Photo: Air1jwilkins1212 · CC BY-SA 3.0No party holds a majority on Stroud District Council
Stroud is run by Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council, with Stroud parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on either Stroud District Council or Gloucestershire County Council. Its MP is Dr Simon Opher (Labour), member for Stroud.
£2,566
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Stroud’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Stroud District Council
No party holds a majority on Stroud District Council. The Greens, the largest group, hold 24 of its 59 seats as elected, 6 short of the 30 needed. Labour holds 22, the Conservatives 8 and the Liberal Democrats 2. 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 2024 vote
Across Stroud’s wards, Labour took 42.6%, the Greens took 34.7% and the Conservatives took 13.1% of votes in May 2024. In 2021, Labour had 40.4%. How Stroud has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Stroud is £2,636 for 2026–27; Stroud District Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 55% 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 30 of Stroud’s 59 or 28 of Gloucestershire’s 55 seats to run the council alone.
- Green24
- Labour22
- Conservative8
- Liberal Democrat2
Latest election: May 2024.
- 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
Stroud 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.
52% of Stroud’s residents · Band D precept £282
The parish council for the part of Stroud inside Cainscross parish.
Who runs Stroud: same source as Who runs Stroud, above.
The parish council for the part of Stroud inside Rodborough parish.
Who runs Stroud: same source as Who runs Stroud, above.
The parish council for the part of Stroud inside Randwick and Westrip parish.
Who runs Stroud: same source as Who runs Stroud, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
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 Stroud, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish4 parish councilsStroud parish councilCainscross parish councilRodborough parish councilRandwick and Westrip parish council
- 2Stroud District Council8 wards · 11 councillorsLabour 8 · Green 4 · all 12
- 3Gloucestershire County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsNatalie Rothwell-WarnCraig Alan Horrocks
- 4Police and crime commissionerGloucestershire Constabulary · elected May 2024Chris Nelson
- 5House of CommonsStroud
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.
11 councillors for 8 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.
- Elizabeth Ross StanleyLabour · May 2024
- Dave MathewsLabour · May 2024
- Fraser DahdouhLabour · May 2024
- John BloxsomLabour · October 2026 · by-election
- Nigel Andrew PrenterLabour · May 2024
- Katy HofmannLabour · May 2024
- Shyama AnanthanLabour · May 2024
- Natalie Rothwell-WarnGreen · May 2024
- Martin Joseph BaxendaleGreen · May 2024
- Lucas SchoemakerGreen · May 2024
- Cate James-HodgesGreen · May 2025 · by-election
- Cath MooreLabour · May 2024
Show as a table, with Gloucestershire County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cainscrossall in Stroud · 7,829 residents3 seats · May 2024 | 3 | Elizabeth Ross StanleyDave MathewsFraser Dahdouh | May 2024 |
| Rodboroughmostly in Stroud · 4,101 residents2 seats · October 2026, May 2024 | 2 | John Bloxsomby-electionNigel Andrew PrenterKaty Hofmann | October 2026, May 2024 |
| Stroud Farmhill and Paganhillall in Stroud · 2,481 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Shyama Ananthan | May 2024 |
| Stroud Sladeall in Stroud · 2,395 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Natalie Rothwell-Warn | May 2024 |
| Stroud Valleyall in Stroud · 2,223 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Martin Joseph Baxendale | May 2024 |
| Stroud Trinityall in Stroud · 2,179 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Lucas Schoemaker | May 2024 |
| Stroud Centralall in Stroud · 2,127 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Cate James-Hodgesby-election | May 2025 |
| Stroud Uplandsall in Stroud · 2,068 residents1 seat · May 2024 | 1 | Cath Moore | May 2024 |
Gloucestershire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud Central EDall in Stroud · 13,473 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Natalie Rothwell-Warn | May 2025 |
| Rodborough EDmostly in Stroud · 12,232 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Craig Alan Horrocks | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Stroud 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).
Labour has led every council vote since 2021
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Stroud’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 | 2021 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 29% | 34.7% |
| Labour | 40.4% | 42.6% |
| Independent | 2.8% | 7.5% |
| Conservative | 26.7% | 13.1% |
In 2024, Labour won 8 and the Greens won 3 of the 11 seats up in Stroud’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.
Stroud council election, May 2024
Results in the wards that make up Stroud, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
8 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Stroud’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗5,702 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,337 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
802 votes for candidates
Every ward’s result (5 more)
720 votes for candidates
901 votes for candidates
806 votes for candidates
804 votes for candidates
648 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Stroud is in Stroud constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Stroud).
55,221 votes for candidates · majority 11,388
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 55,221 votes from 77,905 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,388 of 55,221 votes (20.6%): wider than in 68% of England’s 543 constituencies.
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.
Stroud’s Band D council tax is £2,636 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Stroud District Council keeps £250.35 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Stroud parish council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Gloucestershire police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,566 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Stroud’s Band D bill has risen 55% in ten years, from £1,609.54 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £580.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Stroud, 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
| Stroud + Gloucestershire | Stroud’s councils | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £404 | £404 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £294 | £294 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £92 | £82 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £24 | £31 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £145 | £142 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £34 | £34 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £45 | £26 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £50 | £78 |
| Running the council | £53 | £57 | £59 |
| Other | £3 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,194 | £1,170 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Stroud 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 Stroud 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.
stroud.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
stroud.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Stroud is run
Which council runs Stroud?
Stroud is run by Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Stroud have a town council?
Yes: Stroud has its own parish-tier council (Stroud parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £282 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Stroud?
Dr Simon Opher (Labour) is the MP for Stroud, which covers Stroud.
How many councillors does Stroud have?
11 ward councillors represent Stroud’s 8 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Stroud?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Stroud’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Stroud?
Band D council tax in Stroud is £2,566 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Stroud District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Green 24 · Labour 22 · Conservative 8 · Liberal Democrat 2 of 59 seats; a majority needs 30. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Gloucestershire County Council?
As elected, Liberal Democrat 27 · Reform UK 11 · Green 9 · Conservative 6 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 of 55 seats; a majority needs 28.
Who won the 2024 council election in Stroud?
In Stroud’s wards on 2 May 2024, Labour 8 · Green 3 of the 11 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 42.6%.
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.