Photo: David Weston · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on High Peak Borough Council
Buxton is run by High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council. Labour has a majority on High Peak Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Derbyshire County Council. Its MP is Jon Pearce (Labour), member for High Peak.
£2,347
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Buxton’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on High Peak Borough Council
Labour holds a majority on High Peak Borough Council: 29 of its 43 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 10, the Greens 2, the Liberal Democrats 1 and independents 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Derbyshire changed hands in 2025
Derbyshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (43 of 64 seats in 2021) to a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 41 of 64 seats. Derbyshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Buxton is £2,347 for 2026–27; High Peak Borough Council keeps 10% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 48% 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 on Buxton’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of High Peak’s 43 or 33 of Derbyshire’s 64 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour29
- Conservative10
- Green2
- Independent1
- Liberal Democrat1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK41+41
- Conservative12−31
- Green3+2
- Labour3−13
- Liberal Democrat3−1
- Independent2+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.
Two tiers of council, no parish tier
Buxton has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Claire Ward (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
All of Buxton is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself and no parish precept is added to the 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 council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Buxton, from the most recent elections.
- 1High Peak Borough Council7 wards · 11 councillorsLabour 7 · Conservative 4 · all 11
- 2Derbyshire County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsLinda GroobyMelandra Ardotalia Smith
- 3Mayor of East Midlands Combined County AuthorityEast Midlands Combined County Authority · elected May 2024Claire Ward
- 4Police and crime commissionerDerbyshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Nicolle Ndiweni
- 5House of CommonsHigh Peak
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.
11 councillors for 7 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.
- Fiona SlomanLabour · May 2023
- Matt TaylorLabour · May 2023
- Madeline Alice HallLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Chris MortenConservative · May 2023
- Jean Marion ToddLabour · May 2023
- Payge HackingLabour · May 2023
- Linda GroobyConservative · May 2023
- Kev KirkhamConservative · May 2023
- Pam ReddyConservative · May 2023
- Rachael QuinnLabour · May 2023
- Chris PayneLabour · May 2023
Show as a table, with Derbyshire County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Benchall in Buxton · 4,471 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Fiona SlomanMatt Taylor | May 2023 |
| Corbarall in Buxton · 4,032 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Madeline Alice HallChris Morten | May 2023 |
| Buxton Centralall in Buxton · 3,602 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Jean Marion ToddPayge Hacking | May 2023 |
| Cote Heathmostly in Buxton · 2,852 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Linda GroobyKev Kirkham | May 2023 |
| Templeall in Buxton · 1,729 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Pam Reddy | May 2023 |
| Barmsall in Buxton · 1,705 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Rachael Quinn | May 2023 |
| Burbagemostly in Buxton · 1,657 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Chris Payne | May 2023 |
Derbyshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buxton South & West EDmostly in Buxton · 10,270 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Linda Grooby | May 2025 |
| Buxton North & East EDall in Buxton · 9,778 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Melandra Ardotalia Smith | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. High Peak 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).
High Peak council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Buxton, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
7 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Buxton’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,493 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,743 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,989 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (4 more)
2,448 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
922 votes for candidates
454 votes for candidates
591 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Buxton is in High Peak constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Buxton).
49,206 votes for candidates · majority 7,908
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 49,206 votes from 74,385 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 7,908 of 49,206 votes (16.1%): wider than in 57% 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.
Buxton’s Band D council tax is £2,347 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
High Peak Borough Council keeps £230.89 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to Derbyshire County Council, the Derbyshire police and crime commissioner and the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
High Peak’s Band D bill has risen 48% in ten years, from £1,609.40 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £612.00 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of High Peak, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Derbyshire’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 Derbyshire
| High Peak + Derbyshire | Buxton’s councils | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £477 | £450 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £228 | £260 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £17 | £30 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £23 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £124 | £125 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £43 | £43 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £28 | £22 | £26 |
| Public health | £72 | £79 | £78 |
| Running the council | £75 | £60 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £28 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,088 | £1,120 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: High Peak per its residents plus Derbyshire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Derbyshire 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 Buxton 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.
highpeak.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
highpeak.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Buxton is run
Which council runs Buxton?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Buxton have a town council?
No. Buxton is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Buxton?
Jon Pearce (Labour) is the MP for High Peak, which covers Buxton.
How many councillors does Buxton have?
11 ward councillors represent Buxton’s 7 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Buxton?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Buxton’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Buxton?
Band D council tax in Buxton is £2,347 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls High Peak Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 29 of 43 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Derbyshire County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 41 of 64 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Buxton?
In Buxton’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 7 · Conservative 4 of the 11 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 47.2%.
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.