Swindon Borough Council

Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate from the rest of Wiltshire. It was formed in 1997, replacing Thamesdown Borough Council.

Swindon Borough Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1997[lower-alpha 1]
Preceded byThamesdown Borough Council
Wiltshire County Council
Leadership
Mayor of Swindon
Cllr Kevin Parry, Conservative
since 16 May 2019
Leader of the Council
Cllr David Renard, Conservative
since 11 April 2013
Chief executive
Susie Kemp
since 13 July 2018
Structure
Seats57 councillors
Political groups
Administration
     Conservative (29)
Other parties
     Labour (25)
     Liberal Democrat (2)
     Independent (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Last election
3 May 2018 (19 seats)
Next election
2 May 2019 (19 seats)
Meeting place
Civic Offices, Swindon
Website
www.swindon.gov.uk

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Swindon Borough is a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Swindon Borough Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.

Operations

The council is responsible for numerous operations in Swindon. These include schools, libraries, waste disposal and road maintenance. Since 2010, many schools in the area have become academies, with the council losing control. It was also the owner of Swindon's main bus operator, Thamesdown Transport, until 2017 when it sold them to the Go-Ahead Group due to issues with funding.[1] Maintenance services are typically contracted to Swindon Commercial Services (SCS), who work in partnership with the council.[2]

Notes
  1. Borough council gained unitary authority functions.
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References
  1. "Swindon council sells loss-making Thamesdown Transport bus firm". BBC News. 3 February 2017.
  2. Swindon Borough Council. "Tenders and contract opportunities". Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
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