Slowly but surely, Wiltshire’s local elections are becoming a heated topic in the debates held at the council’s headquarters in Trowbridge.

As the year draws to a close, those in the county hall will become increasingly conscious of the approaching 2025 elections.

These elections will take place on Thursday, May 1, and will determine the representatives of each division for the next four years.

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The town and parish council elections will also take place on Thursday, May 1.The town and parish council elections will also take place on Thursday, May 1. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) There are 98 unitary divisions in Wiltshire, each with a seat up for grabs for prospective councillors.

The party that wins the majority becomes the ruling party, electing a leader to be the head of the council.

The council leader selects cabinet members to form the principal decision-making body, as well as portfolio holders with responsibilities for defined service areas.

These local elections are held once every four years on the first Thursday of May and use the first past the post system.

Wiltshire Council has been under Conservative majority control since 2000, with the party winning 61 seats at the 2021 elections, ahead of the Liberal Democrats’ 27 seats.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Wiltshire Council, Ian Thorn, recently announced his “plan to replace” the Conservatives in 2025, whilst council leader Richard Clewer maintained that the Conservatives had set “a clear direction” for the council.