Harborough residents vote in favour of a new town council

A non-binding referendum was held yesterday (April 30) to allow residents to share their views on whether to establish a new parish council for the Market Harborough area.

The result from this poll show 86 per cent of the 4,935 residents who took part voted in favour of the new council.

Why was the referendum called?

Because of the national local government reorganisation plans, which could see the end of district councils, many district councils around the country have been looking at whether to create or change new parish councils in the unparished parts of their area.

Market Harborough does not have a parish council, meaning that the district council provides services such as parks, play areas, cemeteries and bus shelters that in other parts of the district would be provided by a parish council.

The referendum was triggered in November 2025 when Harborough District Council received a petition, signed by more than 1,800 people, calling on them to look into whether Harborough should have its own parish council.

These results will now be presented to the next working party meeting on May 6 and then to council in June.

Results

The numbers below show the cumulative results across all five polled areas of Market Harborough.

• Total Electorate: 20,544
• Total Votes Cast: 4,935
• Turnout: 24 per cent
• ‘Yes’ Votes: 4,243 (86 per cent)
• ‘No’ Votes: 685 (14 per cent)
• Rejected Ballot Papers: 7

The results for each individual area and further information around the Market Harborough Community Governance Review can be found online at https://www.harborough.gov.uk/cgr25