Photo: Griffp · CC BY-SA 4.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council
Swindon is run by Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council, with Swindon parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council. No party holds a majority on Gloucestershire County Council. Its MP is Cameron Thomas (Independent), member for Tewkesbury.
£2,375
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Swindon’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Cheltenham Borough Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Cheltenham Borough Council: 36 of its 45 seats as elected. The Greens hold 3, Reform UK 1 and People Against Bureaucracy Group 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Gloucestershire in 2025
Gloucestershire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has no overall control at the May 2025 election: the Liberal Democrats won 27 of 55 seats. Gloucestershire ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Swindon’s wards, the Liberal Democrats took 37.8%, Reform UK took 28.8% and the Greens took 22.7% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, the Liberal Democrats had 59.3%. How Swindon has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Swindon is £2,375 for 2026–27; Cheltenham Borough Council keeps 11% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 54% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Swindon’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 23 of Cheltenham’s 45 or 28 of Gloucestershire’s 55 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat36
- Green3
- People Against Bureaucracy Group1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2026.
- Liberal Democrat27
- Reform UK11
- Green9
- Conservative6
- Independent1
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2025.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Swindon has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
100% of Swindon’s residents · Band D precept £19
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Swindon, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierSwindon parish council
- 2Cheltenham Borough Council1 ward · 2 councillorsRichard LawlerFlo ClucasFrank John Allen
- 3Gloucestershire County Council1 division · 1 councillorIan Cameron
- 4Police and crime commissionerGloucestershire Constabulary · elected May 2024Chris Nelson
- 5House of CommonsTewkesbury
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
2 councillors for 1 ward
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Richard LawlerLiberal Democrat · May 2026
- Flo ClucasLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Frank John AllenLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table, with Gloucestershire County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon Village10% in Swindon · 517 residents2 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 2 | Richard LawlerFlo ClucasFrank John Allen | May 2026, May 2024 |
Gloucestershire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prestbury & Swindon Village ED5% in Swindon · 517 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Ian Cameron | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Cheltenham Borough Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
The Liberal Democrats have led every council vote since 2024
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Swindon’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.
Seats won at each election
Show as a table
| Party | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 24.9% | 22.7% |
| Liberal Democrat | 59.3% | 37.8% |
| Conservative | 15.8% | 7.9% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 28.8% |
In 2026, the Liberal Democrats won 1 of the 1 seats up in Swindon’s wards.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.
Cheltenham council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Swindon, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Swindon’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,602 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Swindon is in Tewkesbury constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Swindon).
48,539 votes for candidates · majority 6,262
Independent, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 48,539 votes from 73,458 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,262 of 48,539 votes (12.9%): the 252nd-narrowest of 543 in England.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Swindon’s Band D council tax is £2,375 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Cheltenham Borough Council keeps £252.11 of a Band D bill (11%); the rest goes to the Swindon parish council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Gloucestershire police and crime commissioner.
Band D since 1993
Cheltenham’s Band D bill has risen 54% in ten years, from £1,541.24 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £534.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Swindon, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Gloucestershire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Gloucestershire
| Cheltenham + Gloucestershire | Swindon’s councils | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £404 | £404 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £294 | £294 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £69 | £82 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £20 | £31 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £135 | £142 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £52 | £34 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £23 | £26 | £26 |
| Public health | £50 | £50 | £78 |
| Running the council | £74 | £57 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £1 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,171 | £1,170 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Cheltenham per its residents plus Gloucestershire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Gloucestershire and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Swindon is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
cheltenham.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
cheltenham.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Swindon is run
Which council runs Swindon?
Swindon is run by Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Swindon have a town council?
Yes: Swindon has its own parish-tier council (Swindon parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £19 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Swindon?
Cameron Thomas (Independent) is the MP for Tewkesbury, which covers Swindon.
How many councillors does Swindon have?
2 ward councillors represent Swindon’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Swindon?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Swindon’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Swindon?
Band D council tax in Swindon is £2,375 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Cheltenham Borough Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 36 of 45 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Gloucestershire County Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 27 · Reform UK 11 · Green 9 · Conservative 6 · Labour 1 · Independent 1 of 55 seats; a majority needs 28.
Who won the 2026 council election in Swindon?
In Swindon’s wards on 7 May 2026, Liberal Democrat 1 of the 1 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 37.8%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.