Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on Chorley Council
Withnell is run by Chorley Council and Lancashire County Council, with Withnell parish council for local matters. Labour has a majority on Chorley Council. Reform UK has a majority on Lancashire County Council. Its MP is Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker), member for Chorley.
£2,431
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Withnell’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Chorley Council
Labour holds a majority on Chorley Council: 30 of its 42 seats as elected (it held 37 before the May 2026 election). Reform UK holds 7, the Conservatives 4 and the Greens 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 ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Withnell’s wards, Labour took 51.3%, Reform UK took 26.8% and the Conservatives took 12.2% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Labour had 70.7%. How Withnell has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Withnell is £2,431 for 2026–27; Chorley Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 52% 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 Withnell’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Chorley’s 42 or 43 of Lancashire’s 84 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour30−7
- Reform UK7+6
- Conservative4no change
- Green1+1
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
- Reform UK53+53
- Conservative8−39
- Independent7+7
- Labour5−28
- Liberal Democrat5+3
- Green4+2
- Our West Lancashire2+2
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
Withnell 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.
100% of Withnell’s residents · Band D precept £26
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 Withnell, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierWithnell parish council
- 2Chorley Council1 ward · 3 councillorsJen WhiffenMargaret Mary FranceGordon France
- 3Lancashire County Council1 division · 1 councillorJohn Clemson
- 4Police and crime commissionerLancashire Constabulary · elected May 2024Clive Grunshaw
- 5House of CommonsChorley
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.
3 councillors for 1 ward
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.
- Jen WhiffenLabour · May 2026
- Margaret Mary FranceLabour · May 2024
- Gordon FranceLabour · May 2023
Show as a table, with Lancashire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chorley North East12% in Withnell · 853 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Jen WhiffenMargaret Mary FranceGordon France | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
Lancashire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoghton with Wheelton ED3% in Withnell · 853 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | John Clemson | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Chorley 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 has led every council vote since 2021
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Withnell’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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.6% | 7.5% |
| Labour | 53.8% | 61.1% | 69.8% | 70.7% | 51.3% |
| Conservative | 38.9% | 31.6% | 22.9% | 21.6% | 12.2% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 26.8% |
In 2026, Labour won 1 of the 1 seats up in Withnell’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.
Chorley council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Withnell, 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. Chorley elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.
No election is scheduled yet for Withnell’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,866 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Withnell is in Chorley constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Withnell).
33,964 votes for candidates · majority 20,575
Speaker, MP since 1 May 1997.
turnout in July 2024: 33,964 votes from 74,801 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 20,575 of 33,964 votes (60.6%): wider than in 100% 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.
Withnell’s Band D council tax is £2,431 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Chorley Council keeps £215.99 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Withnell parish council, Lancashire County Council, the Lancashire police and crime commissioner and the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Chorley’s Band D bill has risen 52% in ten years, from £1,595.14 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £613.13 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Withnell, 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
| Chorley + Lancashire | Withnell’s councils | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £522 | £533 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £249 | £295 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £40 | £44 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £11 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £126 | £135 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £67 | £56 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £10 | £16 | £26 |
| Public health | £78 | £92 | £78 |
| Running the council | £91 | £73 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,194 | £1,281 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Chorley 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 Withnell 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.
chorley.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
chorley.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Withnell is run
Which council runs Withnell?
Withnell is run by Chorley Council and Lancashire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Withnell have a town council?
Yes: Withnell has its own parish-tier council (Withnell parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £26 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Withnell?
Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker) is the MP for Chorley, which covers Withnell.
How many councillors does Withnell have?
3 ward councillors represent Withnell’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Withnell?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Withnell’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Withnell?
Band D council tax in Withnell is £2,431 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Chorley Council?
Labour has a majority: 30 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 2026 council election in Withnell?
In Withnell’s wards on 7 May 2026, Labour 1 of the 1 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 51.3%.
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.