Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Westmorland and Furness Council
Kendal is run by Westmorland and Furness Council, with Kendal parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Westmorland and Furness Council. Its MP is Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat), member for Westmorland and Lonsdale.
£2,525
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Kendal’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Westmorland and Furness Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Westmorland and Furness Council: 36 of its 65 seats as elected. Labour holds 15, the Conservatives 10, independents 2, the Greens 1 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 33 of Westmorland and Furness’s 65 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat36
- Labour15
- Conservative10
- Independent2
- Green1
- 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 Kendal
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.
98% of Kendal’s residents · Band D precept £69
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 Kendal, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierKendal parish council
- 2Westmorland and Furness Council5 wards · 10 councillorsLiberal Democrat 10 · all 10
- 3Police and crime commissionerCumbria Constabulary · elected May 2024David Allen
- 4House of CommonsWestmorland and Lonsdale
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.
10 councillors for 5 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.
- Giles Charles ArchibaldLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Peter ThorntonLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Shirley Amelia EvansLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Jonathan CornthwaiteLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Eamonn Matthew HennessyLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Helen Ngaire LadhamsLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Phil DixonLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Matt SevernLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Jonathan Richard BrookLiberal Democrat · May 2022
- Doug RathboneLiberal Democrat · May 2022
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal Strickland and Fellall in Kendal · 6,631 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Giles Charles ArchibaldPeter Thornton | May 2022 |
| Kendal Netherall in Kendal · 6,237 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Shirley Amelia EvansJonathan Cornthwaite | May 2022 |
| Kendal Castleall in Kendal · 6,056 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Eamonn Matthew HennessyHelen Ngaire Ladhams | May 2022 |
| Kendal Highgateall in Kendal · 5,948 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Phil DixonMatt Severn | May 2022 |
| Kendal Southmostly in Kendal · 4,067 residents2 seats · May 2022 | 2 | Jonathan Richard BrookDoug Rathbone | May 2022 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Westmorland and Furness 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).
Westmorland and Furness council election, May 2022
Results in the wards that make up Kendal, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
5 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Kendal’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,657 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,558 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,809 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (2 more)
3,313 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,493 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.
Kendal is in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Kendal).
49,533 votes for candidates · majority 21,472
Liberal Democrat, MP since 5 May 2005.
turnout in July 2024: 49,533 votes from 72,029 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 21,472 of 49,533 votes (43.3%): wider than in 98% 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.
Kendal’s Band D council tax is £2,525 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Westmorland and Furness Council keeps £2,014.73 of a Band D bill (80%); the rest goes to the Kendal parish council, the Cumbria PFCC - Police and the Cumbria PFCC - Fire and Rescue Authority.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Kendal, 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 Cumbria
| Westmorland and Furness | Kendal’s councils | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £540 | £540 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £241 | £241 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £92 | £92 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £24 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £180 | £180 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £38 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £60 | £60 | £26 |
| Public health | £43 | £43 | £78 |
| Running the council | £71 | £71 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £0 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,290 | £1,290 | £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. Cumbria 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 Kendal 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.
westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Kendal is run
Which council runs Kendal?
Kendal is run by Westmorland and Furness Council.
Does Kendal have a town council?
Yes: Kendal has its own parish-tier council (Kendal parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £69 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Kendal?
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, which covers Kendal.
How many councillors does Kendal have?
10 ward councillors represent Kendal’s 5 wards.
When are the next elections in Kendal?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Kendal’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Kendal?
Band D council tax in Kendal is £2,525 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Westmorland and Furness Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 36 of 65 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2022 council election in Kendal?
In Kendal’s wards on 5 May 2022, Liberal Democrat 10 of the 10 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 63.2%.
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.