Photo: The wub · CC BY-SA 4.0No party holds a majority on Lancaster City Council
Morecambe is run by Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council, with Morecambe parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Lancaster City Council. Reform UK has a majority on Lancashire County Council. Most of Morecambe is in Morecambe and Lunesdale (MP Lizzi Collinge, Labour); 2% of residents are in Lancaster and Wyre (MP Cat Smith, Labour).
£2,560
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Morecambe’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Lancaster City Council
Labour, the largest group, holds 23 of its 61 seats as elected, 8 short of the 31 needed. The Greens hold 22, the Liberal Democrats 7, the Conservatives 5, Morecambe Bay Independents 3 and independents 1. 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 Morecambe is £2,565 for 2026–27; Lancaster City Council keeps 11% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 54% 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 Morecambe’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of Lancaster’s 61 or 43 of Lancashire’s 84 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour23
- Green22
- Liberal Democrat7
- Conservative5
- Morecambe Bay Independents3
- Independent1
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, and a parish tier
Morecambe has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
94% of Morecambe’s residents · Band D precept £104
The parish council for the part of Morecambe inside Heaton-with-Oxcliffe parish.
Who runs Morecambe: same source as Who runs Morecambe, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
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.
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 Morecambe, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsMorecambe parish councilHeaton-with-Oxcliffe parish council
- 2Lancaster City Council6 wards · 15 councillorsLabour 7 · Liberal Democrat 3 · Morecambe Bay Independents 3 · Independent 1 · Conservative 1 · all 15
- 3Lancashire County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsBrian Edward MooreGary Andrew Kniveton
- 4Police and crime commissionerLancashire Constabulary · elected May 2024Clive Grunshaw
- 5House of CommonsSplit between 2 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.
15 councillors for 6 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.
- Margaret Elizabeth PattisonLabour · May 2023
- Joanne Lindsey AinscoughLabour · May 2023
- David WhitakerLabour · May 2023
- John Robert HansonLabour · May 2023
- Matthew David BlackLabour · May 2023
- Chris HarrisLabour · May 2023
- Gerry BlaikieLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Kate Sarah KnightConservative · May 2023
- David Martin BottomsMorecambe Bay Independents · May 2023
- Paul Bernard HartLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- John LivermoreLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Roger Thomas Francis DennisonMorecambe Bay Independents · May 2023
- Brett Martin CooperMorecambe Bay Independents · May 2023
- Claire CozlerLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Roger Timothy CleetIndependent · May 2023
Show as a table, with Lancashire County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Endall in Morecambe · 7,724 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Margaret Elizabeth PattisonJoanne Lindsey AinscoughDavid Whitaker | May 2023 |
| Westgateall in Morecambe · 6,995 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | John Robert HansonMatthew David BlackChris Harris | May 2023 |
| Bareall in Morecambe · 6,894 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Gerry BlaikieKate Sarah KnightDavid Martin Bottoms | May 2023 |
| Poultonall in Morecambe · 5,375 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paul Bernard HartJohn Livermore | May 2023 |
| Torrisholmeall in Morecambe · 4,421 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Roger Thomas Francis DennisonBrett Martin Cooper | May 2023 |
| Heysham North15% in Morecambe · 716 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Claire CozlerRoger Timothy Cleet | May 2023 |
Lancashire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morecambe South EDall in Morecambe · 23,685 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Brian Edward Moore | May 2025 |
| Morecambe Central EDmostly in Morecambe · 8,440 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Gary Andrew Kniveton | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Lancaster City 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).
Lancaster council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Morecambe, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
6 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Morecambe’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,408 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,497 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,199 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Every ward’s result (3 more)
1,628 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,022 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,264 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.
Morecambe is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
98% of Morecambe’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 63% (England 60%).
Majority 5,815 of 48,059 votes (12.1%): the 235th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Labour, MP since 7 May 2015
2% of Morecambe’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 58% (England 60%).
Majority 9,253 of 43,008 votes (21.5%): wider than in 70% of England’s 543 constituencies.
48,059 votes for candidates · majority 5,815
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 48,059 votes from 76,424 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,815 of 48,059 votes (12.1%): the 235th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Lancaster and Wyre
43,008 votes for candidates · majority 9,253
Labour, MP since 7 May 2015.
turnout in July 2024: 43,008 votes from 74,760 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 9,253 of 43,008 votes (21.5%): wider than in 70% of England’s 543 constituencies.
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.
Morecambe’s Band D council tax is £2,565 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Lancaster City Council keeps £272.20 of a Band D bill (11%); the rest goes to the Morecambe parish council, Lancashire County Council, the Lancashire police and crime commissioner and the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,560 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Lancaster’s Band D bill has risen 54% in ten years, from £1,625.29 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £615.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Morecambe, 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
| Lancaster + Lancashire | Morecambe’s councils | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £522 | £533 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £249 | £295 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £30 | £44 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £34 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £142 | £135 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £58 | £56 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £37 | £16 | £26 |
| Public health | £78 | £92 | £78 |
| Running the council | £74 | £73 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,223 | £1,281 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Lancaster per its residents plus Lancashire 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. 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 Morecambe 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.
lancaster.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
lancaster.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Morecambe is run
Which council runs Morecambe?
Morecambe is run by Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Morecambe have a town council?
Yes: Morecambe has its own parish-tier council (Morecambe parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £104 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Morecambe?
Morecambe is split between 2 constituencies: Morecambe and Lunesdale (Lizzi Collinge, Labour) and Lancaster and Wyre (Cat Smith, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Morecambe have?
15 ward councillors represent Morecambe’s 6 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Morecambe?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Morecambe’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Morecambe?
Band D council tax in Morecambe is £2,560 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Lancaster City Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 23 · Green 22 · Liberal Democrat 7 · Conservative 5 · Morecambe Bay Independents 3 · Independent 1 of 61 seats; a majority needs 31. 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 Morecambe?
In Morecambe’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 7 · Liberal Democrat 3 · Morecambe Bay Independents 3 · Independent 1 · Conservative 1 of the 15 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 28.1%.
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.