Borough of Swindon

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]

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]

• Bishopstone (with Hinton Parva)
• Blunsdon
• Castle Eaton
• Chiseldon
• Covingham
• Hannington
• Haydon Wick
• Highworth (town and surrounding district)
• Inglesham
• Liddington
• Nythe, Eldene and Liden
• St Andrews
• South Marston
• Stanton Fitzwarren
• Stratton St Margaret
• Wanborough
• West Swindon
• Wroughton

Since 1 April 2017 the entire Borough has been parished, following the establishment of West Swindon parish and the creation of Central Swindon North and Central Swindon South[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.

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]

• History of local government in Swindon