Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council
Prestbury is run by Cheltenham Borough Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council, with Prestbury parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council. No party holds a majority on either Tewkesbury Borough Council or Gloucestershire County Council. Its MP is Cameron Thomas (Independent), member for Tewkesbury.
£2,378
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Prestbury’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Cheltenham Borough Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council: 36 of its 45 seats as elected. The Greens hold 3, Reform UK 1 and People Against Bureaucracy Group 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Gloucestershire in 2025
Gloucestershire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has no overall control at the May 2025 election: the Liberal Democrats won 27 of 55 seats. Gloucestershire ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Prestbury’s wards, the Greens took 41.2%, Reform UK took 25.8% and the Conservatives took 17.9% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Greens had 38.6%. How Prestbury has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Prestbury is £2,393 for 2026–27; Cheltenham Borough Council keeps 11% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 54% 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 Prestbury’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 23 of Cheltenham’s 45 or 20 of Tewkesbury’s 38 or 28 of Gloucestershire’s 55 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat36
- Green3
- People Against Bureaucracy Group1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2026.
- Liberal Democrat16
- Conservative8
- Independent7
- Green4
- Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents2
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Liberal Democrat27
- Reform UK11
- Green9
- Conservative6
- Independent1
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2025.
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
Prestbury 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.
86% of Prestbury’s residents · Band D precept £37
The parish council for the part of Prestbury inside Southam parish.
Who runs Prestbury: same source as Who runs Prestbury, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
86% of Prestbury’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Prestbury: same source as Who runs Prestbury, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗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 Prestbury, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsPrestbury parish councilSoutham parish council
- 2Council wards2 wards · 4 councillorsJan FosterStan SmithNigel David AdcockLorraine Cheryl Agg
- 3Gloucestershire County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsIan CameronLorraine Cheryl Agg
- 4Police and crime commissionerGloucestershire Constabulary · elected May 2024Chris Nelson
- 5House of CommonsTewkesbury
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.
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.
- Jan FosterGreen · May 2026
- Stan SmithPeople Against Bureaucracy Group · May 2024
- Nigel David AdcockLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Lorraine Cheryl AggLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table, with Gloucestershire County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| PrestburyCheltenham · mostly in Prestbury · 3,488 residents2 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 2 | Jan FosterStan Smith | May 2026, May 2024 |
| Cleeve HillTewkesbury · 11% in Prestbury · 590 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Nigel David AdcockLorraine Cheryl Agg | May 2023 |
Gloucestershire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prestbury & Swindon Village ED33% in Prestbury · 3,488 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Ian Cameron | May 2025 |
| Winchcombe & Woodmancote ED4% in Prestbury · 590 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Lorraine Cheryl Agg | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Cheltenham 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).
Who led each council vote, 2023–2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Prestbury’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.
Seats won at each election
Show as a table
| Party | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 38.6% | 41.2% |
| Liberal Democrat | 55.3% | 11.6% | 15.1% |
| Conservative | 44.7% | 24% | 17.9% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 25.8% |
| People Against Bureaucracy Group | 0% | 25.8% | 0% |
In 2026, the Greens won 1 of the 1 seats up in Prestbury’s wards.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.
Cheltenham council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Prestbury, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Cheltenham elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.
No election is scheduled yet for Prestbury’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,408 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Prestbury is in Tewkesbury constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Prestbury).
48,539 votes for candidates · majority 6,262
Independent, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 48,539 votes from 73,458 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,262 of 48,539 votes (12.9%): the 252nd-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.
Prestbury’s Band D council tax is £2,393 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Cheltenham Borough Council keeps £252.11 of a Band D bill (11%); the rest goes to the Prestbury parish council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Gloucestershire police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,378 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Cheltenham’s Band D bill has risen 54% in ten years, from £1,541.24 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £534.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Prestbury, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Gloucestershire’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 Gloucestershire
| Cheltenham + Gloucestershire | Prestbury’s councils | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £404 | £404 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £294 | £294 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £69 | £82 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £20 | £31 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £135 | £142 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £52 | £34 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £23 | £26 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £50 | £78 |
| Running the council | £74 | £57 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,171 | £1,170 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Cheltenham per its residents plus Gloucestershire 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. Gloucestershire 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 Prestbury 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.
cheltenham.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
cheltenham.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Prestbury is run
Which council runs Prestbury?
Prestbury is run by Cheltenham Borough Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Prestbury have a town council?
Yes: Prestbury has its own parish-tier council (Prestbury parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £37 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Prestbury?
Cameron Thomas (Independent) is the MP for Tewkesbury, which covers Prestbury.
How many councillors does Prestbury have?
4 ward councillors represent Prestbury’s 2 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Prestbury?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Prestbury’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Prestbury?
Band D council tax in Prestbury is £2,378 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Cheltenham Borough Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 36 of 45 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Tewkesbury Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 16 · Conservative 8 · Independent 7 · Green 4 · Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents 2 · Reform UK 1 of 38 seats; a majority needs 20.
Who won the 2026 council election in Prestbury?
In Prestbury’s wards on 7 May 2026, Green 1 of the 1 seats up. The Greens had the largest share of votes, 41.2%.
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.