7
- Liberal Democrat4
- Independent3
- Green2
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2022.
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 Carlisle
One council runs every main service here.
The parish council for the part of Carlisle inside St Cuthbert Without parish.
5% of Carlisle’s residents · Band D precept £11
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.
90% of Carlisle’s residents live outside any parish, with no parish council; there, its charter trustees (Charter Trustee for Carlisle) keep the ceremonial mayoralty and add £5.57 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 Carlisle, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierSt Cuthbert Without parish council
- 2Cumberland Council14 wards · 14 councillorsLabour 8 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Green 1 · Independent 1 · Conservative 1 · Reform UK 1 · all 14
- 3Police and crime commissionerCumbria Constabulary · elected May 2024David Allen
- 4House 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 14 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.
- Abdul HaridLabour · May 2022
- Robert William BettonIndependent · May 2022
- Christopher John SouthwardLabour · May 2022
- Justin Robert McDermottLabour · June 2024 · by-election
- Helen DavisonGreen · May 2022
- Chris WillsLabour · May 2022
- Lisa BrownLabour · May 2022
- Anne QuilterLabour · May 2022
- Josh KirkwoodReform UK · August 2026 · by-election
- Brian WernhamLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Jeanette Maria WhalenLabour · May 2022
- Anne GlendinningLabour · May 2022
The other 2 wards
- Trevor AllisonLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Gareth Michael EllisConservative · October 2024 · by-election
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Vueall in Carlisle · 6,898 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Abdul Harid | May 2022 |
| Botcherbyall in Carlisle · 6,591 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Robert William Betton | May 2022 |
| Denton Holmeall in Carlisle · 6,561 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Christopher John Southward | May 2022 |
| Harraby Northall in Carlisle · 6,556 residents1 seat · June 2024 | 1 | Justin Robert McDermottby-election | June 2024 |
| Belahall in Carlisle · 6,394 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Helen Davison | May 2022 |
| Upperbyall in Carlisle · 6,279 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Chris Wills | May 2022 |
| Currockall in Carlisle · 6,178 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Lisa Brown | May 2022 |
| Mortonall in Carlisle · 5,975 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Anne Quilter | May 2022 |
| Harraby Southall in Carlisle · 5,871 residents1 seat · August 2026 | 1 | Josh Kirkwoodby-election | August 2026 |
| Stanwix Urbanall in Carlisle · 5,666 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Brian Wernham | May 2022 |
| Yewdaleall in Carlisle · 5,629 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Jeanette Maria Whalen | May 2022 |
| Castleall in Carlisle · 5,571 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Anne Glendinning | May 2022 |
| Dalston and Burgh24% in Carlisle · 1,885 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Trevor Allison | May 2022 |
| Wetheral23% in Carlisle · 1,675 residents1 seat · October 2024 | 1 | Gareth Michael Ellisby-election | October 2024 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Cumberland 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).
Cumberland council election, May 2022
Results in the wards that make up Carlisle, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
14 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Carlisle’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,494 votes for candidates
1,397 votes for candidates
1,325 votes for candidates
Every ward’s result (11 more)
1,096 votes for candidates
2,078 votes for candidates
1,130 votes for candidates
997 votes for candidates
1,354 votes for candidates
1,550 votes for candidates
2,425 votes for candidates
1,741 votes for candidates
1,166 votes for candidates
2,393 votes for candidates
2,199 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Carlisle is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
99% of Carlisle’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 59% (England 60%).
Majority 5,200 of 45,979 votes (11.3%): the 215th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
1% of Carlisle’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 63% (England 60%).
Majority 5,257 of 49,281 votes (10.7%): the 202nd-narrowest of 543 in England.
45,979 votes for candidates · majority 5,200
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 45,979 votes from 77,863 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,200 of 45,979 votes (11.3%): the 215th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Penrith and Solway
49,281 votes for candidates · majority 5,257
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 49,281 votes from 77,935 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,257 of 49,281 votes (10.7%): the 202nd-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.
Carlisle’s Band D council tax is £2,450 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Cumberland Council keeps £2,002.64 of a Band D bill (82%); the rest goes to the Charter Trustee for Carlisle, the Cumbria PFCC - Police and the Cumbria PFCC - Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,447 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Cumberland, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Cumberland Council hasn’t filed its 2026–27 Revenue Account budget with MHCLG (the department lists it as missing), so its spending per resident isn’t shown.
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 Carlisle 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.
cumberland.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
cumberland.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Carlisle is run
Does Carlisle have a town council?
Parts of it do: St Cuthbert Without parish council.
Who is the MP for Carlisle?
Carlisle is split between 2 constituencies: Carlisle (Ms Julie Minns, Labour) and Penrith and Solway (Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Carlisle have?
14 ward councillors represent Carlisle’s 14 wards.
When are the next elections in Carlisle?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Carlisle’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Carlisle?
Band D council tax in Carlisle is £2,447 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Cumberland Council?
Labour has a majority: 29 of 46 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2022 council election in Carlisle?
In Carlisle’s wards on 5 May 2022, Labour 9 · Liberal Democrat 2 · Green 1 · Independent 1 · Conservative 1 of the 14 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 38.1%.
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.