Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the

Borough of Swindon The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England, centred on the urban area and town of Swindon and forming part of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Wiltshire. History In 1974 the Thamesdown ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England. It is a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate from the rest of Wiltshire. It was formed in 1997, replacing Thamesdown Borough Council.

Powers, functions and operations

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

, 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 Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether ...

, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a

local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. Since 2010, many schools in the area have become

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, with the council losing control. It was also the owner of Swindon's main bus operator,

Thamesdown Transport Swindon's Bus Company (formerly Thamesdown Transport) is a bus operator in England, serving Swindon and the surrounding area. Previously owned by Swindon Borough Council, in February 2017 ownership passed to the Go-Ahead Group and the operatio ...

, until 2017 when it sold the business to the

Go-Ahead Group The Go-Ahead Group plc is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Norway and Germany. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, in 2022 it was purchased ...

due to issues with funding. Maintenance services are usually contracted to Swindon Commercial Services (SCS), who work in partnership with the council. The council's principal decision-making body is its cabinet, which comprises the leader and () nine portfolio-holding members.

Elections

Fifty-seven councillors are elected by the borough's 20 wards for four-year terms. Approximately one-third of the council stands for election in rotation every year for three consecutive years, and in the fourth year there are no elections.

Wards and councillors

Notes

References

External links

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Your Councillors
at Swindon Borough Council {{Authority control Borough of Swindon Unitary authority councils of England Local education authorities in England Local authorities in Wiltshire Billing authorities in England Leader and cabinet executives