Liberal Democrat Clare McManus has comfortably won the Coppice Valley ward by-election for Harrogate Town Council, retaining the seat for her party with 61.7% of the vote.
McManus received 579 votes in the poll held on Thursday 6 August 2026, finishing 432 votes ahead of Reform UK candidate Darren Townend, who placed second with 147.
Conservative Jonathan Shrago came third on 118 votes. Labour candidate Toby Holbrey received 48 and Green candidate Tamsin Worrall took 47.
Turnout was reported at 31%, an increase from the 26% recorded when the ward was contested at the inaugural Harrogate Town Council elections in May 2025.
Coppice Valley by-election result
| Candidate | Party or description | Votes | Vote share |
| Clare Rebecca McManus | Liberal Democrats | 579 | 61.7% |
| Darren Lee Townend | Reform UK | 147 | 15.7% |
| Jonathan Lloyd Shrago | Conservative Party | 118 | 12.6% |
| Toby Brook Holbrey | Labour Party | 48 | 5.1% |
| Tamsin Jade Worrall | Green Party | 47 | 5.0% |
Vote shares are calculated from the 939 votes reported for the five candidates and may not total exactly 100% because of rounding.
- Liberal Democrat majority: 432 votes
- Reported valid votes: 939
- Reported turnout: 31%
- Lead over Reform UK: 46.0 percentage points
Decisive Liberal Democrat hold
The Liberal Democrats went into the election defending a seat won by Austin Wildmore at the first elections to the newly created Harrogate Town Council in May 2025.
McManus not only retained the ward but substantially increased her party’s share of the vote. She secured 61.7% compared with the 40% won by Wildmore last year.
Reform UK remained in second place but its share fell from approximately 25% to 15.7%. The Conservatives again finished third, while Labour and the Greens placed fourth and fifth respectively.
McManus received more votes than all four of her opponents combined. Their combined total was 360, leaving the winner 219 votes ahead of the entire opposition field.
Comparison with the 2025 result
| Party | 2025 share | 2026 share | Change |
| Liberal Democrats | 40.0% | 61.7% | +21.7 |
| Reform UK | 24.6% | 15.7% | -9.0 |
| Conservatives | 17.2% | 12.6% | -4.6 |
| Labour | 10.1% | 5.1% | -5.0 |
| Greens | 8.1% | 5.0% | -3.1 |
Percentage-point changes are calculated from the official 2025 vote totals and the 939 votes reported in the 2026 by-election. Figures may differ slightly because of rounding.
Although every other party’s share declined, the total number of votes cast for candidates increased from 813 in 2025 to 939 at the by-election.
The Liberal Democrat vote rose from 325 to 579—an increase of 254 votes—despite standalone council by-elections often attracting limited participation.
Why was the by-election held?
The vacancy arose after Liberal Democrat councillor Austin Wildmore formally resigned from Harrogate Town Council in June.
Wildmore had been elected in May 2025 with 325 votes, defeating Reform UK, Conservative, Labour and Green opponents in the same five-party line-up.
Harrogate Town Council published a formal notice of vacancy on 4 June. Ten or more electors from Coppice Valley subsequently requested an election, preventing the seat from being filled by co-option.
North Yorkshire Council scheduled the poll for 6 August, with one town councillor to be elected.
Five candidates contested the seat
The official notice of poll listed McManus as the Liberal Democrat candidate, Townend for Reform UK, Shrago for the Conservatives, Holbrey for Labour and Worrall for the Green Party.
Two polling stations operated from the Stray Room at North Yorkshire Council’s Civic Centre in Harrogate between 7am and 10pm.
Richard Flinton, North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive, served as returning officer.
A town council result
The result relates to Harrogate Town Council, which was created in 2025 as the parish-level authority for the unparished part of Harrogate.
It should not be confused with North Yorkshire Council’s Coppice Valley and Duchy division, which covers a different electoral area and is represented separately on the unitary authority.
The by-election does not change the composition of North Yorkshire Council or representation at Westminster. It returns Coppice Valley’s town council seat to the Liberal Democrats following Wildmore’s resignation.