The 2026 Swindon Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2026 to elect councillors to Swindon Borough Council in Wiltshire, England. The election was on the same day as other local elections across England. All seats were contested; this was the first all-out election since 2012.
Prior to the election, the council was under Labour majority control. At this election, the council went under no overall control. The Conservatives overtook Labour to become the largest party. They subsequently formed a minority administration. The Conservative group leader, Gary Sumner, was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 22 May 2026 with the support of his own party and Reform UK.
Background At the previous council election, Labour kept overall majority control of the council with 41 out of 57 seats, with the Conservatives having 15 seats. In 2025, four Labour councillors defected to the Green Party.
New warding came into effect at these elections.
Previous council composition After 2024 election Before 2026 electionChange Party Seats Party Seats 41 34 7 15 16 1 0 4 4 1 1 0 2 2
Changes 2024–2026 +NameDateFromToWardReasonWill StoneSeptember 2024LabourVacantRodbourne CheneyResignation after being elected to Swindon North in the UK Parliament.Sudha Nukana17 October 2024VacantConservativeGained ward from Labour in a by-election.Matt LodgeMarch 2025LabourIndependentHaydon WickLeft the Labour Party to sit as independents.Ian EdwardsSeptember 2025Priory ValeSean WilsonLydiard and FreshbrookRepi BegumOctober 2025GreenLydiard and FreshbrookDefected to the Green Party.Tom ButcherSt Margaret and South MarstonIan EdwardsIndependentPriory ValeJoined the Green Party.Rob HeathNovember 2025LabourDefected to the Green Party. Results summary Turnout was 43.7%, well up from the 31.0% in 2024.
No party won a majority in the Swindon Borough Council, but the Conservative Party had the highest absolute number of councillors, followed closely by the Labour Party and Reform, who had 23, 19 and 14 seats respectively. As a result, a coalition between Conservative and Labour was formed.https://www.swindon24.co.uk/news/politics/reform-turns-to-ex-tory-councillor-as-swindon-faces-coalition-style-politics/ https://www.pollcheck.co.uk/council-projections/swindon/#/swindon
Ward results
Candidates for each ward were confirmed on 9 April 2026.
Badbury Park, Eldene & Liden
Blunsdon
Broadgreen
Chiseldon & Ridgeway
Covingham & Nythe
Gorse Hill
Haydon Wick
Highworth
Kingshill
Lower Stratton
Lydiard, Freshbrook & Toothill
Old Town & Lawn
Parks
Penhill & Pinehurst
Priory Vale
Queen's Park
Rodbourne Cheney
Rodbourne Ferndale & Western
Shaw & Westlea
South Marston
St Andrews East
St Andrews West & Tadpole
Upper Stratton
Walcot
Wroughton & Wichelstowe
Notes
References