NALC election analysis shows fewer vacancies left on parish and town councils

Our new analysis of the May 2026 parish and town council elections has highlighted positive signs for the sector, with fewer councils becoming inquorate and fewer councils left with vacancies following the elections.

Working with the Democracy Club, we have published our latest analysis of parish and town council election results, providing one of the most comprehensive national pictures of this year's elections. The data covers 15 county areas, 33 principal authorities and an estimated 376 parish and town councils, with a 100% data return from the areas where elections took place.

The analysis shows that just 2.2% of parish and town councils that held elections in May 2026 became inquorate following the elections, a slight improvement on 2025 (2.43%). There was also a reduction in the number of councils left with vacancies after the elections, falling from 74% in 2025 to 68% this year.

The findings also show an increase in the number of parish and town councils with councillors elected on a party-political ticket. Twelve per cent of councils holding elections in 2026 had at least some councillors elected on a party-political basis, compared with 5.8% in 2025.

While the proportion of contested elections fell to 12%, compared with 21% in 2025, uncontested elections remain a longstanding feature of parish and town council elections and reflect the local and community-focused nature of the sector. We continue to encourage more people from all backgrounds and experiences to consider serving their communities by becoming a parish and town councillor.

As in previous years, the analysis has been produced in partnership with the Democracy Club, which gathered election data directly from principal authorities. With no single national dataset available for parish and town council election results, the collaboration provides valuable insight into trends across the sector and enables meaningful year-on-year comparisons.

Alongside the headline findings, the published analysis includes detailed breakdowns by principal authority and county area, covering inquorate councils, contested elections, vacancies, vacant seats and councillors elected on a party-political ticket.