Photo: Peter Trimming · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Eastleigh Borough Council
Botley is run by Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, with Botley parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Eastleigh Borough Council. No party holds a majority on Hampshire County Council. Its MP is Paul Holmes (Conservative), member for Hamble Valley.
£2,354
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Botley’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Eastleigh Borough Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Eastleigh Borough Council: 34 of its 38 seats as elected. Independents hold 3, the Conservatives 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Hampshire changed hands in 2026
Hampshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (54 of 78 seats in 2021) to no overall control at the May 2026 election: the Conservatives won 27 of 78 seats. Hampshire ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Botley’s wards, the Liberal Democrats took 46.4%, Reform UK took 25.4% and the Conservatives took 18.5% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Liberal Democrats had 63.1%. How Botley has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Botley is £2,354 for 2026–27; Eastleigh Borough Council keeps 6% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 57% 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.
Who holds the seats on Botley’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 20 of Eastleigh’s 38 or 40 of Hampshire’s 78 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat34
- Independent3
- Conservative1
Latest election: May 2026.
- Conservative27−27
- Liberal Democrat26+8
- Reform UK20+20
- Community Campaign (Hart)1+1
- Green1no change
- Independent1no change
- Labour1−2
- Whitehill & Bordon Community Party1no change
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 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
Botley 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 Botley’s residents · Band D precept £149
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 Botley, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierBotley parish council
- 2Eastleigh Borough Council1 ward · 2 councillorsRupert Gregory Miles KyrleDavid Geoffrey Ian Kinloch
- 3Hampshire County Council1 division · 1 councillorRupert Gregory Miles Kyrle
- 4Police and crime commissionerHampshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Donna Jones
- 5House of CommonsHamble Valley
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.
2 councillors for 1 ward
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.
- Rupert Gregory Miles KyrleLiberal Democrat · May 2026
- David Geoffrey Ian KinlochLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table, with Hampshire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botleymostly in Botley · 5,900 residents2 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 2 | Rupert Gregory Miles KyrleDavid Geoffrey Ian Kinloch | May 2026, May 2024 |
Hampshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botley & Hedge End North ED34% in Botley · 5,900 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Rupert Gregory Miles Kyrle | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Eastleigh 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).
The Liberal Democrats have led every council vote since 2021
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Botley’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 | 2022 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 0% | 10.5% | 9.6% |
| Labour | 8.3% | 9.7% | 0% | 0% |
| Liberal Democrat | 48.7% | 59.4% | 63.1% | 46.4% |
| Conservative | 42.9% | 30.9% | 26.4% | 18.5% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 0% | 25.4% |
In 2026, the Liberal Democrats won 1 of the 1 seats up in Botley’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.
Eastleigh council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Botley, 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. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Botley’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,967 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Botley is in Hamble Valley constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Botley).
54,004 votes for candidates · majority 4,802
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 54,004 votes from 79,478 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,802 of 54,004 votes (8.9%): the 164th-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.
Botley’s Band D council tax is £2,354 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Eastleigh Borough Council keeps £131.71 of a Band D bill (6%); the rest goes to the Botley parish council, Hampshire County Council, the Hampshire police and crime commissioner and the Hampshire and IOW Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Eastleigh’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,495.77 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £490.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Botley, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Hampshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included; the 11 nearest of 13. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Hampshire
| Eastleigh + Hampshire | Botley’s councils | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £486 | £478 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £258 | £272 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £53 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £-19 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £83 | £121 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £13 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £15 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £62 | £78 |
| Running the council | £116 | £58 | £59 |
| Other | £-2 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,053 | £1,146 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Eastleigh per its residents plus Hampshire 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. Hampshire 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 Botley 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.
eastleigh.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
eastleigh.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Botley is run
Which council runs Botley?
Botley is run by Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Botley have a town council?
Yes: Botley has its own parish-tier council (Botley parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £149 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Botley?
Paul Holmes (Conservative) is the MP for Hamble Valley, which covers Botley.
How many councillors does Botley have?
2 ward councillors represent Botley’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Botley?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Botley’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Botley?
Band D council tax in Botley is £2,354 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Eastleigh Borough Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 34 of 38 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Hampshire County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 27 · Liberal Democrat 26 · Reform UK 20 · Green 1 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 · Community Campaign (Hart) 1 · Whitehill & Bordon Community Party 1 of 78 seats; a majority needs 40.
Who won the 2026 council election in Botley?
In Botley’s wards on 7 May 2026, Liberal Democrat 1 of the 1 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 46.4%.
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.