Swindon Borough Council

Swindon Borough Council
Type
Type	Unitary authority
Leadership
Mayor	Imtiyaz Shaikh, Labour since 17 May 2024[1]
Leader	Jim Robbins, Labour since 19 May 2023
Chief Executive	Samantha Mowbray since July 2023[2]
Structure
Seats	57 councillors
Political groups	Administration (41)   Labour (41) Other parties (16)   Liberal Democrats (1)   Conservative (15)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	Plurality-at-large
Last election	2 May 2024
Next election	7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH
Website
www.swindon.gov.uk

Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. It was founded in 1974 as Thamesdown Borough Council, and was a lower-tier district council until 1997. In 1997 it was renamed Swindon Borough Council and became a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Wiltshire Council, the unitary authority which administers the rest of the county.

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2023. It is based at the Civic Offices on Euclid Street.

The town of Swindon was made a municipal borough in 1900 as a merger of the two urban districts of Old Swindon and New Swindon. Swindon was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Swindon', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.^[3]

That first borough of Swindon and its council were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Its area was merged with the neighbouring Highworth Rural District to become a new non-metropolitan district called Thamesdown.^[4][5] Thamesdown was given borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.^[6] Thamesdown Borough Council was a lower-tier district council, with Wiltshire County Council providing county-level services in the borough.

On 1 April 1997 Thamesdown was made a unitary authority, making it administratively independent from Wiltshire County Council. The way the change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county called Thamesdown covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council. Instead, the existing borough council took on county council functions, making it a unitary authority.^[7] In June 1996, during the transition period to becoming a unitary authority, the council passed an order that the borough and the new non-metropolitan county would both be renamed Swindon with effect from 1 April 1997 as well.^[8] Swindon remains part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.^[9]

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Swindon Borough is a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Swindon Borough Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and district council. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, and it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.^[10]

Since 2010, many schools in the area have become academies, with the council losing control. It was also the owner of Swindon's main bus operator, Thamesdown Transport, until 2017 when it sold the business to the Go-Ahead Group due to issues with funding.^[11] Maintenance services are usually contracted to Swindon Commercial Services (SCS), who work in partnership with the council.^[12]

The council's principal decision-making body is its cabinet, which comprises the leader and (as of 2022^[update]) nine portfolio-holding members.^[13]

The first election to Thamesdown Borough Council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Thamesdown was renamed Swindon and became a unitary authority on 1 April 1997. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:^[14]

Thamesdown Borough Council (lower tier non-metropolitan district)

Swindon Borough Council (unitary authority)

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Swindon, with political leadership instead being provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1998 have been:^[15]

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:^[16]

The next elections are due in May 2026.

The council is based at the Civic Offices on Euclid Street in Swindon.^[17] The building was built for the old municipal borough council, and had been formally opened by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 5 July 1938.^[18]

Fifty-seven councillors are elected by the borough's 20 wards for four-year terms. The entire council stands for election every four years after a 2023 change in the election structure.^[19] The next election, in which every councillor will stand, is in May, 2026.

• Official website
• Your Councillors at Swindon Borough Council