Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Leeds City Council
Otley is run by Leeds City Council, with Otley parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Leeds City Council. Most of Otley is in Leeds North West (MP Katie White, Labour); 3% of residents are in Skipton and Ripon (MP Sir Julian Smith, Conservative).
£2,379
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Otley’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Leeds City Council
Labour, the largest group, holds 48 of its 99 seats as elected, 2 short of the 50 needed. The Conservatives hold 15, the Greens 12, Reform UK 9, the Liberal Democrats 6, Morley Borough Independents 3 and Social Democratic Party 3. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Otley’s wards, the Liberal Democrats took 36.4%, Reform UK took 25% and the Greens took 19.9% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Liberal Democrats had 46.9%. How Otley has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Otley is £2,373 for 2026–27; Leeds City Council keeps 80% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 60% 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.
No party has a majority
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 50 of Leeds’s 99 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour48
- Conservative15
- Green12
- Reform UK9
- Liberal Democrat6
- Garforth and Swillington Independents Party3
- Morley Borough Independents3
- Social Democratic Party3
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 Otley
One council runs every main service here.
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.
97% of Otley’s residents · Band D precept £101
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
97% of Otley’s residents
Website ↗Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Who runs Otley: same source as Who runs Otley, above.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Tracy Brabin (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.
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 Otley, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierOtley parish council
- 2Council wards2 wards · 2 councillorsColin Andrew CampbellNathan Roger Hull
- 3Mayor of West Yorkshire Combined AuthorityWest Yorkshire Combined Authority · elected May 2024Tracy Brabin
- 4Mayor of York and North Yorkshire Combined AuthorityYork and North Yorkshire Combined Authority · elected May 2024David Skaith
- 5Police and crime commissionerNorth Yorkshire Police · elected November 2021Zoe Metcalfe
- 6House 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.
2 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.
- Colin Andrew CampbellLiberal Democrat · May 2026
- Nathan Roger HullConservative · May 2022
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otley & YeadonLeeds · mostly in Otley · 14,044 residents1 seat · May 2026 | 1 | Colin Andrew Campbell | May 2026 |
| Washburn & BirstwithNorth Yorkshire · 8% in Otley · 505 residents1 seat · May 2022 | 1 | Nathan Roger Hull | May 2022 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Leeds City 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).
The Liberal Democrats have led every council vote since 2021
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Otley’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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 11.7% | 11.9% | 13.5% | 15% | 19.9% |
| Labour | 21.5% | 17.9% | 24.7% | 26.1% | 11.8% |
| Liberal Democrat | 45.2% | 44.9% | 45.5% | 46.9% | 36.4% |
| Conservative | 16.9% | 19.3% | 11.3% | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 25% |
| Yorkshire Party | 4.6% | 4.3% | 2.8% | 5.3% | 0% |
In 2026, the Liberal Democrats won 1 of the 1 seats up in Otley’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.
Leeds council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Otley, 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. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Otley’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗8,768 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Otley is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
97% of Otley’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 70% (England 60%).
Majority 11,896 of 49,777 votes (23.9%): wider than in 76% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010
3% of Otley’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 67% (England 60%).
Majority 1,650 of 53,450 votes (3.1%): the 59th-narrowest of 543 in England.
49,777 votes for candidates · majority 11,896
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 49,777 votes from 71,592 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,896 of 49,777 votes (23.9%): wider than in 76% of England’s 543 constituencies.
Skipton and Ripon
53,450 votes for candidates · majority 1,650
Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010.
turnout in July 2024: 53,450 votes from 79,238 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 1,650 of 53,450 votes (3.1%): the 59th-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.
Otley’s Band D council tax is £2,373 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Leeds City Council keeps £1,903.74 of a Band D bill (80%); the rest goes to the Otley parish council, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,379 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Leeds’s Band D bill has risen 60% in ten years, from £1,428.80 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £600.75 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Otley, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
West Yorkshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with West Yorkshire
| Leeds | Otley’s councils | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £435 | £435 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £288 | £312 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £30 | £25 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £44 | £42 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £122 | £119 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £78 | £61 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £16 | £22 | £26 |
| Public health | £79 | £89 | £78 |
| Running the council | £55 | £64 | £59 |
| Other | £-37 | £13 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,111 | £1,182 | £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 Yorkshire 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 Otley 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.
leeds.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
leeds.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Otley is run
Which council runs Otley?
Otley is run by Leeds City Council.
Does Otley have a town council?
Yes: Otley has its own parish-tier council (Otley parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £101 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Otley?
Otley is split between 2 constituencies: Leeds North West (Katie White, Labour) and Skipton and Ripon (Sir Julian Smith, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Otley have?
2 ward councillors represent Otley’s 2 wards.
When are the next elections in Otley?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Otley’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Otley?
Band D council tax in Otley is £2,379 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Leeds City Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 48 · Conservative 15 · Green 12 · Reform UK 9 · Liberal Democrat 6 · Morley Borough Independents 3 · Social Democratic Party 3 · Garforth and Swillington Independents Party 3 of 99 seats; a majority needs 50. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2026 council election in Otley?
In Otley’s wards on 7 May 2026, Liberal Democrat 1 of the 1 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 36.4%.
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.