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All of the 42 seats at the local authority are up for grabs this time around as opposed to previous years where only a third were up almost every year.
This means there is a chance for the ruling Slough Labour Group, which has run the council for most of its 26-year life as a unitary, could lose its grip on the local authority.
The Labour-run council effectively declared bankruptcy in 2021 after it amassed a £760m borrowing bill due to poor record keeping. It has hiked up council tax by 10 per cent and is selling up to £600m of assets.
An election was held last year, which was by thirds as opposed to all-out, where Labour managed to keep most of the seats.
READ MORE: Slough Borough Council elections 2023: Meet the candidates
But this year could be different, and the Tories hope to capitalise on the council’s financial crisis again this year. Their strategy also compromises of putting forward ex-Labour councillors or candidates who have defected from the Slough Labour Group in protest of the financial mismanagement.
Will this be enough for the Conservatives to gain control? The Local Democracy Reporting Service has analysed which wards to look out for on counting day.
But before we start, some things to know.
The council’s current political make-up consists of 35 Labour, five Conservative, and two Independent.
Secondly, Slough has seen internal ward boundary changes – meaning areas have been shifted to create 21 wards as opposed to 16 and will be represented by two councillors each instead of three.
This means it will be somewhat difficult to tell in some areas if Labour or the Conservatives will retain or gain in some wards as some areas have been split, such as Britwell and Northborough or Haymill and Lynch Hill.
But without further ado, here are the wards to look out for on count day, which is May 5 – a day after polling day.
Cippenham Green
The political fight in Cippenham Green will probably be the most interesting out of the lot this year.
Not only is it a test of faith in council and Labour leader James Swindlehurst, who has been spearheading the council since 2017, but he also faces some formidable opponents.
Cllr Wayne Strutton has been representing the Haymill and Lynch Hill ward as a Conservative and has even been the Tory leader for a few years. However, he recently broke off from the group to stand as an Independent after criticised the group’s “misgivings” and his “unacceptable” running mate.
When he spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Strutton said he “always intended” to run against Cllr Swindlehurst and because this year’s an all-out election, it seemed like a prime opportunity to do so.
Both Cllr Strutton and Cllr Swindlehurst have butted heads several times in the past led to some very heated arguments over an array of issues surrounding finances and governance.
Not only that, former Labour councillor and mayor Ishrat Shah has entered into the fray but this time as a Conservative.
The Cippenham Green ward is projected to stay Labour, but it will be an interesting battle, nonetheless.
It could comically end up being Cllrs Swindlehurst and Strutton as ward colleagues as opposed to sworn enemies.
Colnbrook with Poyle
Under the ward boundary changes, Colnbrook with Poyle largely stayed the same so as not to disturb the parliamentary boundary changes that have been conducted.
This has been a historic battleground between Labour and the Tories over the years – with the ward only turning fully blue last year when Puja Bedi defeated her Labour rival Avtar Cheema.
But Mrs Cheema is back and with a vengeance to take back her seat.
The question that falls upon Conservative leader and Colnbrook with Poyle candidate Dexter Smith as well as Cllr Bedi is that have they done enough to retain the ward.
Haymill
Haymill and Lynch Hill have historically been run by the Tories. But due to the ward boundary changes, the ward has been split into two.
This could go either way for the Conservatives – very badly or very well.
Cllrs Paul Kelly and Anna Wright have held onto the Haymill and Lynch Hill ward for a number of years respectively, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see their grip on the newly formed Haymill ward maintained.
But Labour has decided to put veteran councillor Satpal Parmar, who has been an elected member for over 20 years, up as a candidate in Haymill.
While that doesn’t mean it will spell the end of the Tories’ reign in Haymill, it might see fewer votes going their way.
The four Langley wards
The Langley area has been split into four wards as opposed to three as part of the boundary review.
Langley has always been a hot battleground between Labour and the Conservatives – and with different areas absorbed into the respective Langley wards, it could be either parties gain or lost.
In 2021, Langley Kedermister Cllr Chandra Muvvala (Con) surprised everyone when he defeated his Labour rival Michael Holledge by just 37 votes.
In other wards, Labour managed to win by the skin of their teeth, such as the Langley St Mary’s ward.
And of course, we cannot forget about the Independents who might be able to win a couple of seats in the council.
Former Conservative candidate Sharon O’Reilly is standing as an Independent for the Langley Marish ward this year. She is not only well-known in the community but has been a fierce critic of the council at meetings and online over the years.
The same goes for Shin Dhother, who is standing as an Independent Network candidate for the Langley St Mary’s ward. He has volunteered at Slough Outreach and other organisations that help the needy and homeless and, like Ms O’Reilly, has been highly critical of the council over the years.
The current Foxborough ward has been renamed to the Langley Foxborough ward. Independent Cllr Madhuri Bedi, who left the Labour Group a couple of years ago, won’t be standing again this year.
In her stead, Sunil Sudhakaran will be taking her place as an Independent Network. Cllr Bedi’s victory in 2021 as an Independent proved to councillors and electors that you don’t need a political party backing you to win a local election and hopes that will carry forward.
Northborough and Lynch Valley Hill
This will be interesting to see how it plays out because Northborough is a Labour hold and Lynch Hill Valley Hill is a Conservative hold.
Theoretically, a Labour candidate and a Tory candidate can be voted in – but that’s not what each party is aiming for.
Labour has put forward Cllr Martin Carter, who has won by a landslide in Britwell and Northborough ward, as well as Annetta Dendie, who currently works for Slough MP Tan Dhesi.
Meanwhile, the Tories have put forward candidate Steven Gillingwater, who has previously stood as a Tory and UKIP candidate in previous elections and has questioned and challenged councillors during council meetings.
Long-standing Slough resident Siobhan Dauti hopes to use her local knowledge to get voted in and change the council.
Upton Lea
While Upton Lea, when it was part of Wexham, has primarily been a Labour stronghold. What makes it interesting this year is that former Labour councillor Arvind Dhaliwal has decided to run as a Tory candidate.
Mr Dhaliwal represented Elliman under the Labour banner but stood down just before the 2022 election. He is now back and hopes to kick out Labour due to the financial failings.
It is not expected for the ward to turn blue, but it will be an interesting political battle nonetheless.
Wexham Court
Like Upton Lea, Wexham has primarily been a Labour hold for a number of years but both Labour and Conservative have put forward strong candidates.
The Tories chairman Iftakhar Ahmed, who is also the chairman of Wexham Court Parish Council, might secure enough votes to be the Tory representative for Wexham Court.
He previously stood as an Independent in 2021 for the Wexham Lea ward but came in second place, beating his Tory rivals but not enough to defeat Labour.
With the Conservative backing and his links with the parish council, he might get enough votes to be voted in.
However, Cllr Harjinder Gahir is a veteran Labour councillor and has been the previous chairman of Wexham Court Parish Council.
His long stance in the community might be enough for him and his running mate Gaye Jeynes to keep the ward red.
Conclusion
The Tories called this year’s election a ‘referendum on the 10 per cent increase in council tax’ given that Slough residents never had a say if they want their council tax to be increased above 4.99 per cent cap.
But last year saw Labour keep a majority of the seats despite the council’s financial woes being out in the open.
It is highly likely that Slough Labour will still keep a tight grip on the council even if they lose some wards here and there. The worst-case scenario is that they have a smaller majority than they do now.
The Tories are confident that they will either have more Tory councillors in the council or gain control of the council. The Lib Dems and Independents are quite confident that they will win a seat or two on the council as well.
We will have to see on May 5.
