The 2026 Isle of Wight Council election took place on 7 May 2026 to elect members to Isle of Wight Council on the Isle of Wight, England. 39 seats were elected. This was on the same day as other local elections. The council remained under no overall control. At 43.6%, turnout was the highest for an all-out Isle of Wight council election, outside of a general election year, since 1993.
Prior to the election, the council was under no overall control, being run by a coalition called the "Alliance Group", comprising some of the independent councillors and the Green Party, led by independent councillor Phil Jordan.
At this election, the council remained under no overall control. Reform UK, which had only two seats immediately before the election, won nineteen seats, becoming the largest party but falling one seat short of an overall majority. The incumbent leader of the council, Phil Jordan, lost his seat. At the subsequent annual council meeting on 27 May 2026, independent councillor Jonathan Bacon was appointed as the new leader of the council with the backing of Reform UK and some of the independent councillors. All the committee chair positions were taken by either Reform or independent councillors.
Background At the 2021 election, the Conservatives lost the council to no overall control.
Council composition After 2021 election Before 2026 election Party Seats Party Seats 18 13 1 4 2 3 0 2 2 2 1 1 13 14 Vectis Party 1 Vectis Party 0Our Island 1Our IslandDissolved
Division results
Bembridge
Binstead and Fishbourne
Brading and St Helens
Brighstone, Calbourne and Shalfleet
Carisbrooke and Gunville
Central Rural
Chale, Niton and Shorwell
Cowes Medina
Cowes North
Cowes South and Northwood
Cowes West and Gurnard
East Cowes
Fairlee and Whippingham
Freshwater North and Yarmouth
Freshwater South
Haylands and Swanmore
Lake North
Lake South
Mountjoy and Shide
Nettlestone and Seaview
Newchurch, Havenstreet and Ashey
Newport Central
Newport West
Osborne
Pan and Barton
Parkhurst and Hunnyhill
Ryde Appley and Elmfield
Ryde Monktonmead
Ryde North West
Ryde South East
Ryde West
Sandown North
Sandown South
Shanklin Central
Shanklin South
Totland and Colwell
Ventnor and St Lawrence
Wootton Bridge
Wroxall, Lowtherville and Bonchurch
Aftermath With no party securing a majority, there was uncertainty about who would control the council. After the election, the 11 independent councillors organised themselves into the following groups: 6 Island First Network, 2 All for Islanders (including Cllr Karl Love), and 3 remained non-aligned. 5 of the 6 Island First Network were previously part of the Alliance group.
At its first meeting, the council elected Cllr Jonathan Bacon (non-aligned independent) as the new Leader of the Council, having previously served from 2015 until January 2017, when he resigned ahead of a budget-setting meeting. Despite being by far the largest party, Reform UK did not put forward a candidate, but instead backed Bacon, as did the Island First Network, and All for Islanders; Bacon received 28 votes to nine for Liberal Democrat rival Andrew Garratt, with two abstentions. At the same meeting, Reform and the Island First Network won all but one of the committee chairmanships, with Reform taking the majority. Reform also won the deputy leadership of the council, electing Cllr Bill Nigh. This all led to accusations that Reform and the Island First Network had done a deal to win control of the council, which Bacon would deny, saying "Some incorrect, and in some cases offensive, claims have been made of deals being done or arrangements being made prior to the council meeting on Wednesday evening. Such assertions are false and unnecessary."
See also Isle of Wight Council elections
References