Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Gravesham Borough Council
Gravesend is run by Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council. Labour has a majority on Gravesham Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Kent County Council. Its MP is Dr Lauren Sullivan (Labour), member for Gravesham.
£2,389
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Gravesend’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Gravesham Borough Council
Labour holds a majority on Gravesham Borough Council: 22 of its 39 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 17. 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 ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Gravesend is £2,389 for 2026–27; Gravesham Borough Council keeps 10% 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.
Who holds the seats on Gravesend’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 20 of Gravesham’s 39 or 42 of Kent’s 82 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour22
- Conservative17
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, no parish tier
Gravesend 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.
98% of Gravesend 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 Gravesend, from the most recent elections.
- 1Gravesham Borough Council9 wards · 20 councillorsLabour 14 · Conservative 6 · all 20
- 2Kent County Council2 divisions · 4 councillorsMatthew Fraser MoatSharon Ann RootsGeorgia Louise FosterGarry Graham Sturley
- 3Police and crime commissionerKent Police · elected May 2024Matthew Scott
- 4House of CommonsGravesham
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.
20 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.
- Gurdip Ram BungarLabour · May 2023
- Lyn MilnerLabour · May 2023
- Jenny WallaceLabour · May 2023
- David Shaun BeattieConservative · May 2023
- Alan Charles MetcalfConservative · May 2023
- Benjamin SizerConservative · May 2023
- Gavin Ross LarkinsLabour · May 2023
- Tony RanaLabour · May 2023
- Ektaveen Simran Kaur ThandiLabour · May 2023
- Daniel Adewale KingLabour · May 2023
- Rajinder Singh AtwalLabour · May 2023
- Karina O'MalleyLabour · May 2023
- Lenny RollesLabour · May 2023
- Deborah CroxtonLabour · May 2023
- Lee Kevin CroxtonLabour · May 2023
- Emma Louise MorleyLabour · May 2023
- Baljit Singh HayreLabour · May 2023
- Derek AshendenConservative · May 2023
- Aaron ElliottConservative · May 2023
- Leslie HillsConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Kent County Council’s 2 divisions (4 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Townall in Gravesend · 8,386 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Gurdip Ram BungarLyn MilnerJenny Wallace | May 2023 |
| Woodlandsall in Gravesend · 8,243 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | David Shaun BeattieAlan Charles MetcalfBenjamin Sizer | May 2023 |
| Whitehill & Windmill Hillall in Gravesend · 8,099 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Gavin Ross LarkinsTony RanaEktaveen Simran Kaur Thandi | May 2023 |
| Singlewellall in Gravesend · 6,425 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Daniel Adewale KingRajinder Singh Atwal | May 2023 |
| Westcourtall in Gravesend · 6,249 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Karina O'MalleyLenny Rolles | May 2023 |
| Dentonall in Gravesend · 5,896 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Deborah CroxtonLee Kevin Croxton | May 2023 |
| Pelhammostly in Gravesend · 5,664 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Emma Louise MorleyBaljit Singh Hayre | May 2023 |
| Riverview Parkall in Gravesend · 5,323 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Derek AshendenAaron Elliott | May 2023 |
| Chalkall in Gravesend · 2,920 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Leslie Hills | May 2023 |
Kent County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northfleet & Gravesend West EDmostly in Gravesend · 36,817 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Matthew Fraser MoatSharon Ann Roots | May 2025 |
| Gravesend East EDall in Gravesend · 20,388 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Georgia Louise FosterGarry Graham Sturley | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Gravesham 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).
Gravesham council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Gravesend, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
9 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Gravesend’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,031 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,274 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,994 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Every ward’s result (6 more)
1,802 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,709 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,493 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,333 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,413 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
701 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Gravesend is in Gravesham constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Gravesend).
43,232 votes for candidates · majority 2,712
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 43,232 votes from 73,094 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 2,712 of 43,232 votes (6.3%): the 119th-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.
Gravesend’s Band D council tax is £2,389 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Gravesham Borough Council keeps £245.07 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to Kent County Council, the Kent police and crime commissioner and the Kent Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Gravesham’s Band D bill has risen 55% in ten years, from £1,552.98 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £478.13 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Gravesham, 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
| Gravesham + Kent | Gravesend’s councils | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £505 | £492 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £262 | £266 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £60 | £49 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £33 | £41 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £112 | £132 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £33 | £49 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £21 | £29 | £26 |
| Public health | £59 | £61 | £78 |
| Running the council | £44 | £74 | £59 |
| Other | £59 | £6 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,187 | £1,200 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Gravesham per its residents plus Kent 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. 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 Gravesend 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.
gravesham.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
gravesham.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Gravesend is run
Which council runs Gravesend?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Gravesend have a town council?
No. Gravesend is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Gravesend?
Dr Lauren Sullivan (Labour) is the MP for Gravesham, which covers Gravesend.
How many councillors does Gravesend have?
20 ward councillors represent Gravesend’s 9 wards, and 4 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Gravesend?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Gravesend’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Gravesend?
Band D council tax in Gravesend is £2,389 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Gravesham Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 22 of 39 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 2023 council election in Gravesend?
In Gravesend’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 14 · Conservative 6 of the 20 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 51.8%.
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.