Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0The Conservatives hold a majority on Torbay Council
Torquay is run by Torbay Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Torbay Council. Its MP is Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat), member for Torbay.
£2,457
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Torquay’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Torbay Council
The Conservatives hold a majority on Torbay Council: 19 of its 36 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 15, independents 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Torquay is £2,457 for 2026–27; Torbay Council keeps 83% 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 holds the seats
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 19 of Torbay’s 36 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative19
- Liberal Democrat15
- Independent2
Latest election: May 2023.
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 Torquay
One council runs every main service here.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas.
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
All of Torquay 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 Torquay, from the most recent elections.
- 1Torbay Council5 wards · 13 councillorsLiberal Democrat 11 · Conservative 3 · all 14
- 2Police and crime commissionerDevon & Cornwall Police · elected May 2024Alison Hernandez
- 3House of CommonsTorbay
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.
13 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.
- Mandy DarlingLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Nick PentneyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Cordelia Louise LawLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- George Andrew DarlingLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Kelly Louise Stephanie HarveyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Ras VirdeeLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Steve DarlingLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Mike FoxLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Swithin LongLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Jermaine Atiya-AllaLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Yannis Matthew NicolaouLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Hazel Margaret FosterConservative · June 2024 · by-election
- Nick ByeConservative · May 2023
- Patrick Antony JoyceConservative · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tormohunall in Torquay · 12,377 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Mandy DarlingNick PentneyCordelia Louise Law | May 2023 |
| St Marychurchall in Torquay · 12,234 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | George Andrew DarlingKelly Louise Stephanie HarveyRas Virdee | May 2023 |
| Barton with Watcombeall in Torquay · 11,963 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Steve DarlingMike FoxSwithin Long | May 2023 |
| Ellacombeall in Torquay · 8,336 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Jermaine Atiya-AllaYannis Matthew Nicolaou | May 2023 |
| Wellswoodall in Torquay · 7,124 residents2 seats · June 2024, May 2023 | 2 | Hazel Margaret Fosterby-electionNick ByePatrick Antony Joyce | June 2024, May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Torbay 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).
Torbay Council council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Torquay, 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 Torquay’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗6,083 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
8,548 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
6,003 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Every ward’s result (2 more)
2,680 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,193 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.
Torquay is in Torbay constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Torquay).
46,115 votes for candidates · majority 5,349
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 46,115 votes from 76,185 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,349 of 46,115 votes (11.6%): the 223rd-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.
Torquay’s Band D council tax is £2,457 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Torbay Council keeps £2,044.11 of a Band D bill (83%); the rest goes to the Devon & Cornwall police and crime commissioner and the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Torbay’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,569.73 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £536.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Torbay, 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
| Torbay | Torquay’s councils | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £545 | £505 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £408 | £309 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £61 | £55 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £54 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £124 | £128 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £35 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £67 | £31 | £26 |
| Public health | £93 | £59 | £78 |
| Running the council | £139 | £67 | £59 |
| Other | £16 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,541 | £1,238 | £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. 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 Torquay 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.
torbay.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
torbay.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Torquay is run
Does Torquay have a town council?
No. Torquay is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Torquay?
Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for Torbay, which covers Torquay.
How many councillors does Torquay have?
13 ward councillors represent Torquay’s 5 wards.
When are the next elections in Torquay?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Torquay’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Torquay?
Band D council tax in Torquay is £2,457 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Torbay Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 19 of 36 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2023 council election in Torquay?
In Torquay’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 11 · Conservative 2 of the 13 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 49.1%.
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.