Photo: Own work · Public domainExmouth and Exeter East was decided by 121 votes in 2024
Exmouth is run by East Devon District Council and Devon County Council, with Exmouth parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on either East Devon District Council or Devon County Council. Its MP is David Reed (Conservative), member for Exmouth and Exeter East.
£2,577
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Exmouth’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on East Devon District Council
No party holds a majority on East Devon District Council. The Liberal Democrats, the largest group, hold 21 of its 60 seats as elected, 10 short of the 31 needed. Independents hold 19, the Conservatives 16, the Greens 2 and Labour 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Devon changed hands in 2025
Devon County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (39 of 60 seats in 2021) to no overall control at the May 2025 election: the Liberal Democrats won 27 of 60 seats. Devon ↓
A close seat
David Reed (Conservative) won Exmouth and Exeter East by 121 votes in July 2024, 0.24% of votes cast: the 7th-narrowest result of 543 in England. Parliament ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Exmouth is £2,577 for 2026–27; East Devon District Council keeps 7% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 59% 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 on either council
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of East Devon’s 60 or 31 of Devon’s 60 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat21
- Independent19
- Conservative16
- Green2
- Labour2
Latest election: May 2023.
- Liberal Democrat27+18
- Reform UK18+18
- Conservative7−32
- Green6+4
- Independent2−1
- Labour0−7
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, and a parish tier
Exmouth has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
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 Exmouth’s residents · Band D precept £96
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.
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.
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 Exmouth, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierExmouth parish council
- 2East Devon District Council5 wards · 14 councillorsLiberal Democrat 8 · Conservative 6 · Green 1 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 · all 17
- 3Devon County Council2 divisions · 3 councillorsHelen BrownJeff TrailNick Hookway
- 4Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024Alison Hernandez
- 5House of CommonsExmouth and Exeter East
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 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.
- Anne M HallLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Nick HookwayLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Brian Arthur BaileyConservative · May 2023
- Lee Michael Christopher John MasonConservative · July 2026 · by-election
- Aurora E BaileyConservative · May 2024 · by-election
- Maddy ChapmanConservative · May 2023
- Fred CaygillConservative · May 2023
- Cherry NicholasConservative · May 2023
- Fran McElhoneLiberal Democrat · December 2025 · by-election
- Tim DumperLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Andrew ToyeLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Daniel WilsonLabour · May 2023
- Joe WhibleyIndependent · May 2023
- Olly DaveyGreen · May 2023
- Eileen E WraggLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Steve GazzardLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Matt HallLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table, with Devon County Council’s 2 divisions (3 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exmouth Littlehamall in Exmouth · 8,067 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Anne M HallNick HookwayBrian Arthur Bailey | May 2023 |
| Exmouth Brixingtonall in Exmouth · 7,638 residents3 seats · July 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Lee Michael Christopher John Masonby-electionAurora E Baileyby-electionMaddy ChapmanFred CaygillCherry Nicholas | July 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Exmouth Halsdonall in Exmouth · 7,408 residents3 seats · December 2025, May 2023 | 3 | Fran McElhoneby-electionTim DumperAndrew ToyeDaniel Wilson | December 2025, May 2023 |
| Exmouth Townall in Exmouth · 7,310 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Joe WhibleyOlly DaveyEileen E Wragg | May 2023 |
| Exmouth Withycombe Raleighall in Exmouth · 5,079 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Steve GazzardMatt Hall | May 2023 |
Devon County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exmouth EDmostly in Exmouth · 27,435 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Helen BrownJeff Trail | May 2025 |
| Exmouth & Budleigh Salterton Coastal EDall in Exmouth · 8,067 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Nick Hookway | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. East Devon District 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).
East Devon council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Exmouth, 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 Exmouth’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗5,775 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
4,630 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
4,360 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Every ward’s result (2 more)
3,674 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,649 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.
Exmouth is in Exmouth and Exeter East constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Exmouth).
51,316 votes for candidates · majority 121
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 51,316 votes from 79,983 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 121 of 51,316 votes (0.24%): the 7th-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.
Exmouth’s Band D council tax is £2,577 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
East Devon District Council keeps £176.92 of a Band D bill (7%); the rest goes to the Exmouth parish council, Devon County Council, the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner and the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
East Devon’s Band D bill has risen 59% in ten years, from £1,635.79 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £497.25 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Exmouth, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Devon’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Devon
| East Devon + Devon | Exmouth’s councils | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £503 | £505 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £274 | £309 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £63 | £55 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £27 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £148 | £128 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £58 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £49 | £31 | £26 |
| Public health | £46 | £59 | £78 |
| Running the council | £41 | £67 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,208 | £1,238 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: East Devon per its residents plus Devon 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. Devon 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 Exmouth 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.
eastdevon.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
eastdevon.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Exmouth is run
Which council runs Exmouth?
Exmouth is run by East Devon District Council and Devon County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Exmouth have a town council?
Yes: Exmouth has its own parish-tier council (Exmouth parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £96 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Exmouth?
David Reed (Conservative) is the MP for Exmouth and Exeter East, which covers Exmouth.
How many councillors does Exmouth have?
14 ward councillors represent Exmouth’s 5 wards, and 3 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Exmouth?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Exmouth’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Exmouth?
Band D council tax in Exmouth is £2,577 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls East Devon District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 21 · Independent 19 · Conservative 16 · Green 2 · Labour 2 of 60 seats; a majority needs 31. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Devon County Council?
As elected, Liberal Democrat 27 · Reform UK 18 · Conservative 7 · Green 6 · Independent 2 of 60 seats; a majority needs 31.
Who won the 2023 council election in Exmouth?
In Exmouth’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 7 · Conservative 4 · Green 1 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 of the 14 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 37.9%.
Is Exmouth and Exeter East a marginal seat?
David Reed (Conservative) won it by 121 votes in July 2024, 0.24% of votes cast: the 7th-narrowest result of 543 in England.
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.