Photo: Chris Andrews · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on West Devon Borough Council
Tavistock is run by West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council, with Tavistock parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on either West Devon Borough Council or Devon County Council. Its MP is Sir Geoffrey Cox (Conservative), member for Torridge and Tavistock.
£2,842
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Tavistock’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on West Devon Borough Council
No party holds a majority on West Devon Borough Council. Independents, the largest group, hold 10 of its 30 seats as elected, 6 short of the 16 needed. The Conservatives hold 10, the Liberal Democrats 6, the Greens 3 and Labour 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 Tavistock is £2,842 for 2026–27; West Devon Borough Council keeps 10% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 56% in ten years, in line with 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 16 of West Devon’s 30 or 31 of Devon’s 60 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative10
- Independent10
- Liberal Democrat6
- Green3
- Labour1
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
Tavistock 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 Tavistock’s residents · Band D precept £261
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 Tavistock, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierTavistock parish council
- 2West Devon Borough Council3 wards · 7 councillorsGraham ReedHolly Greenberry-PullenUrsula Forhan MannAdam Duncan BridgewaterDebo SellisAnne JohnsonMandy Victoria Louise Ewings
- 3Devon County Council1 division · 1 councillorDebo Sellis
- 4Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024Alison Hernandez
- 5House of CommonsTorridge and Tavistock
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.
7 councillors for 3 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.
- Graham ReedLiberal Democrat · May 2025 · by-election
- Holly Greenberry-PullenLiberal Democrat · May 2024 · by-election
- Ursula Forhan MannIndependent · June 2023 · by-election
- Adam Duncan BridgewaterIndependent · May 2023
- Debo SellisConservative · May 2023
- Anne JohnsonIndependent · May 2023
- Mandy Victoria Louise EwingsIndependent · May 2023
Show as a table, with Devon County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tavistock Northall in Tavistock · 5,486 residents3 seats · May 2025, May 2024, June 2023 | 3 | Graham Reedby-electionHolly Greenberry-Pullenby-electionUrsula Forhan Mannby-election | May 2025, May 2024, June 2023 |
| Tavistock South Eastall in Tavistock · 3,895 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Adam Duncan BridgewaterDebo Sellis | May 2023 |
| Tavistock South Westall in Tavistock · 3,295 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Anne JohnsonMandy Victoria Louise Ewings | May 2023 |
Devon County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tavistock EDall in Tavistock · 12,676 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Debo Sellis | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. West Devon 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).
West Devon council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Tavistock, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
3 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Tavistock’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,662 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
2,188 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,549 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.
Tavistock is in Torridge and Tavistock constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Tavistock).
50,820 votes for candidates · majority 3,950
Conservative, MP since 5 May 2005.
turnout in July 2024: 50,820 votes from 74,727 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 3,950 of 50,820 votes (7.8%): the 148th-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.
Tavistock’s Band D council tax is £2,842 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
West Devon Borough Council keeps £277.46 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to the Tavistock parish council, Devon County Council, the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner and the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
West Devon’s Band D bill has risen 56% in ten years, from £1,736.13 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £537.75 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Tavistock, 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
| West Devon + Devon | Tavistock’s councils | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £503 | £505 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £274 | £309 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £82 | £55 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £30 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £156 | £128 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £35 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £66 | £31 | £26 |
| Public health | £46 | £59 | £78 |
| Running the council | £63 | £67 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,255 | £1,238 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: West 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 Tavistock 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.
westdevon.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
westdevon.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Tavistock is run
Which council runs Tavistock?
Tavistock is run by West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Tavistock have a town council?
Yes: Tavistock has its own parish-tier council (Tavistock parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £261 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Tavistock?
Sir Geoffrey Cox (Conservative) is the MP for Torridge and Tavistock, which covers Tavistock.
How many councillors does Tavistock have?
7 ward councillors represent Tavistock’s 3 wards, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Tavistock?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Tavistock’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Tavistock?
Band D council tax in Tavistock is £2,842 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls West Devon Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Independent 10 · Conservative 10 · Liberal Democrat 6 · Green 3 · Labour 1 of 30 seats; a majority needs 16. 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 Tavistock?
In Tavistock’s wards on 4 May 2023, Independent 4 · Green 1 · Liberal Democrat 1 · Conservative 1 of the 7 seats up. Independents had the largest share of votes, 45%.
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.