Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Rutland County Council
Oakham is run by Rutland County Council, with Oakham parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Rutland County Council. Its MP is Alicia Kearns (Conservative), member for Rutland and Stamford.
£2,737
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Oakham’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Rutland County Council
The Liberal Democrats, the largest group, hold 11 of its 25 seats as elected, 2 short of the 13 needed. The Conservatives hold 7, independents 5 and Labour 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Oakham is £2,740 for 2026–27; Rutland County Council keeps 83% 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.
No party has a majority
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 13 of Rutland’s 25 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat11
- Conservative7
- Independent5
- Labour2
Latest election: May 2023.
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 Oakham
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.
92% of Oakham’s residents · Band D precept £70
The parish council for the part of Oakham inside Barleythorpe parish.
Who runs Oakham: same source as Who runs Oakham, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗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 Oakham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsOakham parish councilBarleythorpe parish council
- 2Rutland County Council4 wards · 9 councillorsLiberal Democrat 6 · Labour 2 · Green 1 · Independent 1 · Conservative 1 · all 11
- 3Police and crime commissionerLeicestershire Police · elected May 2024Rupert Matthews
- 4House of CommonsRutland and Stamford
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.
9 councillors for 4 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.
- Diane Elizabeth EllisonLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Paul Morley BrowneLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Ray PayneLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Linda Louise ChatfieldLiberal Democrat · November 2024 · by-election
- Hannah Sian EdwardsLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Mark William ChatfieldLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Steve McRobbLabour · May 2023
- Ramsay RossLabour · May 2023
- Andrew William Nixon DinsmoreConservative · July 2025 · by-election
- Tracy Margaret CarrIndependent · May 2023
- Hans Zollinger-BallGreen · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham Southall in Oakham · 4,219 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Diane Elizabeth EllisonPaul Morley BrowneRay Payne | May 2023 |
| Oakham North Eastall in Oakham · 3,265 residents2 seats · November 2024, May 2023 | 2 | Linda Louise Chatfieldby-electionHannah Sian EdwardsMark William Chatfield | November 2024, May 2023 |
| Oakham North Westall in Oakham · 3,085 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Steve McRobbRamsay Ross | May 2023 |
| Barleythorpemostly in Oakham · 1,590 residents2 seats · July 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Andrew William Nixon Dinsmoreby-electionTracy Margaret CarrHans Zollinger-Ball | July 2025, May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Rutland County 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).
Rutland council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Oakham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
4 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Oakham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,252 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,121 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,040 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (1 more)
771 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.
Oakham is in Rutland and Stamford constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Oakham).
48,577 votes for candidates · majority 10,394
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 48,577 votes from 71,763 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 10,394 of 48,577 votes (21.4%): wider than in 69% 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.
Oakham’s Band D council tax is £2,740 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Rutland County Council keeps £2,263.33 of a Band D bill (83%); the rest goes to the Oakham parish council, the Leicestershire police and crime commissioner and the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,737 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Rutland’s Band D bill has risen 54% in ten years, from £1,773.38 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £517.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Oakham, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Rutland
| Rutland | Oakham’s councils | Rutland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £510 | £510 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £220 | £220 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £105 | £105 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £34 | £34 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £168 | £168 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £29 | £29 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £43 | £43 | £26 |
| Public health | £41 | £41 | £78 |
| Running the council | £118 | £118 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £0 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,268 | £1,268 | £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. Rutland 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 Oakham 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.
rutland.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
rutland.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Oakham is run
Which council runs Oakham?
Oakham is run by Rutland County Council.
Does Oakham have a town council?
Yes: Oakham has its own parish-tier council (Oakham parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £70 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Oakham?
Alicia Kearns (Conservative) is the MP for Rutland and Stamford, which covers Oakham.
How many councillors does Oakham have?
9 ward councillors represent Oakham’s 4 wards.
When are the next elections in Oakham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Oakham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Oakham?
Band D council tax in Oakham is £2,737 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Rutland County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 11 · Conservative 7 · Independent 5 · Labour 2 of 25 seats; a majority needs 13. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2023 council election in Oakham?
In Oakham’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 5 · Labour 2 · Green 1 · Independent 1 of the 9 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 57.6%.
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.