FOR the first time in 25 years, the Conservatives no longer run Wiltshire Council – but things are not cut and dried despite the Liberal Democrats becoming the largest party.

The makeup of Wiltshire Council is now 43 Liberal Democrats, 37 Conservatives, 7 Independents, 1 Labour, and 10 Reform UK following last week’s election.

With 43 councillors elected, the Lib Dems need at least seven more to declare an overall majority if they want to get anything done, with the council currently in a state of ‘no overall control’.

The first power test will come later this month on May 20 where the new leader and cabinet members will be formally elected.

Lib Dem leader cllr Ian Thorn spoke to your New Blackmore Vale where he expressed his party’s desire to lead the new administration and reach beyond traditional tribal politics by encouraging a more collaborative approach with other parties.

He said: “Our view is that we want to reach beyond party loyalties; we want to reach beyond tribalism and work with councillors that are happy to work with us to improve the delivery of services and improve what we do for those in Wiltshire.”

Cllr Thorn took to X yesterday to announce his cabinet- a move that could be seen as premature given the state of the council post-election.

In a surprise move, this includes Independent councillor for Melksham South Jon Hubbard, who was previously a Lib Dem councillor.

The full list of named cabinet members Picture: X/Ian Thorn

READ MORE: Key takeaways as Conservatives lose 25-year control of Wiltshire Council

As the Lib Dems have seemingly already started courting some Independents, the plan seems to be to try and win over the independent group and potentially the sole Labour councillor, Salisbury’s  Ricky Rogers, as it’s unlikely that the Conservatives or Reform UK would support Lib Dem ideas.

Another small possibility, albeit unlikely given Reform UK’s tactical approach to pounce on the decline of the Conservatives nationally, is that the Tories could theoretically find support from the 10 Reform UK councillors and some of the Independents as they look to reach 50 seats.

Ed Davey celebrating the result in Wiltshire with councillors Picture: Cllr Al Bayliss

This collaboration has been dismissed by cllr Thorn.

“I think they’re an interesting couple of bedfellows given that Reform dedicated themselves to destroy the Conservative Party – it would seem very odd then to prop up the Conservative Party in Wiltshire,” he said.

Before the elections took place across the country, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch spoke to Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, where she did not rule out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform – but did rule out a pact with Reform at a national level.

Former Conservative leader of Wiltshire Council Richard Clewer was contacted for comment.

Something the Lib Dems would be wise to heed in the state of neighbouring cash-strapped Lib Dem-run Somerset Council, which saw a 7.49% increase in council tax after rising cost pressures in children’s and adults’ social care.

Referencing this, cllr Thorn said: “The cornerstone of any good local authority is sound finances.

“People don’t donate money to Wiltshire Council – they are required by law to give it, so there’s a huge responsibility on those involved in running Wiltshire to spend that money carefully and cautiously and to invest it appropriately.

“My intention is to be prudent and to ensure we invest carefully to get the very best value for the money we have.”

Cllr Thorn believes that the national political landscape had a key part to play in how the election played out in Wiltshire.

The Conservatives took a beating in council elections across the country as the party lost control of the 16 councils it was defending, winning just one of the six mayoral contests.

Where the Conservatives fell, parties that benefitted included the Lib Dems and Reform UK – something that was replicated here in Wiltshire.

“When these elections were last fought in 2021, the Conservative Party was twice as popular as it is now,” he said. “I would imagine in many cases that people voted for Reform on their national issues rather than local.”

The Conservatives saw their number of seats at Wiltshire Council drop from 61 in the 2021 election to just 37 in 2025.