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The River Erme in spate, IvybridgePhoto: Ruth Sharville · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall & politics · South Hams District Council

The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on South Hams District Council

Ivybridge is run by South Hams District Council and Devon County Council, with Ivybridge parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on South Hams District Council. No party holds a majority on Devon County Council. Its MP is Rebecca Smith (Conservative), member for South West Devon.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,712

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

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,712
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
4
2 wards · South Hams
MP
Rebecca Smith
Conservative · South West Devon
Turnout, July 2024
67%
South West Devon · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Ivybridge’s politics has changed since 2021

A majority on South Hams District Council

The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on South Hams District Council: 19 of its 31 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 7, the Greens 3, Labour 1 and independents 1. 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 ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Ivybridge is £2,720 for 2026–27; South Hams District Council keeps 7% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 57% 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

Who holds the seats on Ivybridge’s councils

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 16 of South Hams’s 31 or 31 of Devon’s 60 seats to run the council alone.

District council · 31 councillorsSouth Hams District CouncilLiberal Democrat majority
GreenGreenGreenLabourLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratIndependentConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservative31seats
  • Liberal Democrat19
  • Conservative7
  • Green3
  • Independent1
  • Labour1

Latest election: May 2023.

County council · 60 councillors · Ivybridge elects 1Devon County CouncilNo overall control
GreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenLiberal 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 DemocratLiberal DemocratIndependentIndependentConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UK60seats
  • Liberal Democrat27+18
  • Reform UK18+18
  • Conservative7−32
  • Green6+4
  • Independent2−1
  • Labour0−7

Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 election.

GreenLabourLiberal DemocratIndependentConservativeReform UK

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 Ivybridge

Two tiers of council, and a parish tier

Ivybridge has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.

Town or parish councilIvybridge 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.

95% of Ivybridge’s residents · Band D precept £213

Parish council (part of the town)Ugborough parish council

The parish council for the part of Ivybridge inside Ugborough parish.

Who runs Ivybridge: same source as Who runs Ivybridge, above.

District councilSouth Hams District Council

Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.

Website ↗
County councilDevon County Council

Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.

Website ↗
Combined authorityDevon and Torbay

Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas.

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingSouth Hams District Council
Planning applicationsSouth Hams District Council
Council housing and homelessnessSouth Hams District Council
Council tax billsSouth Hams District Council
Parks and leisure centresSouth Hams District Council
Allotments, play areas, benchesIvybridge parish council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsDevon County Council
Schools and school placesDevon County Council
Adult and children’s social careDevon County Council
LibrariesDevon County Council
Tips and recycling centresDevon County Council
Bus and transport plansDevon and Torbay combined authority
Police priorities and budgetDevon & Cornwall Police police and crime commissioner
Fire safety visitsDevon & Somerset Fire and Rescue

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.

Who represents Ivybridge

From the parish to Westminster

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

  1. 1
    Town or parish2 parish councils
    Ivybridge parish councilUgborough parish council
  2. 2
    South Hams District Council2 wards · 4 councillors
    Nadine DommettPablo MunozVictor James AbbottMatt Steele
  3. 3
    Devon County Council1 division · 1 councillor
    Victor James Abbott
  4. 4
    Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024
    Alison Hernandez
  5. 5
    House of CommonsSouth West Devon
ConservativeLiberal Democrat

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

4 councillors for 2 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.

Ivybridge EastIvybridge West
Each dot is a group of postcodes, shaded by the party that won its ward’s latest election. Tap a ward for its councillors.
Ivybridge West
6,432 residents
  • Nadine DommettLiberal Democrat · May 2023
  • Pablo MunozLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Ivybridge East
6,053 residents
  • Victor James AbbottLiberal Democrat · May 2023
  • Matt SteeleLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Liberal Democrat
Show as a table, with Devon County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Ivybridge Westall in Ivybridge · 6,432 residents2 seats · May 20232
Nadine DommettPablo Munoz
May 2023
Ivybridge Eastall in Ivybridge · 6,053 residents2 seats · May 20232
Victor James AbbottMatt Steele
May 2023

Devon County Council: county divisions

DivisionSeatsElectedWhen
Ivybridge EDall in Ivybridge · 12,485 residents1 seat · May 20251
Victor James Abbott
May 2025

Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. South Hams 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).

Local elections

South Hams council election, May 2023

Results in the wards that make up Ivybridge, 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 Ivybridge’s wards4 seats · 4 May 2023
Liberal Democrat4

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

Next elections

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

Who can I vote for? ↗
Ivybridge West4 May 2023
Nadine Dommett ElectedLiberal Democrat30.1%
Pablo Munoz ElectedLiberal Democrat27.6%
Lance Peter AustenConservative14.9%
Stanley MurphyConservative10.4%
Nick Hart-WilliamsGreen6.3%
Alastair William HendersonGreen5.6%
Tony ReaTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition5.1%

2,931 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

Ivybridge East4 May 2023
Victor James Abbott ElectedLiberal Democrat29.0%
Matt Steele ElectedLiberal Democrat22.9%
Karen Ann PringleConservative15.8%
Helen Margaret Louise MillmanConservative13.1%
Dave TriggerLabour8.4%
Alice Hilary JonesGreen7.0%
Richard Michael HoylandGreen3.8%

2,606 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratGreenOther parties

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

Parliament

Ivybridge is in South West Devon constituency

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

South West Devon · general election4 July 2024
Rebecca Smith ElectedConservative34.3%
Sarah AllenLabour30.3%
Stephen HornerReform UK17.9%
Julian BrazilLiberal Democrat10.6%
Lauren McLayGreen5.6%
Alan SpencerIndependent0.8%
Ben DavyTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition0.3%
Darryl IngramHeritage Party0.2%

52,242 votes for candidates · majority 2,112

MP for South West Devon

Rebecca Smith

Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.

67%

turnout in July 2024: 52,242 votes from 77,600 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 2,112 of 52,242 votes (4%): the 79th-narrowest of 543 in England.

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

Ivybridge’s Band D council tax is £2,720 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 Ivybridge
Ivybridge parish councilparish precept£213.49
South Hams District Councildistrict council£202.54
Devon County Councilcounty council£1,891.17
Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£303.20
Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authorityfire and rescue£109.68
A year£2,720.08
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

South Hams District Council keeps £202.54 of a Band D bill (7%); the rest goes to the Ivybridge parish council, Devon County Council, the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner and the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.

Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,712 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).

Band D since 1993

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K£3K1995200020052010201520202025England, 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: £2,391.52South Hams, 1993–94: £492.75South Hams, 1994–95: £545.63South Hams, 1995–96: £574.88South Hams, 1996–97: £585.89South Hams, 1997–98: £622.35South Hams, 1998–99: £722.01South Hams, 1999–00: £777.30South Hams, 2000–01: £820.35South Hams, 2001–02: £875.60South Hams, 2002–03: £960.88South Hams, 2003–04: £1,139.26South Hams, 2004–05: £1,207.12South Hams, 2005–06: £1,255.43South Hams, 2006–07: £1,317.15South Hams, 2007–08: £1,379.30South Hams, 2008–09: £1,440.18South Hams, 2009–10: £1,481.47South Hams, 2010–11: £1,518.06South Hams, 2011–12: £1,519.60South Hams, 2012–13: £1,529.50South Hams, 2013–14: £1,540.97South Hams, 2014–15: £1,571.09South Hams, 2015–16: £1,600.52South Hams, 2016–17: £1,660.73South Hams, 2017–18: £1,737.25South Hams, 2018–19: £1,821.93South Hams, 2019–20: £1,913.04South Hams, 2020–21: £1,990.82South Hams, 2021–22: £2,090.55South Hams, 2022–23: £2,155.30South Hams, 2023–24: £2,261.19South Hams, 2024–25: £2,372.19South Hams, 2025–26: £2,491.75South Hams, 2026–27: £2,615.22South Hams £2,615England £2,392

South Hams’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,660.73 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £492.75 in 1993–94.

Your bill by band

Band A 6/9£1,813
Band B 7/9£2,116
Band C 8/9£2,418
Band D 9/9£2,720
Band E 11/9£3,325
Band F 13/9£3,929
Band G 15/9£4,533
Band H 18/9£5,440

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

Devon’s councils

Plymouth£2,442
Torbay£2,470
Exeter£2,495
East Devon£2,595
Torridge£2,601
South Hams£2,615
North Devon£2,642
Teignbridge£2,643
Mid Devon£2,656
West Devon£2,705

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceSouth Hams + Devonvs England
Adult social care£503+£16
Children’s social care£274−£16
Roads and transport£59+£18
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£24−£37
Bins, street cleaning, environment£162+£43
Libraries, leisure, culture£25−£19
Planning and development£53+£27
Public health£46−£32
Running the council£53−£6
Other£0−£19
Ivybridge’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with Devon
South Hams + DevonIvybridge’s councilsDevonEngland
Adult social care£503£505£487
Children’s social care£274£309£290
Roads and transport£59£55£41
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£24£37£61
Bins, street cleaning, environment£162£128£119
Libraries, leisure, culture£25£47£44
Planning and development£53£31£26
Public health£46£59£78
Running the council£53£67£59
Other£0£2£19
Total, schools apart£1,198£1,238£1,234

Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: South Hams 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.

Get involved

Having a say in how Ivybridge 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.

southhams.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

southhams.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Ivybridge is run

Which council runs Ivybridge?

Ivybridge is run by South Hams District Council and Devon County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.

Does Ivybridge have a town council?

Yes: Ivybridge has its own parish-tier council (Ivybridge parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £213 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.

Who is the MP for Ivybridge?

Rebecca Smith (Conservative) is the MP for South West Devon, which covers Ivybridge.

How many councillors does Ivybridge have?

4 ward councillors represent Ivybridge’s 2 wards, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.

When are the next elections in Ivybridge?

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

How much is council tax in Ivybridge?

Band D council tax in Ivybridge is £2,712 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).

Who controls South Hams District Council?

The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 19 of 31 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.

Who controls Devon County Council?

No party has a majority. 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 Ivybridge?

In Ivybridge’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 4 of the 4 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 55%.

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.