Swindon Council elections: All you need to know

Swindon Borough Council has been a unitary authority since 1997

On Thursday 2 May there will be local government elections to decide who will represent the people of Swindon.

Only a third of the seats will be contested, which has been the case since the council became known as Swindon Borough Council in 1997.

Not everyone will have a chance to vote but the vast majority of people will.

This will be the last time that only a third of seats are elected as the process is set to change in May 2026 and there will be no council elections next year.

Here are a few things you might want to know about the Swindon election:

A third of the council seats are up for election this time

Who can I vote for?

One seat is available in all wards expect Chiseldon and Lawn where there are none, and Wroughton and Wichelstowe where there are two.

The second vacancy there is down to the resignation of sitting Conservative councillor Dave Martyn.

Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats will field a candidate in each seat, with the Green Party standing in half the available seats.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition will have five candidates and Reform UK one.

A full list of candidates can be found here.

What's the background?

Labour took control of the council in 2023 and then, in October, the council unanimously agreed to change voting so all seats will be elected in one go - a move to whole council elections, every four years.

Alongside this decision, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is reviewing Swindon's wards due to electoral inequality in two wards: St Andrews ward, which has too many electors, and Wroughton and Wichelstowe ward, which has too few.

The electoral review is looking at the number of councillors, number of wards, boundaries between wards, names of each wards and number of councillors elected to each ward.

Any changes would be introduced to coincide with the introduction of the new election cycle in 2026.

In Swindon, 20 seats out of 57 are being voted on

Will the council change hands again this time?

It is theoretically possible. But it is not expected.

The Conservatives would need to win every seat up for election to regain control of the council.

Labour has a majority of nine currently on the council. 20 seats out of 57 are being voted on.

15 of those seats were held by the Conservatives so they would need to keep hold of all those, plus win all five of the other seats available to regain a majority.

Possible but unlikely.

The current council make-up includes 32 Labour, 23 Conservative and one Liberal Democrat and one Independent.

What are the issues for the council?

Local councils have many responsibilities.

They manage waste disposal, are responsible for local transport, the maintenance of roads and pavements, running the library service, parks and green spaces, as well as planning applications.

Like many local authorities across the West, and the UK, Swindon is struggling to balance the books.

The budget in February set out nearly £20m of savings with more than £5m of council reserves earmarked to help fill the gap.

Savings will include cuts to libraries and community transport and streetlights will be dimmed or turned off for periods to reduce energy bills.

There will also be an overhaul of adult and children's care services, with further savings planned from 2025-27.

When is the vote?

Voting takes place on Thursday 2 May between 07:00 and 22:00 BST, although postal votes can be cast before then.

If you are planning to vote in person you will need to take identification, as per the new rules introduced last year.