The 2011 Swindon Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

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Council in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council. After the election, the composition of the council was *

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

38 * Labour 17 *

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

Background

Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 40 seats, compared to 15 for Labour and 4 for the Liberal Democrats. 20 of the 59 seats were being contested, with the winners only serving for one year as the 2012 election would see every seat being contested after boundary changes. Since the 2010 election Labour had gained Moredon in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

and had the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, former Conservative,

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

Steve Wakefield of Toothill and Westlea

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

join the party, both in November 2010. During the campaign both the national Labour leader

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for D ...

and the Labour Shadow Works and Pensions Secretary

Liam Byrne Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, previously Birmingham Ho ...

visited Swindon to support the local party.

Election result

The results saw the Conservatives stay in control of the council with 38 seats, but lose 2 seats to Labour, who moved to 17 seats. Labour gained the seats of St Philip and Walcot from the Conservatives, while coming close in Eastcott against the Liberal Democrats and in

Covingham Covingham is an eastern area of Swindon, England, which was developed in the 1960s as part of Swindon's eastward expansion towards the A419. St Paul's Church was built in 1971 and is the home of a partnership between the Church of England and ...

and Nythe, Dorcan and

Freshbrook Freshbrook is a suburb in the west of Swindon, England, close to junction 16 of the M4 motorway. Most houses in the area are found in culs-de-sac, except for those on the few main roads. The suburb is served by the shops of a small "village cent ...

and Grange Park, which were held by the Conservatives. The Labour victory in Walcot defeated the Conservative

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member Peter Mallinson, with the winning candidate Ellen Osa becoming the first female black

in Swindon. Overall turnout at the election was 38.26%, ranging from a high of 46.08% in

Highworth Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating ...

to a low of 29.62% in Parks. The outgoing leader of the Labour group, Derique Montaut, said the results meant that "For Labour it builds us up to a situation where we are moving up to 2012 and taking control of the council". However the Conservative leader of the council, Ron Bluh, said that while "It obviously wasn't one of the better nights", the seats lost had been the "two most marginal seats" and "so there's no great surprise". Following the election Jim Grant was elected as the new leader of the Labour group on the council, defeating Mark Dempsey and Bob Wright.

Ward results

References

{{United Kingdom local elections, 2011

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2010s in Wiltshire