Photo: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0The Conservatives hold a majority on Wychavon District Council
Defford is run by Wychavon District Council and Worcestershire County Council, with Defford parish council for local matters. The Conservatives have a majority on Wychavon District Council. No party holds a majority on Worcestershire County Council. Its MP is Dame Harriett Baldwin (Conservative), member for West Worcestershire.
£2,356
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Defford’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Wychavon District Council
The Conservatives hold a majority on Wychavon District Council: 27 of its 43 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 7, the Greens 6, Labour 1, independents 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Worcestershire changed hands in 2025
Worcestershire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (43 of 57 seats in 2021) to no overall control at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 26 of 57 seats. Worcestershire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Defford is £2,356 for 2026–27; Wychavon District Council keeps 5% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 53% 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 Defford’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Wychavon’s 43 or 29 of Worcestershire’s 57 seats to run the council alone.
- Conservative27
- Liberal Democrat7
- Green6
- Independent1
- Labour1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK26+26
- Conservative12−31
- Green8+3
- Liberal Democrat7+4
- Independent2no change
- Labour2−2
Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 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
Defford 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 Defford’s residents · Band D precept £53
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 Defford, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierDefford parish council
- 2Wychavon District Council1 ward · 1 councillorPaul Middlebrough
- 3Worcestershire County Council1 division · 1 councillorAdrian Ingleby Hardman
- 4Police and crime commissionerWest Mercia Police · elected May 2024John-Paul Campion
- 5House of CommonsWest Worcestershire
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.
1 councillor 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.
- Paul MiddlebroughConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Worcestershire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eckington22% in Defford · 607 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Paul Middlebrough | May 2023 |
Worcestershire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bredon ED7% in Defford · 607 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Adrian Ingleby Hardman | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Wychavon 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).
Wychavon council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Defford, 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 Defford’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,078 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Defford is in West Worcestershire constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Defford).
54,687 votes for candidates · majority 6,547
Conservative, MP since 6 May 2010.
turnout in July 2024: 54,687 votes from 79,246 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,547 of 54,687 votes (12%): the 233rd-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.
Defford’s Band D council tax is £2,356 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Wychavon District Council keeps £128.21 of a Band D bill (5%); the rest goes to the Defford parish council, Worcestershire County Council, the West Mercia police and crime commissioner and the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
Wychavon’s Band D bill has risen 53% in ten years, from £1,551.20 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £517.50 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Defford, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Worcestershire’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 Worcestershire
| Wychavon + Worcestershire | Defford’s councils | Worcestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £455 | £456 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £281 | £279 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £59 | £61 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £28 | £38 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £150 | £125 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £44 | £40 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £33 | £25 | £26 |
| Public health | £68 | £66 | £78 |
| Running the council | £43 | £65 | £59 |
| Other | £70 | £31 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,230 | £1,186 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Wychavon per its residents plus Worcestershire 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. Worcestershire 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 Defford 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.
wychavon.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
wychavon.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Defford is run
Which council runs Defford?
Defford is run by Wychavon District Council and Worcestershire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Defford have a town council?
Yes: Defford has its own parish-tier council (Defford parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £53 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Defford?
Dame Harriett Baldwin (Conservative) is the MP for West Worcestershire, which covers Defford.
How many councillors does Defford have?
1 ward councillors represent Defford’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Defford?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Defford’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Defford?
Band D council tax in Defford is £2,356 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Wychavon District Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 27 of 43 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Worcestershire County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Reform UK 26 · Conservative 12 · Green 8 · Liberal Democrat 7 · Labour 2 · Independent 2 of 57 seats; a majority needs 29.
Who won the 2023 council election in Defford?
In Defford’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 1 of the 1 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 34.3%.
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.