Voters across Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington went to the polls on Thursday, May 7, with 16 of the council’s 48 seats up for election and two more contested in by-elections in Banbury Calthorpe as well as Easington and Bicester West.

Local elections 2026: Cherwell District Council results (Image: Newsquest)

Before the vote, the council was led by Liberal Democrat group leader David Hingley, whose party held 17 seats in a no overall control set-up.

Following Friday’s count, the Liberal Democrats gained four seats and are now well placed to continue running the council as party leaders begin talks over whether to form a minority administration, strike an agreement with others or consider a coalition.

David Hingley, leader of the Liberal Democrats who maintained his seat in the Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote ward (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Hingley, who represents and lives in the Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote ward, said: “I’m really pleased to have been elected for a second time and I’m really thrilled to carry on representing my neighbours.”

He believes he was re-elected for being a “community champion”.

Mr Hingley said: “We really like to get stuck into our communities and I think that reflects in the seats we have gained.”

The Reform UK Party celebrating their six-seat gain on Cherwell District Council (Image: Newsquest)

Reform UK gained its first six seats on the council.

Paul Jeffreys, an engineer and former soldier, received 950 votes and gained in Banbury Hardwick over Andrew Crichton of the Labour party.

Paul Jeffreys who gained a Reform UK seat in Banbury Hardwick over the former Labour Andrew Crichton (Image: Newsquest)

He said electorates want to see change, and added: “Labour has been in since 2022 and not a lot has happened so Reform is going to stand and make a difference.

“I can see what needs to be fixed but I can’t understand why it hasn’t been. It’s not down to money, it’s down to time and resources.”

Green Party celebrate no losses on Cherwell District Council at the 2026 local elections (Image: Newsquest)

The Greens maintained their four-seat hold on the council.

Fiona Mawson, who maintained her seat in Kidlington East and gained more votes, said: “I’m really proud to be standing again. It’s a brilliant place to live and we have a great community spirit.”

On the other side of the spectrum, the Conservatives lost six of their previous 12 seats.

Eddie Reeves, leader of the opposition, who held his conservative seat in Deddington (Image: Newsquest)

Rebecca Biegel, re-elected in Banbury, Grimsbury and Hightown for Labour (Image: Newsquest)

Eddie Reeves, leader of the opposition who was re-elected in Deddington, said it was a “narrow fought campaign with a narrow win” against the Liberal Democrats with a lead of 121 seats.

While the Independents now only have one seat on the council, Labour lost two of its previous 10 seats.

Rebecca Biegel, who maintained her Labour seat in Banbury, Grimsbury and Hightown, believes her previous experience will as a serving councillor will hold her in good stead.

Voters turned out to cast their ballot at the polling stations across north Oxfordshire on Thursday (May 7) to decide on who would sit as councillors for one third of Cherwell District Council.

A total of 18 seats were up for grabs across 16 wards, with two councillors each standing in Bicester West and Banbury, Calthorpe and Easington due to byelections.

READ MORE: Local elections 2026 LIVE: Cherwell and West Oxfordshire results

Despite ruling in Westminster, Labour held just one seat across the district – Rebecca Biegel representing Banbury, Grimsbury and Hightown.

Rebecca Biegel (Labour) held her seat (Image: Alexandra Carter / Newsquest)

Eight seats went to Liberal Democrats, six to Reform, two to Conservatives, one to Labour and one to Greens.

Here are the 2026 Cherwell District Council election results in full, alphabetically by ward:

Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote:

• David Richard Hingley (Liberal Democrat) – 1275 votes – ELECTED
• James Edsberg (Conservative) – 1071 votes
• David Andrew Collingwood-Turner (Reform UK) – 966 votes
• Linda Newbury (Green Party) – 333 votes
• Helen Margaret Oldfield (Labour) – 253 votes

• Spoilt – 8

  David Hingley (Liberal Democrat), current leader of the council, held his seat (Image: Alexandra Carter / Newsquest)

Banbury, Calthorpe and Easington:
(Two candidates elected due to byelection)

• Ian Harwood (Conservative) – 1294 votes – ELECTED, four years
• John Jefferson Brown (Reform UK) – 1232 votes – ELECTED, one year
• Mark Naden (Reform UK) – 1105 votes
• Luke Whitehouse (Conservative) – 1042 votes
• Sam Burnett (Green Party) – 802 votes
• Alex Leonova (Green Party) – 760 votes
• Andrew Edwin Eaton (Labour) – 600 votes
• Helen Mears (Labour) – 546 votes
• David Christopher Pallot (Liberal Democrat) – 243 votes
• Jacqui Smith (Liberal Democrat) – 241 votes
• Phil Richards (Independent) – 108 votes
• Spoilt – 8

Banbury Cross and Neithrop:

• Yvonne Greene (Reform UK) – 713 votes – ELECTED
• Jose Omombo Omekandji (Labour) – 644 votes
• Jake Howard (Green Party) – 510 votes
• Chuk Okeke (Conservative) – 479 votes
• Rebecca Louise Marie Bell (Liberal Democrat) – 197 votes
• Simon Zachary Garrett (Independent) – 133 votes
• Spoilt – 9

Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown:

• Rebecca Biegel (Labour) – 685 votes – ELECTED
• Chris Wiseman (Reform UK) – 596 votes
• Koppany Nagy (Conservative) – 456 votes
• Jack Vere (Green Party) – 425 votes
• Sean Murray (Liberal Democrat) – 176 votes
• Cassi Bellingham (Independent) – 146 votes
• Spoilt – 9

Banbury Hardwick:

• Paul Jeffreys (Reform UK) – 950 votes – ELECTED
• Andrew Crichton (Labour) – 701 votes
• Simi Cumberbatch (Green Party) – 453 votes
• Taraji Ogunnubi (Conservative) – 371 votes
• Michael Offei (Liberal Democrat) – 257 votes
• Spoilt – 12

Banbury Ruscote:

The Cherwell District Council elections vote count at Spiceball Leisure Centre in Banbury (Image: Alexandra Carter / Newsquest)

• Mark Gorman (Reform UK) – 750 votes – ELECTED
• Chloe Dawn Smith (Labour) – 540 votes
• Karl Michael Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (Green Party) – 313 votes
• Nikki Payne (Conservative) – 300 votes
• Julie Battison (Independent) – 119 votes
• Kai Benjamin Smith (Liberal Democrat) – 96 votes
• Spoilt – 10

Bicester East:

• Bryonie Wells (Liberal Democrat) – 919 votes – ELECTED
• Andrew O’Gorman (Reform UK) – 719 votes
• Alex Thrupp (Conservative) – 361 votes
• Donna Ford (Independent) – 348 votes
• Amanda Jane Maguire (Green Party) – 263 votes
• Spoilt – 7

Bicester North and Caversfield:

• Julius Parker (Liberal Democrat) – 1006 votes – ELECTED
• Nicholas Edward Mawer (Conservative) – 701 votes
• Alan Thomas (Reform UK) – 686 votes
• Robin Kenneth Winslow Morris (Green Party) – 310 votes
• Babatunde Aribasala (Labour) – 92 votes
• Spoilt – 5

Bicester South and Ambrosden:

• Chris Pruden (Liberal Democrat) – 1680 votes – ELECTED
• Tom Burgess (Reform UK) – 882 votes
• Shams Ud-din (Conservative) – 670 votes
• Damien Maguire (Green Party) – 641 votes
• Sarah Farrow (Labour) – 203 votes
• Spoilt – 13

Bicester West:
(Two candidates elected due to byelection)

Cropredy, Sibfords and Wroxton:

• Nicola Rose Borkmann (Liberal Democrat) – 1151 votes – ELECTED
• Mitch Lee (Conservative) – 1122 votes
• Matthew Joseph Arthur Taylor (Reform UK) – 948 votes
• Rachel Payne (Green Party) – 258 votes
• Anne Cullen (Labour) – 221 votes
• Michael William Patrick Clyne (Social Democratic Party) – 35 votes
• Spoilt – 12

Deddington:

• Eddie Fraser Reeves (Conservative) – 1294 votes – ELECTED
• James Henry Dean Hartley (Liberal Democrat) – 1173 votes
• Gail Ann Collingwood-Turner (Reform UK) – 885 votes
• Aaron Bliss (Green Party) – 333
• Annette Murphy (Labour) – 300 votes
• Spoilt – 10

Fringford and Heyfords:

• Jean Margaret Conway (Liberal Democrat) – 1372 votes – ELECTED
• John Honey (Reform UK) – 876 votes
• Sandy Lewis Dallimore (Conservative) – 868 votes
• Chris Nelson (Green Party) – 360 votes
• Spoilt – 15

Kidlington East:

• Fiona Valerie Mawson (Green Party) – 1053 votes – ELECTED
• Adie Spittle (Reform UK) – 745 votes
• Gabriel William Jonathan Schenk (Liberal Democrat) – 495 votes
• John Colegrave (Conservative) – 476 votes
• Gregory Michael Fish (Labour) – 167 votes
• Julian Martin Tytherleigh (Independent) – 56 votes
• Spoilt – 18

Kidlington West:

• Lisa Smith (Liberal Democrat) – 1427 votes – ELECTED
• Dave Paintin (Reform UK) – 734 votes
• Martin Frederick Bach Phillips (Conservative) – 548 votes
• Amanda Jane Carpenter (Green Party) – 457 votes
• Spoilt – 14

Launton and Otmoor:

• Timothy Simon Faltermeyer (Liberal Democrat) – 1244 votes – ELECTED
• Ian Richard Hodgson (Reform UK) – 874 votes
• Andrew Payne (Conservative) – 692 votes
• John Robert O’Regan (Green Party) – 279 votes
• Naomi Celia Karslake (Labour) – 136 votes
• Spoilt – 12

The George at Upton in Reading Road, near Didcot, was visited by the Vale of White Horse District Council Environmental Health team on March 4.

Reporting issues with the management of food safety, the inspector on the day gave a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating to the pub.

READ MORE: Woman left with ‘serious injuries’ in Oxford police incident

However, two months later the pub has been given a second chance and has now received the maximum amount of five stars.

A statement issued on behalf of the pub said “Our owners and management take full responsibility for problems which arose during a short period when we had a number of senior staff changes, and we were updating our operating procedures, as the business developed.

“We have learned from our mistakes, and we certainly emerge a far more efficient and fully compliant operation as a result.

“We would like to thank all of our loyal customers, suppliers and friends who have been so supportive during these very difficult few weeks.”