Swindon Borough Council votes for election every four years

A council has unanimously voted to change the way councillors are elected.

Swindon Borough Council has decided all councillors will be elected at the same time, instead of a third of the seats being contested each time.

It means local elections will be held in the borough once every four years, instead of three years out of four.

The vote at the full council meeting on Thursday night comes after a review of the voting system. It was backed by Labour and Conservative politicians.

Jim Robbins, the Labour leader of the authority, said: "I am delighted that councillors have voted to move to 'all-out' elections following our consultation with residents over the summer.

"This will allow us to work on our long-term missions to reduce inequality, achieve net zero, and build a better Swindon."

He added: "It will also have the added benefit of saving the council money".

It is estimated the change will save the council approximately £300,000 every four years.

At the same meeting, the council rejected a move to reduce the number of staff working-from-home.

Opposition Conservatives had been pushing to start persuading more council staff to return to the town centre offices to boost footfall.

But it was voted down by Labour who said it would make the council an outlier among others, and make recruitment harder.

Swindon Borough Council is one of the last councils in the West of England to abandon yearly elections.

The change will come into effect in 2026.

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