Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on South Kesteven District Council
Grantham is run by South Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council, with Grantham parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on South Kesteven District Council. Reform UK has a majority on Lincolnshire County Council. Its MP is Gareth Davies (Conservative), member for Grantham and Bourne.
£2,216
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Grantham’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on South Kesteven District Council
Independents, the largest group, hold 21 of its 52 seats as elected, 6 short of the 27 needed. The Conservatives hold 19, the Greens 4, the Liberal Democrats 4, Labour 2 and Reform UK 2. 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 Grantham is £2,215 for 2026–27; South Kesteven District Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 50% 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 Grantham’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 27 of South Kesteven’s 52 or 36 of Lincolnshire’s 70 seats to run the council alone.
- Independent21
- Conservative19
- Green4
- Liberal Democrat4
- Labour2
- Reform UK2
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
Grantham 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.
88% of Grantham’s residents · Band D precept £14
The parish council for the part of Grantham inside Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without parish.
Who runs Grantham: same source as Who runs Grantham, 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.
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 Grantham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsGrantham parish councilLondonthorpe and Harrowby Without parish council
- 2South Kesteven District Council8 wards · 17 councillorsIndependent 8 · Conservative 7 · Labour 2 · Green 1 · Reform UK 1 · all 19
- 3Lincolnshire County Council4 divisions · 4 councillorsRichard Graham DaviesCarl Peter Edgoose-ZagorskiyCain ParkinsonRichard Stephen Litchfield
- 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 CommonsGrantham and Bourne
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.
17 councillors for 8 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.
- Patsy EllisGreen · May 2023
- Charmaine Dawn MorganIndependent · May 2023
- Graham JealConservative · May 2023
- Lee Andrew SteptoeLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Steven CunningtonIndependent · May 2023
- Paul David Alec StokesIndependent · May 2023
- Paul Michael MartinConservative · May 2023
- Rob ShorrockLabour and Co-operative · May 2023
- Nikki ManterfieldConservative · May 2023
- Matt BaileyConservative · November 2023 · by-election
- Tim HarrisonIndependent · May 2023
- Ray WoottenConservative · May 2023
- Gareth KnightConservative · May 2023
- Mark Anthony WhittingtonConservative · May 2023
- Ian Edward SelbyIndependent · May 2023
- Chris NoonIndependent · May 2023
- Richard Stephen LitchfieldReform UK · December 2025 · by-election
- Phil GaddIndependent · May 2023
- Elvis Ian StookeIndependent · May 2023
Show as a table, with Lincolnshire County Council’s 4 divisions (4 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grantham St Vincent'sall in Grantham · 7,551 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Patsy EllisCharmaine Dawn MorganGraham Jeal | May 2023 |
| Grantham Earlesfieldall in Grantham · 6,725 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Lee Andrew SteptoeSteven Cunnington | May 2023 |
| Grantham Arnoldfieldall in Grantham · 5,667 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paul David Alec StokesPaul Michael Martin | May 2023 |
| Grantham Springfieldall in Grantham · 5,573 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Rob ShorrockNikki Manterfield | May 2023 |
| Grantham St Wulfram'sall in Grantham · 5,385 residents2 seats · November 2023, May 2023 | 2 | Matt Baileyby-electionTim HarrisonRay Wootten | November 2023, May 2023 |
| Grantham Barrowby Gateall in Grantham · 4,804 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Gareth KnightMark Anthony Whittington | May 2023 |
| Grantham Harrowbyall in Grantham · 4,791 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Ian Edward SelbyChris Noon | May 2023 |
| Belmontmostly in Grantham · 4,203 residents2 seats · December 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Richard Stephen Litchfieldby-electionPhil GaddElvis Ian Stooke | December 2025, May 2023 |
Lincolnshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grantham West EDall in Grantham · 15,856 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Richard Graham Davies | May 2025 |
| Grantham South EDall in Grantham · 13,124 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Carl Peter Edgoose-Zagorskiy | May 2025 |
| Grantham East EDmostly in Grantham · 8,994 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Cain Parkinson | May 2025 |
| Grantham Barrowby EDall in Grantham · 6,725 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Richard Stephen Litchfield | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. South Kesteven District 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).
South Kesteven council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Grantham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
8 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Grantham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,938 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,038 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,167 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (5 more)
1,447 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,293 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,148 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,440 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,770 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.
Grantham is in Grantham and Bourne constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Grantham).
46,125 votes for candidates · majority 4,496
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 46,125 votes from 73,285 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,496 of 46,125 votes (9.7%): the 182nd-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.
Grantham’s Band D council tax is £2,215 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
South Kesteven District Council keeps £195.03 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Grantham parish council, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,216 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
South Kesteven’s Band D bill has risen 50% in ten years, from £1,507.43 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £508.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Grantham, 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
| South Kesteven + Lincolnshire | Grantham’s councils | Lincolnshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £440 | £458 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £226 | £252 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £90 | £85 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £24 | £35 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £123 | £137 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £34 | £44 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £27 | £28 | £26 |
| Public health | £57 | £71 | £78 |
| Running the council | £41 | £63 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,115 | £1,214 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: South Kesteven 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 Grantham 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.
southkesteven.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
southkesteven.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Grantham is run
Which council runs Grantham?
Grantham is run by South Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Grantham have a town council?
Yes: Grantham has its own parish-tier council (Grantham parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £14 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Grantham?
Gareth Davies (Conservative) is the MP for Grantham and Bourne, which covers Grantham.
How many councillors does Grantham have?
17 ward councillors represent Grantham’s 8 wards, and 4 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Grantham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Grantham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Grantham?
Band D council tax in Grantham is £2,216 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls South Kesteven District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Independent 21 · Conservative 19 · Green 4 · Liberal Democrat 4 · Labour 2 · Reform UK 2 of 52 seats; a majority needs 27. 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 Grantham?
In Grantham’s wards on 4 May 2023, Independent 8 · Conservative 6 · Labour 2 · Green 1 of the 17 seats up. Independents had the largest share of votes, 39.5%.
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.