Cheltenham ‘rejects politics of division’ as Lib Dems win council elections
The Liberal Democrats have retained control of Cheltenham Borough Council and “rejected the politics of division” by winning all but one of the 18 seats they were defending in the elections.
The Lib Dems, who held 36 out of the 40 seats at the Municipal Offices going into the elections, won 17 out of the 20 which were contested.
The Borough Council generally holds half-elections meaning only 20 seats were up for grabs this year.
The Greens, who held three seats going into the elections, retained St Paul’s and Prestbury, the two seats they were defending.
Meanwhile, Reform UK now has a presence on the authority by taking a seat from the Lib Dems.
Lib Dem council leader Rowena Hay (Oakley), who was not up for election this year, said she was very pleased with her party’s results and felt it was an endorsment of her group’s policies.
“I’m really proud of the campaign that we’ve run as the Liberal Democrats in Cheltenham,” she said.
“We’ve run it on honesty and. We’ve used local facts and figures, not pretended to do anything that’s above, from above up in the central government.
“This is our campaign for our residents in the communities that we all live in. So I’m really proud of that.
She also made a plea to other parties and said divisive politics does not belong in the spa town.
“Don’t misrepresent, don’t mislead,” she said.
“Be honest. If you’re honest, people might actually trust you.”
And the spa town’s Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson, a former cabinet member at the authority, echoed this sentiment and said Cheltenham had “rejected the politics of division”.
He said the result means the council can proceed with their flagship Golden Valley development which aims to create the nation’s premier hub for cyber technology next to GCHQ.
He said the huge project, which aims to provide 12,000 new jobs, was on the ballot paper this year.
“There was a party that was pledging to put a stop to the Golden Valley development,” he said.
“They think the 12,000 jobs at Cheltenham are not needed. They think we don’t need to build on our unique selling point as a cyber and tech hub.
“And they’ve been given a resounding message by the people of Cheltenham, and I’m really pleased about that.”
Mr Wilkinson went on to say he was saddened that there is now a Reform councillor on the council but he believes that result was due to the splitting of the vote.
“I think that’s very regrettable,” he said.
“But in the main, across the rest of the town, Cheltenham has rejected the politics of division and endorsed the positive Liberal Democrat message for our town.”
Green Party group leader Ashleigh Davies, who was re-elected to represent St Paul’s, said she was really glad they managed to hold the seats they won in 2024.
The focus for the party now is to build for the elections to the new shadow unitary authority next year.
“Whatever we’ve done, whatever gains we’ve made today, and hopefully we can build on those next time,” she said.
While Reform UK’s Matt Podmore said his party has had a good reception on the doorstep.
He was not ultimately elected in Swindon Village but Callum Eldridge took the Hesters Way seat for Reform UK who said he would represent everyone, not just those who voted for him.
“This is the start of a new tomorrow,” he said. “This is the start of the first time Reform has a councillor in Cheltenham.”
Ahead of the count, the Conservatives’ former group leader Tim Harman said his party had a better reception on the doorstep this year.
However, this feeling did not translate to any wins for the Tories who remain without a single councillor on the authority.
The Labour Party also failed to gain a single seat. Ahead of the results, one activist said “it is what it is”.
The new political make-up at the Municipal Offices is now 35 Liberal Democrats, three Greens, one Reform UK councillor and People Against Bureaucracy also have a seat.
The turnout in the election was 44.41 per cent this year up from 35 per cent in 2024.