Your council
Wakefield: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council: Metropolitan district (unitary), England, Yorkshire and The Humber; part of the WYCA combined authority. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Road maintenance: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Primary school places: Applications for service
- Secondary school places: Applications for service
- Library facilities: Providing information
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Wakefield for 2026–27: £1,891.63 of a £2,296.89 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Changes to schools in this area recorded by the Department for Education Updated automatically
No school here is currently recorded as proposed to open or close.
In the last twelve months: 3 opened (2 new provision, 1 academy converter), 4 closed (2 result of amalgamation/merger, 1 closure, 1 academy converter)
- Compass Community School Hemsworth — closed; reason recorded: closure, 31 March 2026
- Normanton Altofts Junior School (primary) — closed; reason recorded: academy converter, 31 March 2026
- Wakefield Girls' High School — closed; reason recorded: result of amalgamation/merger, 1 September 2026
- Wakefield Grammar Pre-Preparatory School — closed; reason recorded: result of amalgamation/merger, 1 September 2026
- Altofts Junior Academy (primary) — open; reason recorded: academy converter, 1 April 2026
- Hammer Lane Academy — open; reason recorded: new provision, 11 February 2026
- Wragby School — open; reason recorded: new provision, 8 September 2026
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | £244.3 million |
| Highways and transport services | £13.7 million |
| Children's social care | £101.9 million |
| Adult social care | £170.2 million |
| Public health | £38.5 million |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £13.8 million |
| Cultural and related services | £24.2 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £55.3 million |
| Planning and development services | £8.7 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £32.9 million |
| Other services | none budgeted |
| Total service expenditure | £703.5 million |
Wakefield in numbers
- Total population
- 367,666 people
- Median age
- 40 years
- Gross disposable household income per head
- £21,460
- Gross median weekly pay
- £595
- Children in relative poverty after housing costs
- 27.5%
- Claimant Count
- 3.5%
- Average house price
- £199,347
- Housing affordability ratio (residence-based)
- 5.8 affordability ratio
- Female healthy life expectancy
- 53.8 years
- Male healthy life expectancy
- 54.0 years
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- 4.8 tCO2e per capita
- Gigabit capable broadband
- 95.3%
- Public electric vehicle chargers
- 98.2 per 100,000 population
- Active businesses
- 10,935 number of enterprises
Who runs the council
63 seats in 2026. Run by: Reform UK, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Reform UK 58, Liberal Democrats 2, Labour Party 1, Green Party (E&W) 1, Conservative and Unionist 1.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 63 councillors, by ward
- Chad Thomas (Reform UK) — Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton
- Kevin Atcheson (Reform UK) — Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton
- Rhys Carr (Reform UK) — Ackworth, North Elmsall & Upton
- Adam Freer (Reform UK) — Airedale & Ferry Fryston
- Carrie Gledhill (Reform UK) — Airedale & Ferry Fryston
- Dion Lowe (Reform UK) — Airedale & Ferry Fryston
- Jamie McGrevy (Reform UK) — Altofts & Whitwood
- John Thomas (Reform UK) — Altofts & Whitwood
- Michelle Keeley (Reform UK) — Altofts & Whitwood
- Brett Muscroft (Reform UK) — Castleford Central & Glasshoughton
- Mike Forrester (Reform UK) — Castleford Central & Glasshoughton
- Sandra Forrester (Reform UK) — Castleford Central & Glasshoughton
- Bev Watkins (Reform UK) — Crofton, Ryhill & Walton
- Penny Ashton (Reform UK) — Crofton, Ryhill & Walton
- Steve Ashton (Reform UK) — Crofton, Ryhill & Walton
- Gilly Womack (Reform UK) — Featherstone
- Jacob Padget (Reform UK) — Featherstone
- James Mulligan (Reform UK) — Featherstone
- Heidi Craig (Reform UK) — Hemsworth
- Joanne Chambers (Reform UK) — Hemsworth
- Matthew Caton (Reform UK) — Hemsworth
- Ian Johnson (Reform UK) — Horbury & South Ossett
- Julian Carter (Reform UK) — Horbury & South Ossett
- Teresa Dytor (Reform UK) — Horbury & South Ossett
- Adele Hayes (Liberal Democrats) — Knottingley & Ferrybridge
- Rachel Speak (Liberal Democrats) — Knottingley & Ferrybridge
- William Garbutt (Reform UK) — Knottingley & Ferrybridge
- Cliff Parsons (Reform UK) — Normanton
- Lukasz Borcz (Reform UK) — Normanton
- Steven Lewis (Reform UK) — Normanton
- Brian Moorhouse (Reform UK) — Ossett
- David Hunter (Reform UK) — Ossett
- Nick Farmer (Reform UK) — Ossett
- Christopher Dawson (Reform UK) — Pontefract North
- Craig Smith (Reform UK) — Pontefract North
- Jordan Bedford (Reform UK) — Pontefract North
- Keith Anderson (Reform UK) — Pontefract South
- Michael Livsey (Reform UK) — Pontefract South
- Philip Booth (Reform UK) — Pontefract South
- David Pringle (Reform UK) — South Elmsall & South Kirkby
- James Crashley (Reform UK) — South Elmsall & South Kirkby
- Matthew Pinder (Reform UK) — South Elmsall & South Kirkby
- Geoffrey Johnston (Reform UK) — Stanley & Outwood East
- John Evans (Reform UK) — Stanley & Outwood East
- Karl Johnson (Reform UK) — Stanley & Outwood East
- Mohammed Ayub (Labour Party) — Wakefield East
- Steve Parker (Reform UK) — Wakefield East
- Wayne Beddoes (Reform UK) — Wakefield East
- Andrew Wakefield (Reform UK) — Wakefield North
- Kate Dodd (Green Party (E&W)) — Wakefield North
- Troy Moxon (Reform UK) — Wakefield North
- Ansar Hayat (Reform UK) — Wakefield Rural
- James Johnston (Reform UK) — Wakefield Rural
- Rebecca Webster (Reform UK) — Wakefield Rural
- Cliff Gurdin (Reform UK) — Wakefield South
- Ian Fletcher (Reform UK) — Wakefield South
- Nadeem Ahmed (Conservative and Unionist) — Wakefield South
- Gareth Thomas (Reform UK) — Wakefield West
- Paul Jackson (Reform UK) — Wakefield West
- Samantha Harvey (Reform UK) — Wakefield West
- David Dews (Reform UK) — Wrenthorpe & Outwood West
- Graham Ridler (Reform UK) — Wrenthorpe & Outwood West
- Ian Sheldrake (Reform UK) — Wrenthorpe & Outwood West