Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Medway Council
Rochester is run by Medway Council. Labour has a majority on Medway Council. Rochester is split between 3 parliamentary constituencies.
£2,324
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Rochester’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 ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Rochester 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
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 30 of Medway’s 59 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour31
- Conservative21
- Independent4
- Reform UK3
Latest election: May 2023.
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
Rochester has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
The parish council for the part of Rochester inside Frindsbury Extra parish.
10% of Rochester’s residents · Band D precept £38
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
99% of Rochester’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Rochester: same source as Who runs Rochester, 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.
89% of Rochester’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 Rochester, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierFrindsbury Extra parish council
- 2Council wards7 wards · 20 councillorsLabour 15 · Conservative 5 · Reform UK 3 · all 23
- 3Police and crime commissionerKent Police · elected May 2024Matthew Scott
- 4House 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.
20 councillors for 7 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.
- Zoe Van DykeLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Stephen HubbardLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- David Peter FieldLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Sharon Leigh JacksonLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Mark JonesLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Satinder Singh ShokarLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- David Ian FinchReform UK · February 2025 · by-election
- John Melvin VyeReform UK · February 2025 · by-election
- Teresa Margaret MurrayLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Lauren EdwardsLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Tris OsborneLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Alex PatersonLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Linda Jill BowenLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Paula Wilhelmina HamiltonLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- John WilliamsConservative · May 2023
- Gary EtheridgeConservative · May 2023
- Elizabeth TurpinConservative · May 2023
- Smitha CampbellLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Harinder MahilLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Gareth MytonLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- William BurvillReform UK · July 2026 · by-election
- Matt FearnConservative · May 2023
- Phil FilmerConservative · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strood North & FrindsburyMedway · all in Rochester · 14,983 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Zoe Van DykeStephen HubbardDavid Peter Field | May 2023 |
| Strood WestMedway · all in Rochester · 14,272 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Sharon Leigh JacksonMark JonesSatinder Singh Shokar | May 2023 |
| Rochester East & Warren WoodMedway · all in Rochester · 12,777 residents3 seats · February 2025, May 2023 | 3 | David Ian Finchby-electionJohn Melvin Vyeby-electionTeresa Margaret MurrayLauren EdwardsTris Osborne | February 2025, May 2023 |
| Rochester West & BorstalMedway · all in Rochester · 12,646 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Alex PatersonLinda Jill BowenPaula Wilhelmina Hamilton | May 2023 |
| Strood RuralMedway · mostly in Rochester · 6,813 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | John WilliamsGary EtheridgeElizabeth Turpin | May 2023 |
| Fort PittMedway · 30% in Rochester · 3,904 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Smitha CampbellHarinder MahilGareth Myton | May 2023 |
| Cuxton, Halling & RiversideMedway · 19% in Rochester · 1,520 residents2 seats · July 2026, May 2023 | 2 | William Burvillby-electionMatt FearnPhil Filmer | July 2026, May 2023 |
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).
Medway council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Rochester, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
7 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Rochester’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗9,418 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
7,374 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
7,302 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Every ward’s result (4 more)
9,366 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
7,874 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
8,593 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,606 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.
Rochester 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
90% of Rochester’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.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
9% of Rochester’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
1% of Rochester’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 59% (England 60%).
Majority 2,712 of 43,232 votes (6.3%): the 119th-narrowest of 543 in England.
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.
Chatham and Aylesford
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.
Gravesham
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.
Rochester’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 £2,324 (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 | Rochester’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 Rochester 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 Rochester is run
Does Rochester have a town council?
Parts of it do: Frindsbury Extra parish council.
Who is the MP for Rochester?
Rochester is split between 3 constituencies: Rochester and Strood (Lauren Edwards, Labour), Chatham and Aylesford (Tristan Osborne, Labour) and Gravesham (Dr Lauren Sullivan, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Rochester have?
20 ward councillors represent Rochester’s 7 wards.
When are the next elections in Rochester?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Rochester’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Rochester?
Band D council tax in Rochester is £2,324 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 won the 2023 council election in Rochester?
In Rochester’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 15 · Conservative 5 of the 20 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 50.1%.
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.