2026 Colchester City Council election

The 2026 Colchester City Council election will be held on 7 May 2026 to elect members of Colchester City Council in Essex, England. This will be on the same day as other local elections.
Due to the ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Colchester City Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority.

Summary

Background

Following the conclusion of the previous election, the council stayed under no overall control, with the Conservatives the largest party, but seven seats short of an overall majority. For the 2024-2025 period, a Liberal Democrat minority ran the council, with David King continuing as council leader. On 21 May 2025, a coalition was formed between the Liberal Democrats and Labour groups for the 2025-2026 period, with King being reconfirmed as leader at the Annual Council Meeting on the same day.