Conservative Gary Sumner is new leader of Swindon Borough Council

Swindon Borough Council Conservative Group leader Cllr Gary Sumner was elected leader of the authority earlier this afternoon at the Annual Council Meeting.

The gathering took place at a packed Civic Offices in Euclid Street, and also saw Cllr Sumner’s fellow Conservative Cllr Jake Chandler (St Andrews East) elected Deputy Leader.

Cllr Sumner, who represents the Chiseldon & Ridgeway Ward, said in his acceptance speech: “It’s a great honour to be supported by so many of you as leader of this fantastic council. I’m disappointed it couldn’t be unanimous but I thank you.

“The electorate spoke at this election and said they wanted change, and I think it shows that we have the opportunity, I hope, going forward, to be more collaborative, to share the responsibility for the running of this council. We are a minority administration. We will need to reach out to all sides to support us, and we will be grateful for that suport because it is for the good of Swindon.”

He added: “I really look forward to the four years that we have to deliver change for the people of Swindon.

“We’ve seen lots of ‘jam tomorrow’, lots of glossy brochures, pictures. What people want to see is physical change. They want to see a different approach, they want to see things happen. They don’t want to hear about something that’s going to happen in four or five years’ time.

“So we have very significant decisions to take; we have a borough council with a budget issue in terms of exceptional financial support, and that can’t continue forever. We need to make sure that this council generates additional income, and we need to make sure that we deliver the services that the people of Swindon expect.

“That’s what they’ve put us in here to do, to look after their interests. You are all ward councillors and you will do the very best for the people you represent, but we come together - as the outgoing Mayor said, we are corporate parents for looked-after children, we have numerous responsibilities which cross the borough, and which mean we’re all important in that endeavour. Everybody’s place is important.”

Earlier, outgoing Mayor of Swindon Cllr Fay Howard had handed over the role to her deputy Cllr Neil Hopkins, with Cllr Gayle Cook becoming the new Deputy Mayor.

Today’s changeover of council leaders came in the wake of the results of the local government elections which were announced a fortnight ago, and left Swindon with a hung council and also saw the election of the first Reform UK councillors in the history of the borough.

For the first time since 2012, every council seat was contended, meaning voters across the borough were asked to choose 57 councillors across 25 wards.

Because of differing ward populations, some are represented by three councillors, some two and some just one.

By the time the count at STEAM was concluded, the Conservatives had the most seats with 23, former controlling party Labour had 19, Reform UK was in third place with 14 and the Liberal Democrats had one.

The Greens failed to win a single seat.

At the previous election, at which a third of seats were contested, Labour had emerged with a clear majority on 41, while the Conservatives had 15 and the Liberal Democrats one.

Immediately prior to the most recent poll, because of a number of changes of allegiance among councillors, Labour had 34, the Conservatives 16, the Greens four, Independents two and the Liberal Democrats one.

The result of the elections earlier this month left the council without a single party having an absolute majority, meaning none was able to form the next administration on its own.

In the wake of the results being announced both Labour and the Conservatives insisted they would not do any deals with Reform UK.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Gary Sumner said at the time: “We were very excited to emerge as the largest party and our plan is to form a minority administration.”

He added that the group was having discussions this week about the support required to achieve this, and was optimistic that an agreement could be reached.

Labour Group Leader Cllr Jim Robbins, who had led the council since his party beat the Conservatives in 2023, said of the result: “I’m really proud that Swindon Labour bucked the national trend and the Labour vote around the town stayed high and we were able to win 19 seats.

“It was disappointing to see good local Councillors lose, and disappointing not to be the largest party in a hung Council.

“Our focus will remain what it has always been, fighting for the best for Swindon and its residents.

“We will be happy to speak to the other parties and see how we can work for the good of the town.

“We are proud of how we have changed the Council and put a spring back in the step of the town.

“We want to see the exciting projects we pushed for continue, and that work continues to put Swindon back on the map.”

Cllr Sara Godwin, leader of the new 14-strong Reform UK Group on the council, said at the time: “We are thrilled at the results from going from zero seats to 14.

“It is a massive result for Reform UK, being a new party and only having a Swindon Branch for a short while.

“The quality and hard work shown from our candidates was very impressive, I believe this is just the start of our strength as a party in Swindon.

“I am a little disappointed that the other parties elected have stated they will not work with Reform UK, the people have elected 14 of us, to not just sit and do nothing, but to try to work to a better Swindon.”

Local political commentators, together with many members of the public, found themselves speculating as to how the new Swindon Borough Council, whatever deals its parties might have to make, would deal with some of the most pressing issues in the town and the wider borough.

Among the most prominent of these is the major effort to regenerate the town centre by making it a more attractive place to live, work, do business, shop, dine and enjoy leisure activities.

Government funding ws recently secured to help build a new entertainment venue on the site of the former bus station which had been rendered obsolete by the completion last year of the Fleming Way redevelopment.

Another significant issue is the future of the iconic and historic Oasis Leisure Centre, which has been closed since the initial Covid lockdown.

The future of the centre remains uncertain following the partial rejection of a plan to reopen it during a contentious council planning committee meeting last year, at which the sticking point was a bid to build housing nearby.

The council’s finances are likely to be a significant source of contention in the coming months and years.

In opposition the Conservatives had been very critical of the Labour administration’s balancing of the books through a mechanism called Extraordinary Financial Support, which allows the council to bridge any budget gaps between its income and its spending by borrowing money or selling its assets.

The new administration can only function if it is able to set and have agreed a balanced budget.