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2026 Suffolk County Council election
7 May 2026
All 70 seats to Suffolk County Council 36 seats needed for a majority
Leader
Matthew Hicks
Andrew Stringer
Sarah Adams
Party
Conservative
Green
Labour
Leader since
11 May 2018
14 May 2021
December 2017
Leader's seat
Thredling
Upper Gipping
St John's
Last election
55 seats, 47.6%
9 seats, 15.0%
5 seats, 21.3%
Current seats
45
9
6
Leader
Penny Otton
Victor Lukaniuk
Party
Liberal Democrats
Independent
Leader since
7 May 2019
May 2017
Leader's seat
Thedwastre South
Brandon
Last election
4 seats, 9.9%
1 seats, 4.5%
1 seats, 0.8%
Current seats
5
4
1
Leader
Christopher Hudson
Party
Reform
Leader's seat
Belstead Brook
Last election
Did not contest
Current seats
4
Map showing the new pattern of electoral divisions for the Suffolk County Council area.
Incumbent Leader
Matt Hicks Conservative
The 2026 Suffolk County Council election will take place on 7 May 2026 as part of the 2026 local elections in the United Kingdom.
This election will be first taken after the implementation of a review by Local Government Boundary Commission for England which will reduce the number of councillors from 75 to 70. All 70 councillors are elected from 69 electoral divisions, which return either one or two county councillors each, by first-past-the-post voting.
Beccles and Kessingland is the only two-member ward, with all other wards being one-member. Voters who live in the two-member division are entitled to cast a maximum of two votes, while those living in the divisions only electing one councillor are only entitled to cast one vote.
The election was postponed from 2025 due to the 2024–present structural changes to local government in England.
Previous composition
2021 election
Party
Seats
Conservative
55
Green
9
Labour
5
Liberal Democrats
4
Independent
1
West Suffolk Independents
1
Total
75
Composition of council seats before election
Party
Seats
Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrats
Green
Independent
West Suffolk Independents
Reform
Vacant
Total
75
Changes between elections
In between the 2021 election and the 2026 election, the following council seats changed hands:
Division
Date
Previous party
New party
Cause
Resulting council composition
Con
Grn
Lab
LD
Ind
WSI
Ref
2021 Suffolk County Council election
55
9
5
4
1
1
0
Felixstowe Coastal
4 May 2023
Conservative
Liberal Democrats
Sitting councillor died. Liberal Democrats won by-election.
54
9
5
5
1
1
0
Whitehouse & Whitton
6 February 2024
Conservative
Independent
Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.
53
9
5
5
2
1
0
Pakefield
4 July 2024
Conservative
Labour
Won by-election.
52
9
6
5
2
1
0
Belstead Brook
6 September 2024
Conservative
Reform
Councillor defected to Reform UK.
51
9
6
5
2
1
1
Eastgate & Moreton Hall
21 April 2025
Conservative
Independent
Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.
51
9
6
5
2
1
1
Whitehouse & Whitton
Independent
Conservative
Councillor rejoined party.
Tower
3 July 2025
Conservative
Reform
Won by-election.
50
9
6
5
2
1
2
Tower
18 September 2025
Conservative
Independent
Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.
48
9
6
5
3
1
3
Sudbury East and Waldingfield
Conservative
Reform
Councillor defected.
Whitehouse & Whitton
30 September 2025
Conservative
Independent
Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.
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