Labour party wins Swindon local elections
The Labour Party holds control of Swindon Borough Council, following local elections on 2 May.
Votes were counted earlier for 19 seats, representing a third of the seats on the council.
Eleven seats changed hands; Labour took 10 seats from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats gained one vacant seat in Wroughton and Wichelstowe that had previously been held by the Conservatives.
Labour now has a nine-seat majority, with 33 seats overall. The Conservatives have 22 seats on the council and the Liberal Democrats have one seat. Elections have been taking place up and down the country in 107 local authorities across England.
Analysis from Wiltshire political reporter Dan O' Brien
Having won big last year, no one really doubted Labour would keep control of Swindon Borough Council today - with only a third of the council seats up for grabs, the numbers were clearly in their favour.
As a result the moment was barely marked in the hall at Steam Museum - because the key question was more ‘by how much?'
The answer matters not just to determine local politics, but also for voting patterns in a town that is traditionally one of the West Country’s key Labour vs Tory battlegrounds.
Among the Labour gains so far, the party has won back Liden, Eldene and Park South - an area that had switched to the Conservatives for the very first time when these seats were last contested three years ago.
There’s been a lot of talk here at Steam of that trend carrying on today - Labour winning back areas they’d lost, but perhaps also making progress in traditional Conservative areas of town.
Tory councillors here are clear they feel residents are giving their party a kicking for the national picture, with more than one citing the "Liz Truss" effect.
Turnout for Swindon Borough Council is 31%, that is down on last year but still within what is considered typical here.
Nationally, Labour has also been making gains in local elections across England - winning councils in Redditch, Rushmoor, Thurrock, and Hartlepool.
