Clare Stuart-Adams held Bray for the Conservatives with 745 votes to the Lib Dems' 719. Reform UK came third on 368. Turnout was 35.93% of 5,750 voters.
The Conservatives have held the Bray seat on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council by 26 votes. Clare Stuart-Adams won the by-election on Thursday 24 September with 745 votes. Joanna Korczak, for the Liberal Democrats, was second with 719.
The Returning Officer, Stephen Evans, declared the result on 25 September. (Declaration of the result of poll, Bray ward)
The full result
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Clare Stuart-Adams | Conservative | 745 (elected) |
| Joanna Korczak | Liberal Democrat | 719 |
| William Albert Sennett | Reform UK | 368 |
| John Joseph Baldwin | the Borough First Independents | 193 |
| Nigel William Smith | Labour | 38 |
- Electorate: 5,750
- Turnout: 35.93%
- Rejected ballot papers: 2, all unmarked or void for uncertainty
The election was called after the death of Councillor Leo Walters, a Conservative who was elected to one of the ward’s two seats in 2023. (Bray Borough ward by-election, RBWM)
How it compares with 2023
Bray elects two councillors, so in May 2023 each voter had two votes. That makes a straight comparison of vote shares misleading. Comparing each party’s best-placed candidate is fairer:
| Party | Best candidate, 2023 | 2026 by-election |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 746 | 745 |
| Liberal Democrat | 317 | 719 |
| Borough First Independents | 907 | 193 |
| Reform UK | did not stand | 368 |
| Labour | 175 | 38 |
Turnout was almost the same, 35.47% in 2023 against 35.93% now.
The Conservative vote barely moved. The Liberal Democrat vote more than doubled. The Borough First Independents topped the 2023 poll with Suzanne Cross on 907 votes, but polled 193 this time. Councillor Cross, who still represents Bray, left that party in January 2025 and sits with the council’s Local Independents group, according to the council’s record of changes since 2023. (Political composition of the council, RBWM)
Does it change who runs the council?
No. The Liberal Democrats run the council with 21 of the 41 seats, and one independent councillor also sits in the Cabinet. Before the by-election the council listed the Conservatives, the main opposition, as seven councillors plus the Bray vacancy. The result restores them to eight.
The next full borough elections are in May 2027, so Councillor Stuart-Adams will face the voters again in about seven months.
What it means for you
- If you live in Bray ward, you now have two councillors again: Clare Stuart-Adams and Suzanne Cross. Both can be contacted through the council’s councillor pages.
- If you want to vote in May 2027, check you are on the electoral register. The council’s annual canvass has started, and you can register at gov.uk/register-to-vote.
- For planning decisions in and around Bray, see our Windsor planning news page.
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