What you need to know as Fareham heads into local elections
With the local elections days away, here is everything voters in Fareham need to know.
Sixteen seats will be up for grabs, and a total of 68 people have been nominated across the borough.
The Conservatives, Reform UK, and Greens are the only parties fielding a full slate of candidates in every ward. The Conservatives currently hold 24 of the 32 seats on Fareham Borough Council, the Liberal Democrats have six, while both Labour and the Independents hold one.
Voters will go to the polls on May 7 to have their say.
What happened at the last election in 2024?
In 2024, all 32 seats were contested simultaneously due to boundary changes.
The Conservatives retained overall majority control of the council, but with a reduced majority.
Conservatives: 22 seats
Liberal Democrats: Eight seats
Independent: One seat
Labour: One seat
What is expected to happen next week?
The projection for Fareham is dramatic and considered one of the most volatile councils in the south, according to PollCheck.
There is a 78 per cent chance the council changes control, with the Conservatives predicted to lose their majority.
Key battleground wards include Avenue, Titchfield, Park Gate, Sarisbury and Whiteley, and Locks Heath. Reform UK candidates are projected to win four of the 16 available seats. The party currently has no existing councillors on the borough council.
The Conservatives are predicted to lose nine seats, while the Liberal Democrats are predicted to gain four seats, alongside Reform.
There is no predicted change for Labour, which currently holds one seat.
Three Conservative incumbents are not re-standing: Roger Bird (Avenue), David Foot (Sarisbury and Whiteley), and Tiffany Harper (Titchfield), making those wards more open contests.
Since the 2024 elections
Two Liberal Democrat councillors elected in 2024, Lisa Whittle and Paul Whittle (Fareham Town and Portchester Wicor, respectively), subsequently left the party to sit as independents.
In May 2025, both joined the Conservatives.
There have been no by-elections since May 2024. The 2026 elections are expected to be the last ever for Fareham Borough Council, which is due to be abolished and replaced by a new unitary authority, joining with Portsmouth, Havant and Gosport.