Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Blackpool Borough Council
Blackpool is run by Blackpool Borough Council and Lancashire County Council. Labour has a majority on Blackpool Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Lancashire County Council. Blackpool is split between 3 parliamentary constituencies.
£2,510
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Blackpool’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Blackpool Borough Council
Labour holds a majority on Blackpool Borough Council: 27 of its 42 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 13, Reform UK 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Lancashire changed hands in 2025
Lancashire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (47 of 84 seats in 2021) to a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 53 of 84 seats. Lancashire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Blackpool is £2,513 for 2026–27; Blackpool Borough Council keeps 85% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 58% 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 Blackpool’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Blackpool’s 42 or 43 of Lancashire’s 84 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour27
- Conservative13
- Reform UK2
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK53+53
- Conservative8−39
- Independent7+7
- Labour5−28
- Liberal Democrat5+3
- Green4+2
- Our West Lancashire2+2
Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 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
Blackpool has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
94% of Blackpool’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Blackpool: same source as Who runs Blackpool, above.
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Blackpool: same source as Who runs Blackpool, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas.
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 Blackpool 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 Blackpool, from the most recent elections.
- 1Council wards21 wards · 42 councillorsLabour 30 · Conservative 14 · Reform UK 2 · all 46
- 2Police and crime commissionerLancashire Constabulary · elected May 2024Clive Grunshaw
- 3House 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.
42 councillors for 21 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.
- Mel FenlonLabour · May 2023
- Jim HobsonLabour · May 2023
- Matthew Charles ThomasLabour · May 2023
- Laura MarshallLabour · May 2023
- Simon James CartmellLabour · May 2023
- Diane Marie MitchellConservative · May 2023
- Peter HunterLabour · May 2023
- Bradley Curtis MitchellConservative · May 2023
- Danny ScottConservative · May 2023
- Michele ScottConservative · May 2023
- Kim Elizabeth CritchleyLabour · May 2023
- Neal Timothy BrookesLabour · May 2023
- Kathryn Mary BensonLabour · May 2023
- John BoughtonLabour · May 2023
- Katie Helen Donnelli-HunnLabour · October 2026 · by-election
- Ivan John TaylorLabour · May 2023
- Lynn Suzanne WilliamsLabour · May 2023
- Lisette RoeLabour · May 2023
- Portia WebbLabour · May 2023
- Gillian CampbellLabour · May 2023
- Adrian Sydney HoyleLabour · May 2023
- Jonathan MorganReform UK · December 2025 · by-election
- Julie Elizabeth JonesLabour · May 2023
- Dave FlanaganLabour · May 2023
- Jim O'NeillReform UK · October 2024 · by-election
- Sarah SmithLabour · May 2023
- Shaun Richard BrookesLabour · May 2023
The other 9 wards
- Pam BrookesLabour · May 2023
- Fred JacksonLabour · May 2023
- Paula Ruth BurdessLabour · May 2023
- Alistair James Duncan HumphreysLabour · May 2023
- Jon BamboroughLabour · May 2023
- Jo FarrellLabour · May 2023
- Carl Darren MitchellConservative · May 2023
- Gerard John Sean WalshConservative · May 2023
- Mark Peter SmithLabour · May 2023
- Jane Louise HugoLabour · May 2023
- Emma Victoria EllisonConservative · May 2023
- Julie Elizabeth SlomanConservative · May 2023
- Paul David Stuart GalleyConservative · May 2023
- Anita CooperConservative · May 2023
- Joel McKevittLabour · November 2024 · by-election
- Paul William WilshawConservative · May 2023
- Tony WarneConservative · May 2023
- Graham BakerConservative · May 2023
- Jason RobertsConservative · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| BloomfieldBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,567 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Mel FenlonJim Hobson | May 2023 |
| BrunswickBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,538 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Matthew Charles ThomasLaura Marshall | May 2023 |
| WaterlooBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,249 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Simon James CartmellDiane Marie Mitchell | May 2023 |
| HighfieldBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,201 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Peter HunterBradley Curtis Mitchell | May 2023 |
| WarbreckBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,155 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Danny ScottMichele Scott | May 2023 |
| Hawes SideBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,143 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Kim Elizabeth CritchleyNeal Timothy Brookes | May 2023 |
| LaytonBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,117 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Kathryn Mary BensonJohn Boughton | May 2023 |
| ClaremontBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 7,008 residents2 seats · October 2026, May 2023 | 2 | Katie Helen Donnelli-Hunnby-electionIvan John TaylorLynn Suzanne Williams | October 2026, May 2023 |
| TyldesleyBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,972 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Lisette RoePortia Webb | May 2023 |
| ParkBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,948 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Gillian CampbellAdrian Sydney Hoyle | May 2023 |
| GreenlandsBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,931 residents2 seats · December 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Jonathan Morganby-electionJulie Elizabeth JonesDave Flanagan | December 2025, May 2023 |
| MartonBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,653 residents2 seats · October 2024, May 2023 | 2 | Jim O'Neillby-electionSarah SmithShaun Richard Brookes | October 2024, May 2023 |
The other 9 wards
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| VictoriaBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,591 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Pam BrookesFred Jackson | May 2023 |
| CliftonBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,551 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paula Ruth BurdessAlistair James Duncan Humphreys | May 2023 |
| IngthorpeBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,545 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Jon BamboroughJo Farrell | May 2023 |
| Squires GateBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,539 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Carl Darren MitchellGerard John Sean Walsh | May 2023 |
| TalbotBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 6,532 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Mark Peter SmithJane Louise Hugo | May 2023 |
| NorbreckBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 5,992 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Emma Victoria EllisonJulie Elizabeth Sloman | May 2023 |
| AnchorsholmeBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 5,919 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paul David Stuart GalleyAnita Cooper | May 2023 |
| BisphamBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 5,523 residents2 seats · November 2024, May 2023 | 2 | Joel McKevittby-electionPaul William WilshawTony Warne | November 2024, May 2023 |
| StanleyBlackpool · all in Blackpool · 5,100 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Graham BakerJason Roberts | May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Blackpool 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).
Blackpool council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Blackpool, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
21 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Blackpool’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,567 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,189 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,685 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (18 more)
3,380 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,593 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,292 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,709 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,711 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,452 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,890 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,211 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,988 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,757 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,177 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,553 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,931 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,982 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,287 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,221 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,574 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,398 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.
Blackpool is split between 3 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 2 May 2024
73% of Blackpool’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 45% (England 60%).
Majority 6,848 of 35,180 votes (19.5%): wider than in 66% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
23% of Blackpool’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 57% (England 60%).
Majority 4,647 of 41,810 votes (11.1%): the 211th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024
4% of Blackpool’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 62% (England 60%).
Majority 561 of 47,960 votes (1.2%): the 21st-narrowest of 543 in England.
35,180 votes for candidates · majority 6,848
Labour, MP since 2 May 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 35,180 votes from 77,460 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,848 of 35,180 votes (19.5%): wider than in 66% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Blackpool North and Fleetwood
41,810 votes for candidates · majority 4,647
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 41,810 votes from 73,339 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,647 of 41,810 votes (11.1%): the 211th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Fylde
47,960 votes for candidates · majority 561
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 47,960 votes from 77,100 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 561 of 47,960 votes (1.2%): the 21st-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.
Blackpool’s Band D council tax is £2,513 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Blackpool Borough Council keeps £2,126.09 of a Band D bill (85%); the rest goes to the Lancashire police and crime commissioner and the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,510 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Blackpool’s Band D bill has risen 58% in ten years, from £1,585.77 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £649.13 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Blackpool, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Lancashire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included; the 11 nearest of 14. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Lancashire
| Blackpool | Blackpool’s councils | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £619 | £533 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £557 | £295 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £70 | £44 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £39 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £175 | £135 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £70 | £56 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £-119 | £16 | £26 |
| Public health | £181 | £92 | £78 |
| Running the council | £-1 | £73 | £59 |
| Other | £20 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,612 | £1,281 | £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. Lancashire 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 Blackpool 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.
blackpool.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
blackpool.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Blackpool is run
Which council runs Blackpool?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Blackpool have a town council?
No. Blackpool is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Blackpool?
Blackpool is split between 3 constituencies: Blackpool South (Chris Webb, Labour), Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers, Labour) and Fylde (Mr Andrew Snowden, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Blackpool have?
42 ward councillors represent Blackpool’s 21 wards.
When are the next elections in Blackpool?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Blackpool’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Blackpool?
Band D council tax in Blackpool is £2,510 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Blackpool Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 27 of 42 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Lancashire County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 53 of 84 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Blackpool?
In Blackpool’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 28 · Conservative 14 of the 42 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 48.3%.
Is Fylde a marginal seat?
Mr Andrew Snowden (Conservative) won it by 561 votes in July 2024, 1.2% of votes cast: the 21st-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.