Photo: Hugh Venables · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on West Suffolk District Council
Mildenhall is run by West Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council, with Mildenhall High parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on West Suffolk District Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Suffolk County Council. Its MP is Nick Timothy (Conservative), member for West Suffolk.
£2,398
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Mildenhall’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on West Suffolk District Council
The Conservatives, the largest group, hold 22 of its 60 seats as elected, 9 short of the 31 needed. Labour holds 17, West Suffolk Independents 9, independents 8, the Greens 2, the Liberal Democrats 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Suffolk in 2021
Suffolk County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has a Conservative majority at the May 2021 election: the Conservatives won 51 of 75 seats. Suffolk ↓
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 Mildenhall’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of West Suffolk’s 60 or 38 of Suffolk’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative22
- Labour17
- West Suffolk Independents9
- Independent8
- Green2
- Liberal Democrat1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Conservative51
- Green9
- Labour6
- Liberal Democrat5
- Reform UK2
- Independent1
- West Suffolk Independents1
Latest election: May 2021.
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
Mildenhall 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.
89% of Mildenhall’s residents · Band D precept £163
The parish council for the part of Mildenhall inside Beck Row, Holywell Row and Kenny Hill parish.
Who runs Mildenhall: same source as Who runs Mildenhall, above.
The parish council for the part of Mildenhall inside Barton Mills parish.
Who runs Mildenhall: same source as Who runs Mildenhall, 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 ↗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 Mildenhall, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsMildenhall High parish councilBeck Row, Holywell Row and Kenny Hill parish councilBarton Mills parish council
- 2West Suffolk District Council5 wards · 5 councillorsDickie AlecockIan ShippMichael BradshawDon WaldronDavid Taylor
- 3Suffolk County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsLance StanburyColin Lawrence Noble
- 4Police and crime commissionerSuffolk Constabulary · elected May 2024Tim Passmore
- 5House of CommonsWest Suffolk
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.
5 councillors for 5 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.
- Dickie AlecockIndependent · May 2023
- Ian ShippIndependent · May 2023
- No election on record since May 2021
- Michael BradshawWest Suffolk Independents · May 2023
- Don WaldronWest Suffolk Independents · May 2023
- David TaylorWest Suffolk Independents · May 2023
Show as a table, with Suffolk County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mildenhall Great Heathall in Mildenhall · 3,434 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Dickie Alecock | May 2023 |
| Mildenhall Kingsway & Marketmostly in Mildenhall · 2,943 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Ian Shipp | May 2023 |
| Mildenhall Queenswayall in Mildenhall · 2,217 residents | – | No election on record since May 2021 | |
| The Rows8% in Mildenhall · 625 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Michael BradshawDon Waldron | May 2023 |
| Manor16% in Mildenhall · 465 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | David Taylor | May 2023 |
Suffolk County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mildenhall EDall in Mildenhall · 8,594 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Lance Stanbury | May 2021 |
| Row Heath ED8% in Mildenhall · 1,090 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Colin Lawrence Noble | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. West Suffolk 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).
West Suffolk council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Mildenhall, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
5 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Mildenhall’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗441 votes for candidates
592 votes for candidates
Votes not recorded
Every ward’s result (2 more)
1,738 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
697 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Mildenhall is in West Suffolk constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Mildenhall).
46,161 votes for candidates · majority 3,247
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 46,161 votes from 77,145 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 3,247 of 46,161 votes (7%): the 133rd-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.
Mildenhall’s Band D council tax is £2,409 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
West Suffolk District Council keeps £209.70 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Mildenhall High parish council, Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,398 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Mildenhall High, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Suffolk’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 Suffolk
| West Suffolk + Suffolk | Mildenhall’s councils | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £499 | £499 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £226 | £226 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £36 | £44 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £31 | £36 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £96 | £102 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £46 | £45 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £24 | £39 | £26 |
| Public health | £54 | £55 | £78 |
| Running the council | £40 | £46 | £59 |
| Other | £17 | £24 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,116 | £1,162 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: West Suffolk per its residents plus Suffolk 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. Suffolk 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 Mildenhall 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.
westsuffolk.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
westsuffolk.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Mildenhall is run
Which council runs Mildenhall?
Mildenhall is run by West Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Mildenhall have a town council?
Yes: Mildenhall has its own parish-tier council (Mildenhall High parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £163 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Mildenhall?
Nick Timothy (Conservative) is the MP for West Suffolk, which covers Mildenhall.
How many councillors does Mildenhall have?
5 ward councillors represent Mildenhall’s 5 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Mildenhall?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Mildenhall’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Mildenhall?
Band D council tax in Mildenhall is £2,398 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls West Suffolk District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 22 · Labour 17 · West Suffolk Independents 9 · Independent 8 · Green 2 · Liberal Democrat 1 · Reform UK 1 of 60 seats; a majority needs 31. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Suffolk County Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 51 of 75 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Mildenhall?
In Mildenhall’s wards on 4 May 2023, West Suffolk Independents 3 · Independent 2 of the 5 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 38.4%.
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.