Photo: David Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Medway Council
Chatham is run by Medway Council and Kent County Council. Labour has a majority on Medway Council. Reform UK has a majority on Kent County Council. Chatham is split between 3 parliamentary constituencies.
£2,332
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Chatham’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Medway Council
Labour holds a majority on Medway Council: 31 of its 59 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 21, independents 4 and Reform UK 3. Who’s in charge ↓
Kent in 2025
Kent County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 56 of 82 seats. Kent ↓
The 2024 vote
Across Chatham’s wards, independents took 32.5%, the Greens took 25.6% and the Conservatives took 25.1% of votes in May 2024. In 2023, independents had 0%. How Chatham has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Chatham is £2,319 for 2026–27; Medway Council keeps 83% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 59% 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 Chatham’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 30 of Medway’s 59 or 42 of Kent’s 82 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour31
- Conservative21
- Independent4
- Reform UK3
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK56
- Liberal Democrat12
- Conservative6
- Green6
- Labour2
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
Chatham has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
The parish council for the part of Chatham inside Aylesford parish.
4% of Chatham’s residents · Band D precept £71
The parish council for the part of Chatham inside Boxley parish.
Who runs Chatham: same source as Who runs Chatham, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
93% of Chatham’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Chatham: same source as Who runs Chatham, above.
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Chatham: same source as Who runs Chatham, 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.
93% of Chatham’s residents live outside any parish, with no parish council.
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 Chatham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsAylesford parish councilBoxley parish council
- 2Council wards9 wards · 19 councillorsLabour 10 · Conservative 7 · Green 1 · Independent 1 · all 19
- 3Kent County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsAndrew Malcolm KennedySpencer Anthony Dixon
- 4Police and crime commissionerKent Police · elected May 2024Matthew Scott
- 5House of CommonsSplit between 3 constituencies
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.
19 councillors for 9 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.
- David BrakeConservative · May 2023
- David WildeyConservative · May 2023
- Adrian GulvinConservative · May 2023
- Vince MapleLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Nina GurungLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Damola AnimashaunLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Simon CurryLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Jo Howcroft-ScottLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Esther Mary CookLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Eddie PeakeLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Smitha CampbellLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Harinder MahilLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Gareth MytonLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Robbie LammasConservative · May 2023
- Alex HyneConservative · May 2023
- Trevor ClarkeConservative · May 2023
- Des KeersConservative · May 2023
- Vanessa Ann JonesIndependent · May 2024
- Stephen Roy ThompsonGreen · May 2024
Show as a table, with Kent County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lordswood & WaldersladeMedway · all in Chatham · 14,902 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | David BrakeDavid WildeyAdrian Gulvin | May 2023 |
| Chatham Central & BromptonMedway · mostly in Chatham · 13,870 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Vince MapleNina GurungDamola Animashaun | May 2023 |
| LutonMedway · all in Chatham · 10,408 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Simon CurryJo Howcroft-Scott | May 2023 |
| Wayfield & Weeds WoodMedway · all in Chatham · 10,092 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Esther Mary CookEddie Peake | May 2023 |
| Fort PittMedway · mostly in Chatham · 8,971 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Smitha CampbellHarinder MahilGareth Myton | May 2023 |
| Princes ParkMedway · all in Chatham · 8,477 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Robbie LammasAlex Hyne | May 2023 |
| Fort HorstedMedway · all in Chatham · 4,625 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Trevor Clarke | May 2023 |
| WaldersladeTonbridge and Malling · all in Chatham · 3,039 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Des Keers | May 2023 |
| Boxley DownsMaidstone · 34% in Chatham · 2,572 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Vanessa Ann JonesStephen Roy Thompson | May 2024 |
Kent County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malling North East ED15% in Chatham · 3,039 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Andrew Malcolm Kennedy | May 2025 |
| Maidstone Rural North ED34% in Chatham · 2,572 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Spencer Anthony Dixon | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Medway 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 led each vote to 2023; independents led in 2024
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Chatham’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 4.9% | 25.6% |
| Labour | 46.6% | 8.8% |
| Independent | 0% | 32.5% |
| Conservative | 43.6% | 25.1% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 7.9% |
In 2024, the Greens won 1 and independents won 1 of the 2 seats up in Chatham’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.
Maidstone council election, May 2024
Results in the wards that make up Chatham, 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 Chatham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,158 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.
Chatham is split between 3 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
93% of Chatham’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 54% (England 60%).
Majority 1,998 of 40,845 votes (4.9%): the 96th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
4% of Chatham’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 57% (England 60%).
Majority 2,930 of 42,598 votes (6.9%): the 129th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Conservative, MP since 7 May 2015
3% of Chatham’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 63% (England 60%).
Majority 1,469 of 46,594 votes (3.2%): the 61st-narrowest of 543 in England.
40,845 votes for candidates · majority 1,998
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 40,845 votes from 75,109 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 1,998 of 40,845 votes (4.9%): the 96th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Rochester and Strood
42,598 votes for candidates · majority 2,930
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 42,598 votes from 74,257 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 2,930 of 42,598 votes (6.9%): the 129th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Faversham and Mid Kent
46,594 votes for candidates · majority 1,469
Conservative, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 46,594 votes from 74,301 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 1,469 of 46,594 votes (3.2%): the 61st-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.
Chatham’s Band D council tax is £2,319 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Medway Council keeps £1,934.33 of a Band D bill (83%); the rest goes to the Kent police and crime commissioner and the Kent Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,332 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1998
Medway’s Band D bill has risen 59% in ten years, from £1,463.73 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £635.44 in 1998–99.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Medway, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Kent’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included; the 11 nearest of 13. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Kent
| Medway | Chatham’s councils | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £419 | £492 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £288 | £266 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £23 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £40 | £41 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £130 | £132 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £74 | £49 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £22 | £29 | £26 |
| Public health | £78 | £61 | £78 |
| Running the council | £59 | £74 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £6 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,132 | £1,200 | £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. Kent 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 Chatham 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.
medway.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
medway.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Chatham is run
Which council runs Chatham?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Chatham have a town council?
Parts of it do: Aylesford parish council and Boxley parish council.
Who is the MP for Chatham?
Chatham is split between 3 constituencies: Chatham and Aylesford (Tristan Osborne, Labour), Rochester and Strood (Lauren Edwards, Labour) and Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Chatham have?
19 ward councillors represent Chatham’s 9 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Chatham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Chatham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Chatham?
Band D council tax in Chatham is £2,332 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Medway Council?
Labour has a majority: 31 of 59 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Kent County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 56 of 82 seats as elected.
Who won the 2024 council election in Chatham?
In Chatham’s wards on 2 May 2024, Green 1 · Independent 1 of the 2 seats up. Independents had the largest share of votes, 32.5%.
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.