Photo: Ainslie · CC BY-SA 3.0No party holds a majority on Arun District Council
Barnham is run by Arun District Council and West Sussex County Council, with Barnham and Eastergate parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on either Arun District Council or West Sussex County Council. Its MP is Andrew Griffith (Conservative), member for Arundel and South Downs.
£2,481
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Barnham’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Arun District Council
No party holds a majority on Arun District Council. The Conservatives, the largest group, hold 20 of its 54 seats as elected, 8 short of the 28 needed. The Liberal Democrats hold 13, Labour 8, the Greens 6, independents 6 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
West Sussex changed hands in 2026
West Sussex County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (45 of 70 seats in 2021) to no overall control at the May 2026 election: the Liberal Democrats won 23 of 70 seats. West Sussex ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Barnham is £2,482 for 2026–27; Arun District Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 57% 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.
No party has a majority on either council
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 28 of Arun’s 54 or 36 of West Sussex’s 70 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative20
- Liberal Democrat13
- Labour8
- Green6
- Independent6
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Liberal Democrat23+11
- Reform UK23+23
- Conservative11−34
- Green7+6
- Labour5−4
- Local Alliance1no change
- Independent0−2
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
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
Barnham 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.
55% of Barnham’s residents · Band D precept £89
The parish council for the part of Barnham inside Aldingbourne parish.
Who runs Barnham: same source as Who runs Barnham, above.
The parish council for the part of Barnham inside Walberton parish.
Who runs Barnham: same source as Who runs Barnham, 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 Barnham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsBarnham and Eastergate parish councilAldingbourne parish councilWalberton parish council
- 2Arun District Council2 wards · 6 councillorsPaul AylingSue Jennifer Ellen WallsgroveAnita June LawrenceSteve McAuliffeCarol Jane BirchMelanie Jill Penycate
- 3West Sussex County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsSue Jennifer Ellen WallsgroveFrank Bonfield
- 4Police and crime commissionerSussex Police · elected May 2024Katy Bourne
- 5House of CommonsArundel and South Downs
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.
6 councillors for 2 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.
- Paul AylingGreen · May 2023
- Sue Jennifer Ellen WallsgroveGreen · May 2023
- Anita June LawrenceGreen · May 2023
- Steve McAuliffeGreen · May 2023
- Carol Jane BirchGreen · May 2023
- Melanie Jill PenycateGreen · May 2023
Show as a table, with West Sussex County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnhammostly in Barnham · 8,465 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Paul AylingSue Jennifer Ellen WallsgroveAnita June Lawrence | May 2023 |
| Arundel & Walberton20% in Barnham · 1,674 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Steve McAuliffeCarol Jane BirchMelanie Jill Penycate | May 2023 |
West Sussex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fontwell EDmostly in Barnham · 8,465 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Sue Jennifer Ellen Wallsgrove | May 2026 |
| Arundel & Courtwick ED8% in Barnham · 1,674 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Frank Bonfield | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Arun 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).
Arun council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Barnham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
2 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Barnham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗6,088 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
7,149 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.
Barnham is in Arundel and South Downs constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Barnham).
54,740 votes for candidates · majority 12,134
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 54,740 votes from 77,969 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 12,134 of 54,740 votes (22.2%): wider than in 71% 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.
Barnham’s Band D council tax is £2,482 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Arun District Council keeps £221.04 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Barnham and Eastergate parish council, West Sussex County Council and the Sussex police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,481 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Arun’s Band D bill has risen 57% in ten years, from £1,588.58 in 2016–17, in line with England’s average (56%). It was £535.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Barnham and Eastergate, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
West Sussex’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with West Sussex
| Arun + West Sussex | Barnham’s councils | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £412 | £412 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £255 | £255 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £66 | £60 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £40 | £46 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £162 | £154 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £35 | £41 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £30 | £35 | £26 |
| Public health | £55 | £56 | £78 |
| Running the council | £40 | £46 | £59 |
| Other | £21 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,163 | £1,165 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Arun per its residents plus West Sussex 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. West Sussex 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 Barnham 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.
arun.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
arun.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Barnham is run
Which council runs Barnham?
Barnham is run by Arun District Council and West Sussex County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Barnham have a town council?
Yes: Barnham has its own parish-tier council (Barnham and Eastergate parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £89 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Barnham?
Andrew Griffith (Conservative) is the MP for Arundel and South Downs, which covers Barnham.
How many councillors does Barnham have?
6 ward councillors represent Barnham’s 2 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Barnham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Barnham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Barnham?
Band D council tax in Barnham is £2,481 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Arun District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Conservative 20 · Liberal Democrat 13 · Labour 8 · Green 6 · Independent 6 · Reform UK 1 of 54 seats; a majority needs 28. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls West Sussex County Council?
As elected, Liberal Democrat 23 · Reform UK 23 · Conservative 11 · Green 7 · Labour 5 · Local Alliance 1 of 70 seats; a majority needs 36.
Who won the 2023 council election in Barnham?
In Barnham’s wards on 4 May 2023, Green 6 of the 6 seats up. The Greens 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.