← Cherwell (all cycles) · 7 May 2026 cohort

Cherwell 2026

Local elections held 7 May 2026.

16 ward races
18 seats
18 elected below the proportional quota
100.0% of seats below quota
4 unfairly awarded seats
22.2% of seats unfairly awarded

Each race compares the marginal winner's share of valid ballots to the proportional quota — the share they'd need under any common proportional method. How the numbers are derived →

If votes were counted by party

Across the 16 wards in this cycle, parties received the vote totals below. The proportional column shows what each party would have won if the 18 seats had been shared out in proportion to votes received (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented; negative are parties it under-represented.

PartyVotesVote %Seats won% of seatsProportional seatsProportional %Δ
Reform UK14,85526.1%633.3%527.8%+1
Liberal Democrats14,07024.7%844.4%527.8%+3
Conservative Party12,27821.5%211.1%422.2%-2
Green Party8,47814.9%15.6%316.7%-2
Labour Party5,0888.9%15.6%15.6%0
Independent2,1253.7%00.0%00.0%0
Animal Welfare Party890.2%00.0%00.0%0
Social Democratic Party350.1%00.0%00.0%0
Total57,018100.0%18100.0%18100.0%0

Vote share vs seats won

The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.

Vote share
Actual seats
Proportional seats

Council composition: what this election replaced

Two opencouncildata snapshots: the council immediately after the 2026 election (current) and immediately before it (2025). Only ~⅓ of seats were contested in 2026 — most of the bench is unchanged, and the cycle's effect on the overall composition is what shifts.

Current (2026)
Previous (2025)

Wards in this council

Sorted with the largest gap below the quota first. Click any ward to jump to its full result.

Race results

Banbury Cross and Neithrop · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 26.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −23.4 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,676

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Yvonne GreeneReform UK71326.6%−23.4 ptsElected
2Jose Omombo OmekandjiLabour Party64424.1%
3Jake HowardGreen Party51019.1%
4Chuk OkekeConservative Party47917.9%
5Rebecca BellLiberal Democrats1977.4%
6Simon Zachary GarrettIndependent1335.0%

Electorate 7,591 · Invalid 9 · EC ward code local.cherwell.banbury-cross-neithrop.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Cropredy, Sibfords and Wroxton · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 30.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −19.2 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,735

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Nicola Rose BorkmannLiberal Democrats1,15130.8%−19.2 ptsElected
2Mitch LeeConservative Party1,12230.0%
3Matthew Joseph Arthur TaylorReform UK94825.4%
4Rachel M A PayneGreen Party2586.9%
5Anne CullenLabour Party2215.9%
6Michael William Patrick ClyneSocial Democratic Party350.9%

Electorate 7,130 · Invalid 12 · EC ward code local.cherwell.cropredy-sibfords-wroxton.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 31.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −18.6 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,184

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Rebecca BiegelLabour Party68531.4%−18.6 ptsElected
2Koppany NagyConservative Party45620.9%
3Jack VereGreen Party42519.5%
4Chris WisemanReform UK29613.6%
5Sean MurrayLiberal Democrats1768.1%
6Cassi BellinghamIndependent1466.7%

Electorate 7,198 · Invalid 9 · EC ward code local.cherwell.banbury-grimsbury-hightown.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Deddington · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 32.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −17.5 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,985

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Eddie Fraser ReevesConservative Party1,29432.5%−17.5 ptsElected
2James Henry Dean HartleyLiberal Democrats1,17329.4%
3Gail Ann Collingwood-TurnerReform UK88522.2%
4Aaron BlissGreen Party3338.4%
5Annette MurphyLabour Party3007.5%

Electorate 7,649 · Invalid 10 · EC ward code local.cherwell.deddington.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 32.7% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −17.3 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,898

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1David Richard HingleyLiberal Democrats1,27532.7%−17.3 ptsElected
2James EdsbergConservative Party1,07127.5%
3David Andrew Collingwood-TurnerReform UK96624.8%
4Linda NewberyGreen Party3338.5%
5Helen Margaret OldfieldLabour Party2536.5%

Electorate 8,140 · Invalid 8 · EC ward code local.cherwell.adderbury-bloxham-bodicote.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Banbury Hardwick · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 34.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −15.2 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,732

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Paul JeffreysReform UK95034.8%−15.2 ptsElected
2Andrew CrichtonLabour Party70125.7%
3Simi CumberbatchGreen Party45316.6%
4Taraji OgunnubiConservative Party37113.6%
5Michael OffeiLiberal Democrats2579.4%

Electorate 7,831 · Invalid 12 · EC ward code local.cherwell.banbury-hardwick.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Kidlington East · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 35.2% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −14.8 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,992

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Fiona Valerie MawsonGreen Party1,05335.2%−14.8 ptsElected
2Adie SpittleReform UK74524.9%
3Gabriel SchenkLiberal Democrats49516.5%
4John ColegraveConservative Party47615.9%
5Gregory Michael FishLabour Party1675.6%
6Julian Martin TytherleighIndependent561.9%

Electorate 7,133 · Invalid 18 · EC ward code local.cherwell.kidlington-east.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Bicester East · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 35.2% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −14.8 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,610

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Bryonie WellsLiberal Democrats91935.2%−14.8 ptsElected
2Andrew O'GormanReform UK71927.5%
3Alex ThruppConservative Party36113.8%
4Donna FordIndependent34813.3%
5Amanda MaguireGreen Party26310.1%

Electorate 6,398 · Invalid 7 · EC ward code local.cherwell.bicester-east.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Banbury Ruscote · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 35.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −14.6 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,118

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Mark GormanReform UK75035.4%−14.6 ptsElected
2Chloe Dawn SmithLabour Party54025.5%
3Karl Michael Kazimierz KwiatkowskiGreen Party31314.8%
4Nikki PayneConservative Party30014.2%
5Julie BattisonIndependent1195.6%
6Kai Benjamin SmithLiberal Democrats964.5%

Electorate 7,460 · Invalid 10 · EC ward code local.cherwell.banbury-ruscote.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Bicester North and Caversfield · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 36.0% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −14.0 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,795

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Julius ParkerLiberal Democrats1,00636.0%−14.0 ptsElected
2Nicholas Edward MawerConservative Party70125.1%
3Alan ThomasReform UK68624.5%
4Robin Kenneth Winslow MorrisGreen Party31011.1%
5Babatunde AribisalaLabour Party923.3%

Electorate 6,783 · Invalid 5 · EC ward code local.cherwell.bicester-north-caversfield.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Launton and Otmoor · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 38.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −11.4 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,225

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Timothy Simon FaltermeyerLiberal Democrats1,24438.6%−11.4 ptsElected
2Ian Richard HodgsonReform UK87427.1%
3Andrew PayneConservative Party69221.5%
4John Robert O'ReganGreen Party2798.7%
5Naomi Celia KarslakeLabour Party1364.2%

Electorate 6,640 · Invalid 12 · EC ward code local.cherwell.launton-otmoor.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Fringford and Heyfords · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 39.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −10.5 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,476

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Jean ConwayLiberal Democrats1,37239.5%−10.5 ptsElected
2John HoneyReform UK87625.2%
3Sandy Lewis DallimoreConservative Party86825.0%
4Chris NelsonGreen Party36010.4%

Electorate 7,805 · Invalid 15 · EC ward code local.cherwell.fringford-heyfords.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Bicester South and Ambrosden · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 41.2% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −8.8 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 4,076

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Chris PrudenLiberal Democrats1,68041.2%−8.8 ptsElected
2Tom BurgessReform UK88221.6%
3Shams Ud-dinConservative Party67016.4%
4Damien MaguireGreen Party64115.7%
5Sarah FarrowLabour Party2035.0%

Electorate 11,102 · Invalid 13 · EC ward code local.cherwell.bicester-south-ambrosden.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Bicester West · 2-seat (bloc vote)

Marginal winner Voter-share estimate of the lowest-vote elected candidate. Comparable to the proportional quota. The raw vote share would be ~2× smaller. 27.6% Proportional quota 33.3% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −5.8 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 2 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 2,689

This is a 2-seat ward under bloc vote — each voter could cast up to 2 votes, so summing candidate votes overcounts voters by ~2×. We show share of votes (matches the council's published figure) and share of voters (est.) (raw share × 2, the figure comparable to the proportional quota). Why two columns →

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Share of voters (est.) Estimated share of voters who supported this candidate, comparable across single- and multi-seat wards. Each voter could cast up to 2 votes, so we approximate ballots as total votes ÷ 2. This is the figure compared against the proportional quota.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Michael WilsonReform UK75314.0%28.0%−5.3 ptsElected
2George PopescuReform UK74113.8%27.6%−5.8 ptsElected
3Dan HallettIndependent62511.6%23.2%
4Claire BrennerGreen Party60011.2%22.3%
5Jasmine Webb-MajnlundIndependent59011.0%21.9%
6Naomi Rose CrookstonLiberal Democrats58310.8%21.7%
7Matt WebbLiberal Democrats5359.9%19.9%
8Tim LobanovGreen Party3286.1%12.2%
9Marco CasoConservative Party2755.1%10.2%
10Andrew McHughConservative Party2584.8%9.6%
11Paul GrahamAnimal Welfare Party891.7%3.3%

Electorate 6,633 · Invalid 8 · EC ward code local.cherwell.bicester-west.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Kidlington West · single-seat

Marginal winner Winning candidate's share of valid ballots. 45.1% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −4.9 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 1 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,166

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Lisa SmithLiberal Democrats1,42745.1%−4.9 ptsElected
2Dave PaintinReform UK73423.2%
3Martin Frederick Bach PhillipsConservative Party54817.3%
4Amanda Jane CarpenterGreen Party45714.4%

Electorate 7,112 · Invalid 14 · EC ward code local.cherwell.kidlington-west.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Banbury Calthorpe and Easington · 2-seat (bloc vote)

Marginal winner Voter-share estimate of the lowest-vote elected candidate. Comparable to the proportional quota. The raw vote share would be ~2× smaller. 30.9% Proportional quota 33.3% Below quota Marginal winner's share minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = below; positive = above. −2.4 pts Valid ballots (est.) Estimated voters: total votes ÷ 2 seats. Source data does not publish a ballot count for this cycle. 3,987

This is a 2-seat ward under bloc vote — each voter could cast up to 2 votes, so summing candidate votes overcounts voters by ~2×. We show share of votes (matches the council's published figure) and share of voters (est.) (raw share × 2, the figure comparable to the proportional quota). Why two columns →

RankCandidatePartyVotesShare of votes Candidate votes ÷ total votes cast in this ward. Matches the share the council publishes.Share of voters (est.) Estimated share of voters who supported this candidate, comparable across single- and multi-seat wards. Each voter could cast up to 2 votes, so we approximate ballots as total votes ÷ 2. This is the figure compared against the proportional quota.Below quota Each elected candidate's share of valid ballots minus the proportional quota for this race. Negative = won the seat below the quota; positive = cleared it.Elected
1Ian HarwoodConservative Party1,29416.2%32.5%−0.9 ptsElected
2John Jefferson BrownReform UK1,23215.5%30.9%−2.4 ptsElected
3Mark NadenReform UK1,10513.9%27.7%
4Luke WhitehouseConservative Party1,04213.1%26.1%
5Sam BurnettGreen Party80210.1%20.1%
6Alex LeonovaGreen Party7609.5%19.1%
7Andrew Edwin EatonLabour Party6007.5%15.1%
8Helen MearsLabour Party5466.8%13.7%
9David Christopher PallotLiberal Democrats2433.0%6.1%
10Jacqui SmithLiberal Democrats2413.0%6.0%
11Phil RichardsIndependent1081.4%2.7%

Electorate 9,131 · Invalid 8 · EC ward code local.cherwell.banbury-calthorpe-easington.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index