Some might say that the by-election being held today in Rodbourne Cheney in Swindon is not important or relevant.

It is true that whatever the result will not affect the current Labour administration’s ability to get things done. If the seat, which was held by Will Stone, who is now the Labour MP for Swindon North, is won by any of the four non-Labour candidates, it will reduce council leader Jim Robbins' majority in the council chamber to 23.

If Labour holds the seat, then the administration’s will be 25,  but the reduced majority of 23 is more than enough to get any policies it wants through the chamber.

And with no council elections in Swindon until 2026, the result this week is very unlikely to materially affect that ability at all.

But the election does matter in several ways.

Firstly, councillors are the voice of the public at the council and voting in a democracy is always worthwhile.

And eyes will also turn to Rodbourne Cheney as a guide to how people are seeing not only the administration of the council – but Keir Starmer’s national government, elected by a landslide in July.

Three months on, part of the media narrative is that the Government is struggling and Mr Starmer and the national Labour Party have lost a significant amount of the goodwill it had immediately after the election.

A  defeat for the Labour candidate in Rodbourne Cheney, which has been largely a Labour stronghold, would be taken, certainly by some sections of the press and public, as confirmation of that narrative.

There are dangers in making that interpretation – the turnout in a council by-election in mid-October will be low, and it’s entirely possible that those happy with the way things are going will be less motivated to put their coat on and go out in the rain and dark to vote that those who aren’t.

Five candidates are standing: Meural Cardoso of the Labour Party, Rod Hebden of the Green Party, Sudha Sri Nukana for the Conservative Party, Independent candidate Alex Petrache and Ciaran Skinner of the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Nukana was the councillor for the ward for four years before losing her seat in May.

There are echoes in this by-election to the one held very shortly after the 2023 local elections where the labour group won power at the council.

The death within weeks of Councillor Pam Adams, in Stratton St Margaret, triggered a by-election in the ward, which was won by Conservative candidate Matt Vallender.

But any idea that the voters of Swindon were regretting putting Labour into charge was dispelled at this year’s local elections when not only was the seat in the ward won by Labour’s Councillor Simon Shelley, but Labour increased its majority in the chamber to 25.

Polls open at 7am and close at 10pm. The votes will be verified and counted immediately afterwards.

Voters in person will need an approved picture ID to be able to vote.

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