Photo: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Bath and North East Somerset Council
Bath is run by Bath and North East Somerset Council. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Bath and North East Somerset Council. Its MP is Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat), member for Bath.
£2,318
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Bath’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Bath and North East Somerset Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Bath and North East Somerset Council: 40 of its 59 seats as elected. Labour holds 7, independents 6, the Greens 3 and the Conservatives 3. Who’s in charge ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Bath is £2,325 for 2026–27; Bath and North East Somerset Council keeps 82% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 56% in ten years, in line with 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 30 of Bath and North East Somerset’s 59 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat40
- Labour7
- Independent6
- Conservative3
- Green3
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 Bath
One council runs every main service here.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Helen Godwin (Labour), elected May 2025
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
All of Bath is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself. Its charter trustees (Bath Charter Trustees) keep the ceremonial mayoralty and add £7.61 to a Band D bill.
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 council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Bath, from the most recent elections.
- 1Bath and North East Somerset Council15 wards · 28 councillorsLiberal Democrat 25 · Green 2 · Independent 2 · all 29
- 2Mayor of West of England Combined AuthorityWest of England Combined Authority · elected May 2025Helen Godwin
- 3Police and crime commissionerAvon and Somerset Constabulary · elected May 2024Clare Moody
- 4House of CommonsBath
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.
28 councillors for 15 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.
- Manda RigbyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Toby SimonLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- June PlayerIndependent · May 2023
- Colin David BlackburnIndependent · May 2023
- Steve HedgesLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Joel HirstLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Stuart Pieter BridgeLiberal Democrat · October 2025 · by-election
- Alison BornLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Deborah Joan CollinsLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Dine RomeroLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Paul CrossleyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Tim BallLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Sarah MooreLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Bharat PankhaniaLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Onkar SainiLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Paul RoperLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- George Oliver TomlinLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Lucy HodgeLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Mark ElliottLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Michelle O'DohertyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Samantha Jane KellyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Ruth MalloyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Malcolm John TrebyLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Joanna WrightGreen · May 2023
- Saskia HeijltjesGreen · May 2023
The other 3 wards
- Oli HenmanLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- John LeachLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Ian HalsallLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Jess DavidLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathwickall in Bath · 8,069 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Manda RigbyToby Simon | May 2023 |
| Westmorelandall in Bath · 7,525 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | June PlayerColin David Blackburn | May 2023 |
| Odd Downall in Bath · 7,306 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Steve HedgesJoel Hirst | May 2023 |
| Widcombe & Lyncombemostly in Bath · 7,086 residents2 seats · October 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Stuart Pieter Bridgeby-electionAlison BornDeborah Joan Collins | October 2025, May 2023 |
| Southdownall in Bath · 7,080 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Dine RomeroPaul Crossley | May 2023 |
| Twerton & Whitewayall in Bath · 6,890 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Tim BallSarah Moore | May 2023 |
| Combe Downall in Bath · 6,611 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Bharat PankhaniaOnkar Saini | May 2023 |
| Kingsmeadall in Bath · 6,553 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paul RoperGeorge Oliver Tomlin | May 2023 |
| Lansdownall in Bath · 6,305 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Lucy HodgeMark Elliott | May 2023 |
| Newbridgemostly in Bath · 6,273 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Michelle O'DohertySamantha Jane Kelly | May 2023 |
| Westonall in Bath · 5,801 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Ruth MalloyMalcolm John Treby | May 2023 |
| Lambridgemostly in Bath · 5,598 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Joanna WrightSaskia Heijltjes | May 2023 |
| Walcotall in Bath · 5,507 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Oli HenmanJohn Leach | May 2023 |
| Oldfield Parkall in Bath · 3,866 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Ian Halsall | May 2023 |
| Moorlandsall in Bath · 3,329 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Jess David | May 2023 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Bath and North East Somerset 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).
Bath and North East Somerset council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Bath, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
15 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Bath’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,762 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,799 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,547 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (12 more)
4,870 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,536 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,051 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,633 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
2,897 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,998 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,837 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,129 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,502 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
3,488 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,008 votes for candidates
978 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Bath is in Bath constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
48,130 votes for candidates · majority 11,218
Liberal Democrat, MP since 8 June 2017.
turnout in July 2024: 48,130 votes from 69,662 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,218 of 48,130 votes (23.3%): wider than in 74% 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.
Bath’s Band D council tax is £2,325 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Bath and North East Somerset Council keeps £1,914.03 of a Band D bill (82%); the rest goes to Bath Charter Trustees, the Avon & Somerset police and crime commissioner and the Avon Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,318 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1996
Bath and North East Somerset’s Band D bill has risen 56% in ten years, from £1,523.89 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £672.97 in 1996–97.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Bath and North East Somerset, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Somerset’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Somerset
| Bath and North East Somerset | Bath’s councils | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £427 | £487 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £249 | £277 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £-5 | £33 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £36 | £33 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £131 | £136 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £-28 | £16 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £28 | £16 | £26 |
| Public health | £63 | £56 | £78 |
| Running the council | £48 | £46 | £59 |
| Other | £-20 | £8 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £930 | £1,108 | £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. Somerset 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 Bath 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.
bathnes.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
bathnes.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Bath is run
Does Bath have a town council?
No. Bath is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Bath?
Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat) is the MP for Bath, which covers Bath.
How many councillors does Bath have?
28 ward councillors represent Bath’s 15 wards.
When are the next elections in Bath?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Bath’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Bath?
Band D council tax in Bath is £2,318 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Bath and North East Somerset Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 40 of 59 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2023 council election in Bath?
In Bath’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 24 · Green 2 · Independent 2 of the 28 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 45.2%.
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.