Photo: Christopher Hilton · CC BY-SA 2.0Ely and East Cambridgeshire was decided by 495 votes in 2024
Newmarket is run by West Suffolk District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Suffolk County Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, with Newmarket parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on either West Suffolk District Council or East Cambridgeshire District Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Suffolk County Council. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Cambridgeshire County Council. Most of Newmarket is in West Suffolk (MP Nick Timothy, Conservative); 11% of residents are in Ely and East Cambridgeshire (MP Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat).
£2,434
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Newmarket’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on West Suffolk District Council
No party holds a 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 ↓
Cambridgeshire changed hands in 2025
Cambridgeshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from no overall control to a Liberal Democrat majority at the May 2025 election: the Liberal Democrats won 31 of 61 seats. Cambridgeshire ↓
A close seat
Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat) won Ely and East Cambridgeshire by 495 votes in July 2024, 0.95% of votes cast: the 18th-narrowest result of 543 in England. Parliament ↓
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 Newmarket’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of West Suffolk’s 60 or 15 of East Cambridgeshire’s 28 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.
- Conservative14
- Liberal Democrat14
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
Newmarket 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 Newmarket’s residents · Band D precept £190
The parish council for the part of Newmarket inside Woodditton parish.
Who runs Newmarket: same source as Who runs Newmarket, above.
The parish council for the part of Newmarket inside Cheveley parish.
Who runs Newmarket: same source as Who runs Newmarket, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
89% of Newmarket’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Newmarket: same source as Who runs Newmarket, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
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 Newmarket, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsNewmarket parish councilWoodditton parish councilCheveley parish council
- 2Council wards4 wards · 8 councillorsConservative 4 · Labour 3 · Reform UK 1 · West Suffolk Independents 1 · all 9
- 3Suffolk County Council3 divisions · 3 councillorsAndy DrummondRachel HoodJonny Edge
- 4Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined AuthorityCambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority · elected May 2025Paul Bristow
- 5Police and crime commissionerSuffolk Constabulary · elected May 2024Tim Passmore
- 6Police and crime commissionerCambridgeshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Darryl Preston
- 7House of CommonsSplit between 2 constituencies
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.
8 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.
- Kevin YarrowLabour · May 2023
- Charlie LynchConservative · May 2023
- Michael AndersonWest Suffolk Independents · May 2023
- Janne Nicholas JarvisLabour · May 2023
- Adrian Lawson WhittleReform UK · September 2025 · by-election
- Susan Jane PerryLabour · May 2023
- Rachel HoodConservative · May 2023
- Alan Gordon SharpConservative · May 2023
- James LayConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Suffolk County Council’s 3 divisions (3 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmarket WestWest Suffolk · all in Newmarket · 5,713 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Kevin YarrowCharlie Lynch | May 2023 |
| Newmarket NorthWest Suffolk · all in Newmarket · 5,677 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Michael AndersonJanne Nicholas Jarvis | May 2023 |
| Newmarket EastWest Suffolk · all in Newmarket · 5,376 residents2 seats · September 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Adrian Lawson Whittleby-electionSusan Jane PerryRachel Hood | September 2025, May 2023 |
| WooddittonEast Cambridgeshire · 32% in Newmarket · 2,091 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Alan Gordon SharpJames Lay | May 2023 |
Suffolk County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmarket and Red Lodge EDmostly in Newmarket · 11,053 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Andy Drummond | May 2021 |
| Exning and Newmarket EDmostly in Newmarket · 5,713 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Rachel Hood | May 2021 |
| Woodditton ED17% in Newmarket · 2,091 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Jonny Edge | May 2025 |
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 Newmarket, 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 Newmarket’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,675 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,433 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
1,827 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (1 more)
3,086 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.
Newmarket is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Conservative, MP since 4 July 2024
89% of Newmarket’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 60% (England 60%).
Majority 3,247 of 46,161 votes (7%): the 133rd-narrowest of 543 in England.
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024
11% of Newmarket’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 66% (England 60%).
Majority 495 of 52,369 votes (0.95%): the 18th-narrowest of 543 in England.
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.
Ely and East Cambridgeshire
52,369 votes for candidates · majority 495
Liberal Democrat, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 52,369 votes from 79,112 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 495 of 52,369 votes (0.95%): the 18th-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.
Newmarket’s Band D council tax is £2,436 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 Newmarket parish council, Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,434 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Newmarket, 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 | Newmarket’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 Newmarket 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 Newmarket is run
Which council runs Newmarket?
Newmarket is run by West Suffolk District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Suffolk County Council and Cambridgeshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Newmarket have a town council?
Yes: Newmarket has its own parish-tier council (Newmarket parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £190 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Newmarket?
Newmarket is split between 2 constituencies: West Suffolk (Nick Timothy, Conservative) and Ely and East Cambridgeshire (Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Newmarket have?
8 ward councillors represent Newmarket’s 4 wards, and 3 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Newmarket?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Newmarket’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Newmarket?
Band D council tax in Newmarket is £2,434 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 East Cambridgeshire District Council?
As elected, Liberal Democrat 14 · Conservative 14 of 28 seats; a majority needs 15.
Who won the 2023 council election in Newmarket?
In Newmarket’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 4 · Labour 3 · West Suffolk Independents 1 of the 8 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 42.9%.
Is Ely and East Cambridgeshire a marginal seat?
Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat) won it by 495 votes in July 2024, 0.95% of votes cast: the 18th-narrowest result of 543 in England.
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.