Scheduled elections

The next scheduled local government elections in the Bradford district will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

While elections took place in some parts of the country on 1 May 2025, there were no local elections in Bradford. This is because the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council has 90 councillors, with three councillors representing each ward. We elect 30 councillors each year for a 4-year term, which means in the fourth year we do not have an election (a fallow year). This is known as an election cycle by thirds.

The next planned Bradford Council elections will be on 7 May 2026 where all 90 seats will contested due to a ward boundary review.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), an independent statutory body, recently reviewed the Bradford Council ward boundaries and made recommendations that were approved by Parliament. The LGBCE has a statutory duty to review local government boundaries periodically. The ward boundaries within the Bradford district were last changed in 2004.

In May 2026 residents will vote for up to three candidates to elect councillors to the new ward arrangements.

The terms of office for each elected member will be:

• The candidate with the highest number of votes will receive a four-year term until May 2030
• The candidate with the second highest number of votes will receive a two-year term until May 2028
• The candidate with the third highest number of votes will receive a one-year term until May 2027

Scheduled elections in the Bradford district

*The last UK Parliamentary general election was on 4 July 2024. The next general election will take place in 2029, unless the Prime Minister calls it earlier than the 5-year period.

Election cycles

• District Council elections are held every year for three years and then not held in year four**
• Parish and Town Council elections are held every 4 years
• UK Parliamentary elections are held every 5 years unless the Prime Minister calls it earlier than the 5-year period
• West Yorkshire Mayoral elections are held every 4 years

**in May 2026 all 90 council seats are up for election due to ward boundary changes.