2026 Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election

2026 Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election

7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2030 →

Mayor before election Did not exist Elected Mayor TBD

The 2026 Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election is due to be held on 7 May 2026 to elect the first mayor of Hampshire and the Solent.

Candidates

The Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have all announced candidates. It is expected that Reform UK will also stand a candidate. ^[1]

Conservative Party

Donna Jones was selected in August 2025 in what was described as a "competitive process". ^{[2] [3]}

Name	Home Town	Experience	Announcement	Outcome of Campaign
Donna Jones	Portsmouth	Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Former Leader of Portsmouth City Council	March 2025 [4]	Selected August 2025 [2] [3]
Ranil Jayawardena	Bramley	Former Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire, Former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	July 2025 [5]	Not selected

Green Party of England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales announced that Anna Collar, who had previously stood unsuccesfutlly as the Green Candidate for New Forest West in the 2024 General Election, had been selected unopposed on 1st October 2025. ^[6]

Labour Party

Labour announced Lorna Fielker, former Leader of Southampton City Council as their candidate on November 10th. ^[1]

Name	Home Town	Experience	Announcement	Outcome of Campaign
Lorna Fielker	Southampton	Former Leader of Southampton City Council	May 2025 [7]	Selected November 2025

Liberal Democrats

Martin Tod was selected in September 2025 for the Liberal Democrats. ^[1]

Name	Home Town	Experience	Announcement	Outcome of Campaign
Ben Dowling (campaign website)	Portsmouth	Former Councillor, Portsmouth City Council, Currently Deputy-Ceo, Unloc	July 2025 [8]	Not selected
Jack Davies	New Forest	Councillor, New Forest District Council	May 2025 [9]	Not selected
Martin Tod (campaign website)	Winchester	Leader of Winchester City Council	July 2025 [10]	Selected September 2025

Independent candidates

Several independent politicians in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight criticised the £5,000 deposit required for standing, including Paul Harvey of the Basingstoke and Deane Independents, and Kevin D'Cruze who stood as an independent parliamentary candidate in Winchester in 2024. Most Hampshire councils have independent councillors. ^[11]

References

1. "Martin Tod, Winchester city council leader, to stand for regional mayor". BBC News. 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
2. "Donna Jones named as Conservative party candidate for mayor of Hampshire". The News. 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
3. "Donna Jones selected as Conservative candidate for new Hampshire mayor". Hampshire Chronicle. 2025-08-02. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
4. Hudson, Emily (13 March 2025). "Police and crime commissioner to run for mayor". BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
5. "Mayor Paul Bristow backs Ranil for Hampshire".
6. "Anna Collar Announced as Green Party Mayoral Candidate for Hampshire and Solent". Facebook . 1 October 2025.
7. Lewis, Jason (23 May 2025). "Southampton City Council leader launches bid to become Hampshire mayor". Dailty Echo. Daily Echo.
8. Dowling, Ben. bendowling.org.uk. Ben Dowling https://www.bendowling.org.uk.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. Davies, Jack. Facebook. Jack Davies https://www.facebook.com/jackdaviesld/photos/-announcement-im-putting-my-name-in-the-hat-to-be-the-liberal-democrat-candidate/1095133352433004/?_rdr.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. "Martin for More – Your choice for Mayor of Hampshire and the Solent" . Retrieved 2025-07-14.
11. "Deposit of £5,000 for Hampshire and Solent mayor criticised". BBC News. 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2025-10-14.