Photo: Rept0n1x · CC BY-SA 3.0Reform UK holds a majority on St Helens Council
Rainford is run by St Helens Council, with Rainford parish council for local matters. Reform UK has a majority on St Helens Council. Its MP is David Baines (Labour), member for St Helens North.
£2,437
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Rainford’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on St Helens Council
Reform UK holds a majority on St Helens Council: 34 of its 48 seats as elected (it held 2 before the May 2026 election). Labour holds 4, the Liberal Democrats 3, Newton-le-Willows Independents 3, Rainhill Independents 3 and the Conservatives 1. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Rainford’s wards, the Conservatives took 30.9%, Reform UK took 30.8% and the Greens took 23.6% of votes in May 2026. In 2022, the Conservatives had 72.6%. How Rainford has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Rainford is £2,437 for 2026–27; St Helens Council keeps 81% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 60% 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
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 25 of St. Helens’s 48 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK34+32
- Labour4−23
- Liberal Democrat3−1
- Newton-le-Willows Independents3+3
- Rainhill Independents3+3
- Conservative1−1
- Green0−6
- Independent0−7
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 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.
The councils that run Rainford
One council runs every main service here.
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 Rainford’s residents · Band D precept £42
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas.
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
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 Rainford, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierRainford parish council
- 2St Helens Council1 ward · 2 councillorsPhilip CordenLinda Mussell
- 3Police and crime commissionerMerseyside Police · elected May 2024Emily Spurrell
- 4House of CommonsSt Helens North
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.
2 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.
- Philip CordenReform UK · May 2026
- Linda MussellConservative · May 2026
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfordmostly in Rainford · 5,573 residents2 seats · May 2026 | 2 | Philip CordenLinda Mussell | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. St Helens 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).
The Conservatives have led every council vote since 2022
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Rainford’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 | 2022 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 23.6% |
| Labour | 27.4% | 14.7% |
| Conservative | 72.6% | 30.9% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 30.8% |
In 2026, the Conservatives won 1 and Reform UK won 1 of the 2 seats up in Rainford’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.
St. Helens council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Rainford, 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. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Rainford’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗6,343 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.
Rainford is in St Helens North constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Rainford).
40,474 votes for candidates · majority 12,169
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 40,474 votes from 75,483 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 12,169 of 40,474 votes (30.1%): wider than in 85% 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.
Rainford’s Band D council tax is £2,437 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
St Helens Council keeps £1,975.65 of a Band D bill (81%); the rest goes to the Rainford parish council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the Merseyside police and crime commissioner and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
St. Helens’s Band D bill has risen 60% in ten years, from £1,503.59 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £615.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Rainford, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Merseyside’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Merseyside
| St. Helens | Rainford’s councils | Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £495 | £572 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £383 | £355 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £37 | £19 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £32 | £73 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £87 | £73 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £39 | £60 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £28 | £54 | £26 |
| Public health | £111 | £122 | £78 |
| Running the council | £58 | £59 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £41 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,268 | £1,428 | £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. Merseyside 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 Rainford 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.
sthelens.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
sthelens.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Rainford is run
Which council runs Rainford?
Rainford is run by St Helens Council.
Does Rainford have a town council?
Yes: Rainford has its own parish-tier council (Rainford parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £42 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Rainford?
David Baines (Labour) is the MP for St Helens North, which covers Rainford.
How many councillors does Rainford have?
2 ward councillors represent Rainford’s 1 ward.
When are the next elections in Rainford?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Rainford’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Rainford?
Band D council tax in Rainford is £2,437 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls St Helens Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 34 of 48 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2026 council election in Rainford?
In Rainford’s wards on 7 May 2026, Conservative 1 · Reform UK 1 of the 2 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 30.9%.
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.