Photo: Neil Theasby · CC BY-SA 2.0Boston Independent holds a majority on Boston Borough Council
Boston is run by Boston Borough Council and Lincolnshire County Council. Boston Independent has a majority on Boston Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Lincolnshire County Council. Its MP is Richard Tice (Reform UK), member for Boston and Skegness.
£2,284
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Boston’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Boston Borough Council
Boston Independent holds a majority on Boston Borough Council: 17 of its 30 seats as elected. Independents hold 5, the Conservatives 5, the Liberal Democrats 1, Reform UK 1 and Blue Revolution 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Lincolnshire changed hands in 2025
Lincolnshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (54 of 70 seats in 2021) to a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 44 of 70 seats. Lincolnshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Boston is £2,275 for 2026–27; Boston Borough Council keeps 12% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 51% 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 Boston’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 16 of Boston’s 30 or 36 of Lincolnshire’s 70 seats to run the council alone.
- Boston Independent17
- Conservative5
- Independent5
- Blue Revolution1
- Liberal Democrat1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK44+44
- Conservative14−40
- Liberal Democrat5+2
- Independent3−2
- Labour3−1
- Lincolnshire Independents Lincolnshire First1no change
- South Holland Independents0−3
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
Boston has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
The parish council for the part of Boston inside Fishtoft parish.
12% of Boston’s residents · Band D precept £22
The parish council for the part of Boston inside Wyberton parish.
Who runs Boston: same source as Who runs Boston, 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. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Andrea Marie Jenkyns (Reform UK), elected May 2025
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.
79% of Boston’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 Boston, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsFishtoft parish councilWyberton parish council
- 2Boston Borough Council10 wards · 19 councillorsBoston Independent 13 · Independent 4 · Conservative 1 · Reform UK 1 · Blue Revolution 1 · all 20
- 3Lincolnshire County Council4 divisions · 4 councillorsSam FrenchMichael CheyneBarry DaishMaggie Cullen
- 4Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Combined County AuthorityGreater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority · elected May 2025Andrea Marie Jenkyns
- 5Police and crime commissionerLincolnshire Police · elected May 2024Marc Jones
- 6House of CommonsBoston and Skegness
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.
19 councillors for 10 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.
- Anne Monica DorrianBoston Independent · May 2023
- Neil John DraytonBoston Independent · May 2023
- Paul Michael GleesonIndependent · May 2023
- Helen StaplesBoston Independent · May 2023
- Sarah Louise SharpeBoston Independent · May 2023
- David Charles ScootBoston Independent · May 2023
- Jonathan Howard NobleReform UK · May 2025 · by-election
- Emma Jayne CresswellBoston Independent · May 2023
- Jyothi ArayambathBoston Independent · May 2023
- Patsie MarsonBoston Independent · May 2023
- Anton DaniConservative · May 2023
- Richard William AustinIndependent · May 2023
- Chris MountainBoston Independent · May 2023
- Andy IzardBoston Independent · May 2023
- Sandeep GhoshBoston Independent · May 2023
- Barrie James PierpointBoston Independent · May 2023
- Mike GilbertBlue Revolution · May 2023
- Lina SavickieneBoston Independent · May 2023
- Alison Mary AustinIndependent · May 2023
- Stephen Victor WoodliffeIndependent · May 2023
Show as a table, with Lincolnshire County Council’s 4 divisions (4 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skirbeckall in Boston · 8,273 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Anne Monica DorrianNeil John DraytonPaul Michael Gleeson | May 2023 |
| Fishtoftmostly in Boston · 5,314 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Helen StaplesSarah Louise SharpeDavid Charles Scoot | May 2023 |
| Trinityall in Boston · 5,298 residents2 seats · May 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Jonathan Howard Nobleby-electionEmma Jayne CresswellJyothi Arayambath | May 2025, May 2023 |
| Fensideall in Boston · 5,103 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Patsie MarsonAnton Dani | May 2023 |
| Wybertonall in Boston · 5,013 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Richard William AustinChris Mountain | May 2023 |
| Withamall in Boston · 4,620 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Andy IzardSandeep Ghosh | May 2023 |
| Stanilandall in Boston · 4,304 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Barrie James PierpointMike Gilbert | May 2023 |
| Stationall in Boston · 2,702 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Lina Savickiene | May 2023 |
| St Thomas'all in Boston · 2,530 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Alison Mary Austin | May 2023 |
| Westall in Boston · 2,190 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Stephen Victor Woodliffe | May 2023 |
Lincolnshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skirbeck EDmostly in Boston · 18,885 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Sam French | May 2025 |
| Boston West EDall in Boston · 14,299 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Michael Cheyne | May 2025 |
| Boston South EDmostly in Boston · 7,543 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Barry Daish | May 2025 |
| Boston North EDall in Boston · 4,620 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Maggie Cullen | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Boston 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).
Boston council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Boston, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
10 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Boston’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,084 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
4,192 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,693 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (7 more)
937 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,651 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,100 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,074 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
262 votes for candidates
444 votes for candidates
527 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Boston is in Boston and Skegness constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Boston).
40,455 votes for candidates · majority 2,010
Reform UK, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 40,455 votes from 75,811 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 2,010 of 40,455 votes (5%): the 98th-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.
Boston’s Band D council tax is £2,275 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Boston Borough Council keeps £269.37 of a Band D bill (12%); the rest goes to Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,284 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Boston’s Band D bill has risen 51% in ten years, from £1,529.03 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £524.25 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Boston, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Lincolnshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Lincolnshire
| Boston + Lincolnshire | Boston’s councils | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £440 | £458 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £226 | £252 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £88 | £85 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £35 | £35 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £168 | £137 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £42 | £44 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £33 | £28 | £26 |
| Public health | £57 | £71 | £78 |
| Running the council | £73 | £63 | £59 |
| Other | £1 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,215 | £1,214 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Boston per its residents plus Lincolnshire 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. Lincolnshire 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 Boston 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.
boston.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
boston.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Boston is run
Which council runs Boston?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Boston have a town council?
Parts of it do: Fishtoft parish council and Wyberton parish council.
Who is the MP for Boston?
Richard Tice (Reform UK) is the MP for Boston and Skegness, which covers Boston.
How many councillors does Boston have?
19 ward councillors represent Boston’s 10 wards, and 4 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Boston?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Boston’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Boston?
Band D council tax in Boston is £2,284 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Boston Borough Council?
Boston Independent has a majority: 17 of 30 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Lincolnshire County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 44 of 70 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Boston?
In Boston’s wards on 4 May 2023, Boston Independent 13 · Independent 4 · Conservative 1 · Blue Revolution 1 of the 19 seats up. Boston Independent had the largest share of votes, 49.6%.
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.