B&NES Council elections

Use this page to find out about why we have this type of election, and how it works. Select a topic below to read more.

The purpose of this type of election

We have local elections to choose the ward councillors for Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council. B&NES is a unitary authority which is responsible for providing all local facilities and services. It's the job of councillors to oversee the council's work, and to represent the local public interest, as well as the particular concerns of the electorate in their ward. Councillors are unpaid and work part-time, holding surgeries, special interest committee meetings and events, as well as doing work supporting local campaigns.

The Council Leader and nine other councillors form the Council Cabinet, which has regular, public meetings to make the most important local decisions. Each member of the Cabinet has a portfolio, or particular responsibilities, such as climate and sustainability, neighbourhood services, or economic development, regeneration and growth.  

Learn more about your local council

You can learn more about councillors and their work by visiting our Councillors and how the council works web pages, and explore how the council functions more broadly in the Your council and democracy section of our website. Or visit our YouTube channel, to view a variety of online meetings and webinars, and videos on topics of local concern.

View a video about why local elections are important

This video by the LSE School of Government talks about how councils affect our daily lives, and the role that local elections take in our democratic process.

How the election is run

Councillors serve for a fixed term, and we have a council election every four years, normally on the first Thursday in May. The next one is on 4 May 2023. On this day, there will be council elections in many parts of the country, and there will also be town and parish council elections in our area. 

Your ballot paper

Your local election ballot paper may look a little different from a general election one, in the following ways:

• There are often more candidates in local elections than in general elections.
• Your ballot paper will tell you how many votes you can make, so read it carefully before voting. In this type of election, the number of votes depends on the number of councillor vacancies there are for your ward. Typically, this will be one or two.
• You don't have to use all of your possible votes, if you don't want to. So, for example, you may have two votes, but only choose to use one of them.

The result is decided using a 'First-Past-The-Post' voting system: all of the votes are counted, and the candidates with the most votes are elected.

Current elected representatives

Each of the 33 wards in Bath and North East Somerset is represented by one or two councillors, making a total of 59 councillors in all. Of the councillors currently elected, the majority belong to a political party.

You can find out more about the current B&NES councillors or find your ward councillor on the Your council and democracy part of our website. 

Find a local councillor

Use this tool to see who represents your ward. 

Previous election results

The last Bath & North East Somerset Council election was on 2 May 2019. View detailed results by ward. 

For more information about the next B&NES council election, and everything you need to know to take part, please visit our webpage on 4 May local elections.

If you're considering becoming a ward councillor, you can view our step-by-step guide to Standing as a candidate.