Photo: Charlesdrakew · Public domainThe Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Chichester District Council
Cocking is run by Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council, with Cocking parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Chichester District Council. No party holds a majority on West Sussex County Council. Its MP is Andrew Griffith (Conservative), member for Arundel and South Downs.
£2,456
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Cocking’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Chichester District Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Chichester District Council: 25 of its 36 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 5, Local Alliance 4 and the Greens 2. 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 Cocking is £2,456 for 2026–27; Chichester District Council keeps 8% 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 Cocking’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 19 of Chichester’s 36 or 36 of West Sussex’s 70 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat25
- Conservative5
- Local Alliance4
- Green2
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
Cocking 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.
100% of Cocking’s residents · Band D precept £86
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 Cocking, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierCocking parish council
- 2Chichester District Council1 ward · 2 councillorsDominic James MerrittJess Brown-FullerHannah Burton
- 3West Sussex County Council1 division · 1 councillorYvonne Elizabeth Gravely
- 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.
2 councillors for 1 ward
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.
- Dominic James MerrittLiberal Democrat · May 2025 · by-election
- Jess Brown-FullerLiberal Democrat · May 2023
- Hannah BurtonLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table, with West Sussex County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midhurst6% in Cocking · 473 residents2 seats · May 2025, May 2023 | 2 | Dominic James Merrittby-electionJess Brown-FullerHannah Burton | May 2025, May 2023 |
West Sussex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midhurst ED4% in Cocking · 473 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Yvonne Elizabeth Gravely | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Chichester 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).
Chichester council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Cocking, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Cocking’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,087 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.
Cocking 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 Cocking).
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.
Cocking’s Band D council tax is £2,456 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Chichester District Council keeps £197.80 of a Band D bill (8%); the rest goes to the Cocking parish council, West Sussex County Council and the Sussex police and crime commissioner.
Band D since 1993
Chichester’s Band D bill has risen 59% in ten years, from £1,555.72 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £464.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Cocking, 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
| Chichester + West Sussex | Cocking’s councils | West Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £412 | £412 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £255 | £255 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £36 | £60 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £30 | £46 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £171 | £154 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £29 | £41 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £42 | £35 | £26 |
| Public health | £58 | £56 | £78 |
| Running the council | £42 | £46 | £59 |
| Other | £7 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,129 | £1,165 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Chichester 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 Cocking 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.
chichester.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
chichester.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Cocking is run
Which council runs Cocking?
Cocking is run by Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Cocking have a town council?
Yes: Cocking has its own parish-tier council (Cocking parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £86 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Cocking?
Andrew Griffith (Conservative) is the MP for Arundel and South Downs, which covers Cocking.
How many councillors does Cocking have?
2 ward councillors represent Cocking’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Cocking?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Cocking’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Cocking?
Band D council tax in Cocking is £2,456 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Chichester District Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 25 of 36 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls West Sussex County Council?
No party has a majority. 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 Cocking?
In Cocking’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 2 of the 2 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 59.7%.
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.