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Wiltshire Council elections date from 2009, when theWiltshire Councilunitary authority was created.
As a result of the2009 structural changes to local government in England, the formerWiltshire County Council and the four districts within its geographical area were replaced byWiltshire Council, a unitary authority covering the same area, with elections continuing to be held every four years. A shadow authority was in place from 2008 and the first elections were held on 4 June 2009, when they coincided with an election to theEuropean Parliament. Previously, Wiltshire County Council had been elected between 1889 and 2005, initially every three years, later every four years.
The unitary authority area has 98 electoral divisions, each electing one councillor. In 2018, theLocal Government Boundary Commission for England began the first review of the divisions,[1][2] on the grounds that in two of them the number of electors deviated from the average by more than 30%.[3] Following consultations, their proposal, enacted by Parliament in March 2020 as the Wiltshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2020 and coming into effect at the 2021 elections, kept the total at 98 but redrew boundaries and renamed divisions in several areas.[4][5]
Since the first election to the council in 2009, political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[6]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 2009–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025– | |
| Year | Conservative | Liberal Democrats[a] | Labour | Reform UK | Independents & Others | Council control after election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council established by the merger of Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury and West Wiltshire (98 seats) | ||||||||
| 2009 | 62 | 24 | 2 | – | 10[b] | Conservative | ||
| 2013 | 58 | 27 | 4 | – | 9[c] | Conservative | ||
| 2017 | 68 | 20 | 3 | – | 7 | Conservative | ||
| New ward boundaries (98 seats) | ||||||||
| 2021 | 61 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 7 | Conservative | ||
| 2025 | 37 | 43 | 1 | 10 | 7 | No overall control | ||
Theleaders of the council since the council's creation in 2009 have been:[8]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Scott | Conservative | 1 Apr 2009 | 9 Jul 2019 | |
| Phillip Whitehead | Conservative | 9 Jul 2019 | 18 May 2021 | |
| Richard Clewer | Conservative | 18 May 2021 | 20 May 2025 | |
| Ian Thorn | Liberal Democrats | 20 May 2025 | ||
Jane Scott had been the last leader of the predecessorWiltshire County Council.
By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of all by-elections;[9] full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.
