Photo: Chris Gunns · CC BY-SA 2.0Havant was decided by 92 votes in 2024
Stoke is run by Havant Borough Council and Hampshire County Council. No party holds a majority on either Havant Borough Council or Hampshire County Council. Its MP is Alan Mak (Conservative), member for Havant.
£2,320
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Stoke’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Havant Borough Council
No party holds a majority on Havant Borough Council. The Conservatives, the largest group, hold 9 of its 37 seats as elected, 10 short of the 19 needed. Reform UK holds 9, Labour 8, the Liberal Democrats 6 and the Greens 5. 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 Stoke’s wards, the Greens took 36.6%, Reform UK took 33.4% and the Conservatives took 30.1% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Greens had 8.2%. How Stoke has voted ↓
A close seat
Alan Mak (Conservative) won Havant by 92 votes in July 2024, 0.22% of votes cast: the 6th-narrowest result of 543 in England. Parliament ↓
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 19 of Havant’s 37 or 40 of Hampshire’s 78 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative9
- Reform UK9
- Labour8
- Liberal Democrat6
- Green5
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, no parish tier
Stoke has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
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.
All of Stoke 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 Stoke, from the most recent elections.
- 1Havant Borough Council1 ward · 3 councillorsJonathan David HullsPaul GrayWilf Forrow
- 2Hampshire County Council1 division · 1 councillorMichael Rennie
- 3Police and crime commissionerHampshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Donna Jones
- 4House of CommonsHavant
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.
3 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.
- Jonathan David HullsGreen · May 2026
- Paul GrayLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Wilf ForrowLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table, with Hampshire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayling West15% in Stoke · 1,267 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Jonathan David HullsPaul GrayWilf Forrow | May 2026, May 2024 |
Hampshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayling Island ED7% in Stoke · 1,267 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Michael Rennie | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Havant 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 led each vote to 2024; the Greens led in 2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Stoke’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 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 8.2% | 36.6% |
| Liberal Democrat | 64.7% | 0% |
| Conservative | 27.1% | 30.1% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 33.4% |
In 2026, the Greens won 1 of the 1 seats up in Stoke’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.
Havant council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Stoke, 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. Havant elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.
No election is scheduled yet for Stoke’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,454 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Stoke is in Havant constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Stoke).
42,186 votes for candidates · majority 92
Conservative, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 42,186 votes from 72,323 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 92 of 42,186 votes (0.22%): the 6th-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.
Stoke’s Band D council tax is £2,320 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Havant Borough Council keeps £246.87 of a Band D bill (11%); the rest goes to Hampshire County Council, the Hampshire police and crime commissioner and the Hampshire and IOW Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Havant’s Band D bill has risen 55% in ten years, from £1,495.12 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £518.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Havant, 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
| Havant + Hampshire | Stoke’s councils | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £486 | £478 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £258 | £272 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £42 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £61 | £37 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £143 | £121 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £12 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £32 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £62 | £78 |
| Running the council | £37 | £58 | £59 |
| Other | £-2 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,119 | £1,146 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Havant 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 Stoke 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.
havant.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
havant.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Stoke is run
Which council runs Stoke?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Stoke have a town council?
No. Stoke is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Stoke?
Alan Mak (Conservative) is the MP for Havant, which covers Stoke.
How many councillors does Stoke have?
3 ward councillors represent Stoke’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Stoke?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Stoke’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Stoke?
Band D council tax in Stoke is £2,320 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Havant Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 9 · Reform UK 9 · Labour 8 · Liberal Democrat 6 · Green 5 of 37 seats; a majority needs 19. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Hampshire County Council?
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 Stoke?
In Stoke’s wards on 7 May 2026, Green 1 of the 1 seats up. The Greens had the largest share of votes, 36.6%.
Is Havant a marginal seat?
Alan Mak (Conservative) won it by 92 votes in July 2024, 0.22% of votes cast: the 6th-narrowest result of 543 in England.
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.