Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Election 2026: Full Candidate List Unveiled
More than 80 individuals are standing for election to Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, which is projected to operate with a budget surpassing £2.6 million for the 2026/2027 financial year. The upcoming vote in May marks the fourth election for one of the United Kingdom's largest town and parish councils.
Historic Political Landscape and Current Dynamics
The council has been under Conservative control since its establishment. In the 2016 election, the Conservatives secured 18 of the 24 available seats, with four independents and two Labour councillors also elected. By 2018, the Conservative majority strengthened to 21 seats, with Labour holding the remaining three, all concentrated in the Vesey ward, and independents being eliminated. The 2022 election saw Conservatives win 20 seats, with Labour again taking four, all in Vesey ward.
Historically, only Conservative, Labour, or independent candidates have served on the town council. However, the 2026 election introduces significant changes. Reform UK is fielding candidates in every ward, though not for every seat. Labour, interestingly, is not contesting all available seats on the town council, despite competing for every seat on Birmingham City Council. Additionally, Liberal Democrat and Green Party candidates are present across various wards, with the Greens notably absent from Mere Green and Reddicap wards. This year, there are no independent candidates; all contenders are affiliated with the five major national parties.
Election Details and Candidate Breakdown by Ward
The election is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, with results expected on Friday, May 8. The vote count will be conducted at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham city centre, formerly known as the National Indoor Arena.
Four Oaks Ward (2 seats): Candidates include Neil James Brown and Danny Brian Carter (Reform UK), Jan Dewsbery and Robbie Aneel Sharma (Labour Party), Steven Enahoro and David Michael Willett (Liberal Democrats), Alex Graham (Green Party), and Mark Andrew Roberts and Simon Ward (Local Conservatives).
Mere Green Ward (2 seats): Contenders are Gavin Clement and Kerry Frater (Liberal Democrats), Terry Johnson and Simon McDonald (Labour Party), Sarah Elizabeth Myers (Reform UK), and Nitish Raut and Sam Ward (Local Conservatives).
Reddicap Ward (2 seats): Candidates include JoshuaJohn Bunting and Benjamin Godwin (Liberal Democrats), Mansoor Ahmed Butt and Sue Willetts (Reform UK), Martin Clarke and Richard Frederick Jex Parkin (Local Conservatives), and Jane Lane (Labour Party).
Roughley Ward (3 seats): Candidates are Roger Barley and Frances Heywood (Labour Party), Timothy James Cotterill (Liberal Democrats), Tristan Thomas Griffiths Hughes, Harry Parmar, and Dhiran Patel (Local Conservatives), Michael Hunt, Melissa Victoria Rooker, and Scott Wilson (Reform UK), and Esther Caroline Passingham (Green Party).
Trinity Ward (3 seats): Contenders include Michael Robert Adkins, Ben Auton, and Billy Rose (Green Party), Stephen Richard Allsop, James Andrew Ayodele Chandler, and Regine Wilber (Liberal Democrats), Mark Richard Dainty, Martin McAuley, and Michael Sidear Webb (Reform UK), and Glenton Easy, David Christopher Pears, and Terry Wood (Local Conservatives), with Joe Blenkinsop (Labour Party).
Vesey Ward (5 seats): Candidates are Rebecca Louise Clarke, Steven Wilber, and Jenny Wilkinson (Liberal Democrats), John Cooper, Makham Singh Dhaliwaal, Husham Khan, Amit Khanna, Anja Pawson, and Cindy Yip (Local Conservatives), Alex Cowley, Charlotte Julia Fieldhouse, Max William Kenneth Hatton, Manish Kumar Puri, and Paul Tomlinson (Labour Party), Graham Geoffrey Green, Gary Hall, Kirsty Holden, John Lambert, and Karen Jayne Strangward (Reform UK), and Liron Alethea Thomas Morgner (Green Party), with Allan Clive Gilbert (Independent).
Walmley and Minworth Ward (5 seats): Contenders include Leeford Allen, Tony Briggs, Robin Cook, John Perks, and Cindy Yip (Local Conservatives), David Cooke, Mark Andrew Lewis, and Benjamin Robert O'Callaghan (Liberal Democrats), Sally Jane Cope, Desmond Hayden Dobson, Peter Charles John Hinton, Claire Holton, and Peter Perryman (Reform UK), Lee John Davis and Joel Kulendran (Labour Party), and Jacqueline Patricia Spargo (Green Party).
Wylde Green Ward (2 seats): Candidates are Zoe Challenor (Green Party), Jonathan Michael Chapman (Reform UK), Clare Kathryn Horrocks and Gurmeet Singla (Local Conservatives), Adeen Irfan (Labour Party), and Malcolm Spencer and Nora Warnaby (Liberal Democrats).
This election represents a pivotal moment for Royal Sutton Coldfield, with increased party competition potentially reshaping the council's political composition and future governance.
