District Council Elections
One third of district council seats will be up for election in May 2026, one in each ward.
Following the resignation of two District Councillors, two by-elections will be taking place. The by-elections will be combined with the scheduled elections, meaning that two seats will be elected to in the Banbury Calthorpe & Easington, and Bicester West wards.
An online briefing for all prospective district council candidates and political agents was held on Wednesday 25 February at 5pm. Please email the Democratic and Elections team to request a copy of the presentation and access to the recording from this session.
Further information on the role of district councillor is available from the Local Government Association (LGA) website.
We are signposting the Electoral Commission nomination papers, which are available as a PDF or Word version from their website. Please note that whilst it's possible to type information into various fields on the form, they must be printed off for signatures and submission by hand.
The Electoral Commission also have a range of support materials available for prospective candidates and agents, that include:
- Detailed guidance for candidates and agents at district elections
- Advice and guidance regarding the rules on imprints on election material
- A YouTube video that highlights key points when completing a nomination paper
The Cabinet Office have updated their collection of Candidate Security Guidance. All prospective candidates are encouraged to read through the information.
The Councillors up for election are as follows:
| Ward | Councillor and Political Party/Group |
|---|---|
| Adderbury, Bloxham & Bodicote | David Hingley (Liberal Democrat) |
| Banbury Calthorpe & Easington | Ian Harwood (Conservative) |
| Banbury Cross & Neithrop | Dr Chukwudi Okeke (Conservative) |
| Banbury Grimsbury & Hightown | Rebecca Biegel (Labour) |
| Banbury Hardwick | Andrew Crichton (Labour) |
| Banbury Ruscote | Amanda Watkins (Labour) |
| Bicester East | Donna Ford (Independent; Cherwell Conservative & Independent Alliance) |
| Bicester North & Caversfield | Nick Mawer (Conservative) |
| Bicester South & Ambrosden | Chris Pruden (Liberal Democrat) |
| Bicester West | John Broad (Independent; Green & Independent Alliance) |
| Cropredy, Sibfords & Wroxton | Phil Chapman (Conservative) |
| Deddington | Eddie Reeves (Conservative) |
| Fringford & Heyfords | Barry Wood (Conservative) |
| Kidlington East | Fiona Mawson (Green; Green & Independent Alliance) |
| Kidlington West | Jean Conway (Liberal Democrat) |
| Launton & Otmoor | Gemma Coton (Liberal Democrat) |