Forthcoming elections
Change to SBC election cycle from Thursday, 7 May 2026
Swindon Borough Council unanimously resolved on Thursday, 12 October 2023 to move to whole council elections from May 2026.
Further information is available to view in the explanatory document (PDF).
Local Government Elections
The next scheduled elections are on Thursday, 7 May 2026 for Swindon Borough Council and all parish councils within the borough.
The Swindon Borough Council elections have 57 council positions being contested across 25 wards.
The following borough council wards (with the number of council positions for election in brackets), are being contested with nominations opening on Monday, 23 March and closing at 4.00pm on Thursday, 9 April 2026.
- Badbury Park, Eldene and Liden (3)
- Blunsdon (1)
- Broadgreen (2)
- Chiseldon and Ridgeway (2)
- Covingham and Nythe (2)
- Gorse Hill (1)
- Haydon Wick (3)
- Highworth (2)
- Kingshill (2)
- Lower Stratton (3)
- Lydiard, Freshbrook and Toothill (3)
- Old Town and Lawn (3)
- Parks (2)
- Penhill and Pinehurst (2)
- Priory Vale (3)
- Queen’s Park (3)
- Rodbourne Cheney (2)
- Rodbourne Ferndale and Western (3)
- Shaw and Westlea (3)
- South Marston (1)
- St Andrews East (2)
- St Andrews West and Tadpole (2)
- Upper Stratton (2)
- Walcot (2)
- Wroughton and Wichelstowe (3).
A nomination pack, including an election agent notification form, to stand for election to a borough ward, is now available. You can find further information on standing as a borough council candidate on the Electoral Commission website.
Prospective candidates and agents may also find the slides from the agent meeting, hosted by the Returning Officer on 25 February, useful.
You can find further information about the role of a councillor from the Local Government Association and on our becoming a councillor webpage.
We will also be holding an event on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at 6.00pm for prospective borough council candidates. This session aims to outline what it means to be a councillor, including:
- what a council does and does not do
- the different roles and responsibilities within the council
- the difference between the role of councillors and officers
- what support is available if you are elected
Anyone wishing to attend this session needs to register in advance.
A nomination pack to stand for election to a parish council is now also available. You can find further information for prospective parish council candidates on the Electoral Commission website and there is also an online training guide available for prospective parish candidates that will assist in the completion of nomination forms.
Referendums and petitions 2026
The Local Government Act 2000 requires the Council to publish a notice which sets out the minimum number of signatures which would be needed to support a valid petition requiring the Council to hold a referendum on whether the borough should change to a different form of governance. This applies to petitions to the Council, submitted between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027.