Borough of Swindon

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"Thamesdown" redirects here. For the municipal bus company, see Thamesdown Transport.

Borough of Swindon
Unitary authority, Borough
Swindon-view crop.jpg
Shown within Wiltshire
Shown within Wiltshire
Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°W / 51.563; -1.763Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°W / 51.563; -1.763
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Ceremonial countyWiltshire
StatusUnitary authority
Admin HQSwindon
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • BodySwindon Borough Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPsRobert Buckland (C)
Justin Tomlinson (C)
Area
 • Total88.84 sq mi (230.10 km2)
Area rank152nd (of 309)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total222,193
 • Rank80th (of 309)
 • Density2,500/sq mi (970/km2)
 • Ethnicity
85.6% White British
5.4% Other White
3.9% Asian
1.71% Black British
2.0% Mixed Race
0.6% Other[1]
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code00HX (ONS) E06000030 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU164849
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England, centred on the town of Swindon and forming part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire.

History[]

In 1974 the Thamesdown district of Wiltshire was created from the areas of the municipal borough of Swindon (created 1900) and Highworth Rural District (created 1894). On 1 April 1997 it was made administratively independent of Wiltshire County Council, and its council became a unitary authority.[2] The council adopted the name Swindon on 24 April 1997. The former Thamesdown name and logo continued to be used by the municipal bus operator, Thamesdown Transport, until 2017 when it was sold and renamed to "Swindon's Bus Company".[3]

Geography[]

The borough of Swindon occupies an area forming the north east corner of Wiltshire and is bordered by two other counties, Gloucestershire (to the north) and Oxfordshire (to the east). West Berkshire is also only a short distance from the borough's south eastern tip. The generally hilly landscape is sculpted by the upper Thames guiding the northern border, small tributaries draining into the Thames, and the Marlborough Downs rising toward the south.

Map of the Borough of Swindon and major settlements

The borough encompasses the Swindon urban area and surrounding countryside to the north, east and south, including the town of Highworth. It comprises the former Swindon Municipal Borough and a further 18 civil parishes:[4][5]

Since 1 April 2017 the entire Borough has been parished, following the establishment of West Swindon parish and the creation of and [5] (styled by its parish council as South Swindon).[6][7] The two Central parishes fall within the boundaries of the town and former municipal borough, the Great Western Main Line railway forming the boundary between them.

At the same time:

  • the part of Chiseldon parish north of the M4, including the former hamlet of Coate, was transferred to Central Swindon South;
  • the parish of Blunsdon St Andrew was divided into St Andrews and Blunsdon, the A419 forming the boundary between them;
  • the parish of Nythe was expanded to form Nythe, Eldene and Liden.

Swindon Borough Council[]

See also: Swindon Borough Council elections

The council follows a leader and cabinet model[8] and has 56 elected members.[9] Elections are held in three out of every four years, with one-third of the seats being elected at each election. From the first election in 1996 to the 2000 election, Labour had a majority on the council. Following a period where no party had a majority, the Conservatives gained a majority at the 2003 election and have held control since then. As of the 2021 elections, the council is composed of the following councillors:[9]

Party Councillors
Conservative Party 36
Labour Party 20

Wards[]

The following are the electoral wards and elected members as of May 2021.[10]

Ward Councillors
Blunsdon & Highworth 3 Conservative
Central 2 Labour, 1 Conservative
Chiseldon & Lawn 2 Conservative
Covingham and Dorcan 3 Conservative
Eastcott 3 Labour
Gorse Hill and Pinehurst 3 Labour
Haydon Wick 3 Conservative
Liden, Eldene & Park South 2 Conservative, 1 Labour
Lydiard & Freshbrook 3 Conservative
Mannington & Western 3 Labour
Old Town 2 Labour, 1 Conservative
Penhill & Upper Stratton 2 Conservative, 1 Labour
Priory Vale 2 Conservative
Ridgeway 1 Conservative
Rodbourne Cheney 2 Labour, 1 Conservative
Shaw 3 Conservative
St Andrews 3 Conservative
St Margaret & South Marston 3 Conservative
Walcot & Park North 3 Labour
Wroughton and Wichelstowe 3 Conservative

Other elections[]

The borough is divided into two Parliamentary constituencies: North Swindon and South Swindon. Both are seen as key marginal seats at general elections, with both having been bellwether seats since 1997 when they were created. Currently both seats are held by the Conservative Party.

The borough was one of the first areas to declare in the 2016 European Union membership referendum. 61,745 (54.3%) voters supported leaving the European Union, whilst 51,220 (45.7%) wished to remain. Psephologist Chris Hanretty has estimated that 57.3% of voters in North Swindon supported leave, compared to 51.7% in South Swindon.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ethnic breakdown of England and Wales mapped". 18 May 2011.
  2. ^ The Wiltshire (Borough of Thamesdown)(Structural Change) Order 1995
  3. ^ "Thamesdown Transport". Archived from the original on 5 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Community governance review - next steps". swindon.gov.uk. Swindon Borough Council. March 2017. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Swindon Borough (Reorganisation of Community Governance) No. 1 Order 2017" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 19 January 2017. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2018.
  6. ^ "South Swindon Parish Council". southswindon-pc.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  7. ^ Seaward, Tom (1 November 2017). "South Swindon Parish Council responds to name change block". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Your Councillors by Party". Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Your Councillors by Ward". Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
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