Photo: Roger D Kidd · CC BY-SA 2.0Labour holds a majority on the City of Wolverhampton Council
Bilston is run by the City of Wolverhampton Council and Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. Labour has a majority on the City of Wolverhampton Council. Reform UK has a majority on Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. Its MP is Pat McFadden (Labour), member for Wolverhampton South East.
£2,549
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Bilston’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on the City of Wolverhampton Council
Labour holds a majority on the City of Wolverhampton Council: 37 of its 60 seats as elected (it held 47 before the May 2026 election). Reform UK holds 12, the Conservatives 11. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Bilston’s wards, Reform UK took 42.5%, Labour took 24.9% and the Greens took 14.4% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Reform UK had 0%. How Bilston has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Bilston is £2,539 for 2026–27; the City of Wolverhampton Council keeps 87% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 59% 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 on Bilston’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 31 of Wolverhampton’s 60 or 31 of Walsall’s 60 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour37−10
- Reform UK12+11
- Conservative11−1
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
- Reform UK40
- Conservative10
- Walsall Community Independents Party8
- Independent1
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2026.
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 Bilston
One council runs every main service here.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
89% of Bilston’s residents
Website ↗Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Who runs Bilston: same source as Who runs Bilston, above.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Richard Parker (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
All of Bilston is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself and no parish precept is added to the 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 Bilston, from the most recent elections.
- 1Council wards4 wards · 12 councillorsLabour 10 · Reform UK 5 · all 15
- 2Mayor of West Midlands Combined AuthorityWest Midlands Combined Authority · elected May 2024Richard Parker
- 3Police and crime commissionerWest Midlands Police · elected May 2024Simon John Foster
- 4House of CommonsWolverhampton South East
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.
12 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.
- Micky ThomasReform UK · May 2026
- Rashpal KaurLabour · May 2024
- Stephen SimkinsLabour · May 2023
- Jilly WildmanLabour · May 2023
- Anita StanleyReform UK · May 2026
- Leigh Lisa Jayne NewLabour and Co-operative · May 2024
- Linda Mary LeachLabour · May 2023
- Susan RobertsLabour · May 2023
- Rohit MistryLabour · May 2023
- Jeszemma Rose HowlLabour · May 2026
- Zee RussellLabour and Co-operative · May 2024
- Jenny CockayneLabour · May 2023
- Peter Raymond BurtonReform UK · May 2026
- David John BaileyReform UK · May 2026
- Jenny NockReform UK · May 2026
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilston SouthWolverhampton · all in Bilston · 14,428 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Micky ThomasRashpal KaurStephen SimkinsJilly Wildman | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Bilston NorthWolverhampton · mostly in Bilston · 9,658 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Anita StanleyLeigh Lisa Jayne NewLinda Mary LeachSusan RobertsRohit Mistry | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Ettingshall NorthWolverhampton · 40% in Bilston · 5,957 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Jeszemma Rose HowlZee RussellJenny Cockayne | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Darlaston SouthWalsall · 23% in Bilston · 3,963 residents3 seats · May 2026 | 3 | Peter Raymond BurtonDavid John BaileyJenny Nock | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. City of Wolverhampton 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).
Labour led each vote to 2024; Reform UK led in 2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Bilston’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 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 3% | 0% | 14.4% |
| Labour | 70.6% | 74.9% | 24.9% |
| Independent | 0% | 0% | 8.4% |
| Conservative | 23.8% | 25.1% | 8.7% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 42.5% |
In 2026, Reform UK won 5 and Labour won 1 of the 6 seats up in Bilston’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.
Wolverhampton council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Bilston, 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. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Bilston’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,989 votes for candidates
3,392 votes for candidates
2,651 votes for candidates
Every ward’s result (1 more)
8,778 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Bilston is in Wolverhampton South East constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Bilston).
33,382 votes for candidates · majority 9,188
Labour, MP since 5 May 2005.
turnout in July 2024: 33,382 votes from 77,473 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 9,188 of 33,382 votes (27.5%): wider than in 82% 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.
Bilston’s Band D council tax is £2,539 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
City of Wolverhampton Council keeps £2,209.30 of a Band D bill (87%); the rest goes to the West Midlands police and crime commissioner and the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,549 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Wolverhampton’s Band D bill has risen 59% in ten years, from £1,591.87 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £554.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Wolverhampton, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
West Midlands’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,000.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with West Midlands
| Wolverhampton | Bilston’s councils | West Midlands | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £524 | £502 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £348 | £351 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £36 | £92 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £51 | £59 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £96 | £111 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £63 | £46 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £19 | £16 | £26 |
| Public health | £108 | £106 | £78 |
| Running the council | £50 | £41 | £59 |
| Other | £86 | £25 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,379 | £1,349 | £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. West Midlands 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 Bilston 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.
wolverhampton.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
wolverhampton.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Bilston is run
Does Bilston have a town council?
No. Bilston is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Bilston?
Pat McFadden (Labour) is the MP for Wolverhampton South East, which covers Bilston.
How many councillors does Bilston have?
12 ward councillors represent Bilston’s 4 wards.
When are the next elections in Bilston?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Bilston’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Bilston?
Band D council tax in Bilston is £2,549 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls the City of Wolverhampton Council?
Labour has a majority: 37 of 60 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 40 of 60 seats as elected.
Who won the 2026 council election in Bilston?
In Bilston’s wards on 7 May 2026, Reform UK 5 · Labour 1 of the 6 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 42.5%.
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.