Cheltenham Local Elections 2026: Complete Candidate List for Borough Council

Voters in Cheltenham will go to the polls on May 7, 2026. Twenty of the council’s 40 seats are contested in this round.

Overview

The borough council is currently under Liberal Democrat control. The pre-election composition is 36 Liberal Democrats, three Green Party councillors and one People Against Bureaucracy member.

Major parties have fielded candidates across wards. Filmogaz.com has compiled the full candidate details.

Issues and party positions

Conservatives say they want to restore accountability and revive the town centre. They call for reopening the Swindon Road tip and targeted parking reductions.

The Green Party points to its three councillors as the local opposition. Greens focus on protecting green spaces and challenging asset disposals.

Labour highlights transparency and social housing protection. They propose reopening the recycling centre and careful planning for unitary reorganisation.

Liberal Democrats stress local economic projects and housebuilding. They cite Golden Valley, junction 10 work, low-carbon homes, and parks awarded Green Flag status.

Reform UK criticises long Liberal Democrat control. They highlight council debt and rising council tax in their campaign message.

Ward candidates

This is the complete candidate list for the Borough Council contests in Cheltenham Local Elections 2026.

• All Saints.

  Hod Birkby (Reform UK) and James Dyson (Green).

  Diana Hale (Labour), Gill Hewlett (Conservative) and Izaac Tailford (Liberal Democrats).

• Battledown.

  Chris Clinton (Conservative) and Chris Day (Liberal Democrats).

  Marcia Jacko (Reform UK), Lukshayini Manimaran (Labour) and Liam Pem (Green).

• Benhall, the Reddings and Fiddler’s Green.

  Dan Collins (Conservative) and Emily Fairburn (Green).

  Maggie Humphries (Reform UK) and Stephen Steinhardt (Liberal Democrats).

• Charlton Kings.

  Matt Babbage (Conservative) and Den Jeffreys-Jones (Reform UK).

  Jon Perera (Green), Ella Rees (Labour) and Arthur Snell (Liberal Democrats).

• Charlton Park.

  Kevin Bowden (Reform UK) and John Bride (Labour and Co-operative).

  Elliot Craddock (Conservative), Steve Harvey (Liberal Democrats) and Kes Steger (Green).

• College.

  Garth Barnes (Liberal Democrats) and Maureen McNall (Reform UK).

  Adam Moliver (Labour), Rich Newman (Conservative), Stephen Reid (Heritage) and Naomi Seadon (Green).

• Hesters Way.

  Benjamin Botchway (Liberal Democrats) and Samuel Coxson (TUSC).

  Callum Eldridge (Reform UK), Wendy Flynn (Green), Clive Harriss (Labour) and Alex Miller (Conservative).

• Lansdown.

  Dean Botterill (Reform UK) and Jamie Jamieson (Liberal Democrats).

  Ed Joy (Green) and Pippa Mason (Conservative).

• Leckhampton.

  Stephen Bajdala-Brown (Reform UK) and Julie Chandler (Liberal Democrats).

  Philip Cole (Labour), Peter Frings (Green) and Nick Saywell (Conservative).

• Oakley.

  Maureen Dodwell (Reform UK) and Roy Hewlett (Conservative).

  Alisha Lewis (Liberal Democrats) and Nathan Weller (Green).

• Park.

  Kevin Boyle (Labour) and Andrew Dempsey (Reform UK).

  Tim Harman (Conservative), Karen Priest (Liberal Democrats) and Karen Wilson (Green).

• Pittville.

  Alan Davis (Conservative) and Martin Glozier (Labour).

  Cecily Henderson (Liberal Democrats), Ashley Mills (Reform UK) and Jamal Rahman (Green).

• Prestbury.

  Lance Fletcher (Reform UK) and Jan Foster (Green).

  Ben Ingram (Liberal Democrats) and Chris Mason (Conservative).

• Springbank.

  Sarp Cetin (Green) and David Edgar (Christian Peoples Alliance).

  Peter Jeffries (Liberal Democrats), Haydn Pearl (Reform UK) and Helen Shill (Conservative).

• St Mark’s.

  Julie Farmer (Labour) and Antony Fillingham (Reform UK).

  Colin Parsons (Conservative), Richard Pinegar (Liberal Democrats) and Kieran Scott (Green).

• St Paul’s.

  Steve Buckley (Reform UK) and Ashleigh Davies (Green).

  Cathal Lynch (Liberal Democrats), Christopher Meehan (Labour) and Sandra Parsons (Conservative).

• St Peter’s.

  Cathy Dearden (Liberal Democrats) and Michael Farmer (Labour).

  Anthony Green (Reform UK), John Jarvis (Green), Billy Jones (TUSC) and Risha Santilal (Conservative).

• Swindon Village.

  Ian Cameron (Green) and Ed Hazzan (Conservative).

  Chris Johnson (Labour), Richard Lawler (Liberal Democrats) and Matthew Podmore (Reform UK).

• Up Hatherley.

  Joshua Godfrey (Conservative) and Elizabeth Johnson (Green).

  Julie Sankey (Liberal Democrats) and Tristram Torrance (Reform UK).

• Warden Hill.

  Georgie Bass (Conservative) and David Dodwell (Reform UK).

  Ned Holt (Labour), Tony Oliver (Liberal Democrats) and Sarah Quekett (Green).

What to expect

Polling day on May 7 will decide half of the council seats. The result could affect the council’s direction.

Filmogaz.com will report results and track any shifts in control after votes are counted.