Councillors are sometimes accused of behaving like unruly schoolchildren when political wrangling breaks out – but they were on their best behaviour when in-person meetings returned in an unusual setting. The first Swindon Borough Council meeting since the pandemic began took place at the Deanery Academy, rather than the civic offices, to allow for social distancing. And the town s ward representatives – sat in serried rows, as if they were in detention – were as good as gold. It was possibly the novelty of the setting at the school s theatre, the largely uncontroversial nature of the meeting – mostly procedural – or just the strange sensation of being in a room along with other people.
After a very poor showing in the local elections in Swindon, the borough’s Labour politicians are thinking hard about where the party goes from here. Labour saw any hope of challenging the Conservatives – who have been in charge of the borough council for nearly 20 years – disappear on Friday. The ruling Tory group increased its majority in the chamber from three seats to 15, taking some long-standing Labour wards in the process. But amid the shock and gloom of losing in wards such as Penhill & Upper Stratton, Rodbourne Cheney and Central, and losing veteran councillor Steve Allsopp in Liden, Eldene and Park South, there were a couple of bright spots.
Council by-election for Priory Vale date is set Voters in Priory Vale ward in Swindon will be asked to go to the polls on June 24, just seven weeks after they last voted. And it will be just 10 months before they have to vote again for candidates for the same seat. Councillor Emma Faramarzi, an Independent Tory, resigned from her role as one of the ward councillors on Monday, triggering a by-election – with the date set six weeks from now. She had hoped to have the election coincide with a new election which will be held borough- and Wiltshire-wide for a new Police and Crime Commissioner. That election has been made necessary because the winner of the vote on Thursday, Conservative Jonathon Seed, cannot take up the post owing to an old driving conviction.
Independent councillor Emma Faramarzi, formerly a Conservative, has resigned from the council The only councillor on Swindon Borough Council who is neither a Conservative nor Labour member has resigned. Emma Faramarzi was elected in 2018 as Conservative candidate for Priory Vale and had previously served in the group’s cabinet during her 10 years as a councillor – but she left last year. She has been sitting as an Independent Tory with her partner, former Conservative councillor Oliver Donachie. After Mr Donachie lost his Haydon Wick seat to a Conservative challenger in Thursday’s elections, Coun Faramarzi was the only councillor left in the new chamber of 57 councillors not to be a member of the winning Conservative group or the Labour opposition.