The Liberal Democrats have made significant gains in the Melksham area following last week’s local elections, as the Conservatives lost overall control of Wiltshire Council.
The Lib Dems, who held no seats in the area at the last election, won three of the six Wiltshire Council seats covering Melksham. They gained Melksham East, Melksham Forest, and narrowly took Melksham Without West and Rural from long-serving Conservative councillor Jonathon Seed, who also lost his seat at Bromham Parish Council.
In Melksham East, Charlie Stokes replaced Mike Sankey, who was elected as a Conservative in 2021 but left the party in 2023 to sit as an ungrouped councillor. Mike Sankey stood for Reform UK in Calne this year and was elected there.
In Melksham Forest, Jennie Westbrook took the seat for the Liberal Democrats, while Andrew Griffin secured a victory for the party in Melksham Without West and Rural.
Getting stuck in
Councillor Jennie Westbrook, said, “It’s really great that we’ve managed to take three of the seats. I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in. My biggest thing for Melksham Forest was that I felt it hadn’t had the right representation for the last four years. I don’t think that we had a councillor who was particularly present. So, I really want to make sure that I’m in the community. It’s my community.
“That’s why I stood there, and I want to make sure that the people in Melksham Forest have their voice heard.”
Conservatives Nick Holder (Bowerhill) and Phil Alford (Melksham Without North and Shurnhold) were both re-elected, while Independent Jon Hubbard narrowly held on in Melksham South, just ahead of both the Conservative and Reform UK candidates.
Reform UK made a significant impact across the area, particularly in Melksham South and Melksham Without West and Rural, where they secured strong vote shares. This follows the national trend, with the party also making significant gains in other regions.
Conservatives suffer heavy losses
The results in Melksham reflect the wider shift across Wiltshire, where the Conservatives suffered heavy losses, falling from 61 seats in 2021 to 37 – a drop of 24 seats. The Liberal Democrats are now the largest party on Wiltshire Council with 43 seats, while Reform UK, standing in their first county council election, gained 10 seats.
Since no party has achieved overall control (enough seats to hold a majority), discussions are expected to take place in the coming days to determine how the authority will be run going forward.
On Melksham Town Council, the only contested seat saw Conservative Phil Alford and Liberal Democrat Saffi Rabey elected. In all other town council wards and all Melksham Without Parish Council wards, the number of candidates did not exceed the available seats, so those candidates are elected unopposed.
Wiltshire Council election results in full:
Melksham East
Gillian Elson (Con) 206
Gary Fossey (Ind) 109
Charlie Stokes (LD) 383
Angela Wallace (Ref) 262
Turnout: 23.35%
Melksham Forest
Rachel Edwards (Grn) 73
Jack Oatley (Con) 218
Tracey Toomey (Ref) 332
Jennie Westbrook (LD) 457
Turnout: 27.63%
Melksham South
Jenny Crossley (LD) 172
Simon Crundell (Con) 339
Roderick Eaton (Ref) 331
Jon Hubbard (Ind) 362
Steve Petty (Grn) 55
Turnout: 32.69%
Melksham Without North & Shurnhold
Phil Alford (Con) 645
Pat Aves (LD) 388
David Hathway (Ref) 262
Turnout: 35.65%
Melksham Without West & Rural
Andrew Griffin (LD) 567
Jon Leach (Ref) 357
Jonathon Seed (Con) 561
Suzi Shingler (Grn) 82
Turnout: 41.25%
Pictured: The LibDem winning candidates on Wiltshire Council – Charlie Stokes, Jennie Westbrook and Andrew Griffin with Saffi Rabey who was elected onto Melksham Town Council
Support Melksham News
Help us keep your community connected and informed.
Local news is under pressure more than ever. Choose a monthly subscription or a one-off donation to support independent reporting in Melksham.
Send us your news!
Help us keep your community connected and informed.
Do you have an interesting story you would like to share? Have you seen something you feel needs more attention? Get in touch with a reporter today!
✉️ Click here to get in touch with a reporter
