Bracknell is a constituency in Berkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by James Sunderland, a Conservative. It was created for the 1997 general election, largely replacing the abolished county constituency of East Berkshire.
Bracknell Forest Borough Council is the local authority for Bracknell Forest, a unitary authority in Berkshire, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district.
The 2015 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election took place alongside both the 2015 United Kingdom general election and other other local elections in England. With the concurrent general election, turnout was significantly up on the last local election. The Conservative Party was returned to a sixth term in office, continuing its hold on the council since its inception as a unitary authority in 1998. The Labour Party was reduced to the single seat of its group leader in Great Hollands North - its worst result since 1987.
The 2015 Guildford Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Guildford Borough Council in England as one of the 2015 local elections, held simultaneously with the General Election.
The 2018 Hammersmith and Fulham Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Hammersmith and Fulham Council in London.
The 2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England.
The 2023 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday, 4 May 2023 in England and on Thursday 18 May 2023 in Northern Ireland. These included district councils, unitary authorities, and directly elected mayors in England, and included all local councils in Northern Ireland. Notably, these elections were the first to be held under the Elections Act 2022, a new voter identification law that is controversial, meaning voters were required to show photo ID when attending a polling station.
The 2023 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023, to elect all 41 members in 15 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election took place on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2023 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with a reduction in size from 42 members elected in 2019. This is the first election since 1971 where a majority of seats are outside Bracknell. The election was held alongside concurrent town & parish council elections in Binfield, Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Warfield, and Winkfield.
The 2011 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2011, to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2011 United Kingdom local elections. Despite an increase in its popular vote, the Labour Party was reduced to 2 seats, losing its group leader, whilst the Conservative Party secured a fifth term in office.
The 2007 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2007, to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2007 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party increased its majority at the expense of both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats, the latter losing its only seat. This was the only all-out council election where the far-right British National Party put up a candidate.
The 2003 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003, to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2003 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with an increase in size from 40 members elected in 2000. The Conservative Party secured a third term in office, increasing its majority, whilst the opposition Labour Party lost its group leader. The Liberal Democrats re-entered the council for the first time at an all-out council election since 1995, and the first at which the eurosceptic UK Independence Party stood a candidate.
The 2000 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2000, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2000 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party secured a second term in office, increasing its majority. As the last council election in 1997 was held alongside the general election, turnout was sharply down.
The 1997 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 1 May 1997, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as both the 1997 United Kingdom general election and other local elections in England as part of the 1997 United Kingdom local elections, resulting in a much higher turnout of 75% compared to 1995. With the planned abolition of Berkshire County Council, Bracknell Forest would see itself transition from a district council to a unitary authority a year into the new term. Despite the landslide victory of the Labour Party in the general election, Bracknell Forest emerged as the only council in the United Kingdom to switch from outright Labour control to outright Conservative control, with the Conservative Party gaining a majority of 6. The Liberal Democrats were wiped out.
The 1995 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 4 May 1995, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England & Wales as part of the 1995 United Kingdom local elections. For the first time since 1973, the Labour Party won control of the council, decimating the Conservative Party to less than half the seats it won in 1991, with the Conservative group leader losing his seat in Great Hollands South. This remains the last time the Conservatives have lost the popular vote in a Bracknell Forest Borough Council all-out election.
The 1973 Bracknell District Council election was the first election to the newly formed Bracknell District Council in England, taking place on 7 June 1973 alongside other local elections as part of the 1973 United Kingdom local elections. Its predecessor council was Easthampstead Rural District. For the first time at a local level, the Labour Party gained control. The party benefitted from a reapportionment of seats for Bracknell town - at Easthampstead Rural District's last election in 1971, 21 of the 44 councillors represented Bracknell wards, but this now changed to 17 of 31. With just 29% of the seats, it remained the worst performance for the Conservatives in a Bracknell District or Bracknell Forest election until 2023.
The 1976 Bracknell District Council election took place on 6 May 1976, to elect all 31 members in 16 wards for Bracknell District Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections as part of the 1976 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party ousted the one-term Labour Party council, winning all but 4 of the seats, with Labour group leader Bill Lindop losing his seat of Wildridings. The Liberal Party were able to hold onto their solitary seat in Crowthorne & Easthampstead. Despite leading the Conservative group into the election, Dorothy Benwell would be replaced by newly elected Tim Wood, who subsequently became leader of the council.
The 1979 Bracknell District Council election took place on 3 May 1979, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as both the 1979 United Kingdom general election and other local elections as part of the 1979 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with an increase in size from 31 members elected in 1976. Despite losing government nationally, the Labour Party made up ground in Bracknell District from its landslide defeat in 1976. Although the Conservative Party ended up with the same number of seats as 1976, the increased size of the council saw its majority reduced. The Liberal Party lost its lone seat. This would be the last time a candidate outside the three main parties would win at an all-out election.
The 1983 Bracknell District Council election took place on 5 May 1983, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections as part of the 1983 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party won a third term in office, securing an electoral wipeout of the opposition parties by winning all 40 seats, a feat it would repeat in 1987.
The 1991 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 2 May 1991, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections as part of the 1991 United Kingdom local elections. For the first time since 1979, opposition parties re-entered the council at an all-out council election, but the Conservative Party still managed to secure a landslide victory.
