History of local government in Swindon

The first recorded Members of Parliament in Swindon's history are John Ildhelfe and Richard Pernaunt.

They were mostly responsible for the work of the parish officers, financial matters affecting the church and the poor relief.

In 1849, Old Swindon petitioned unsuccessfully to be given a Local Board under the Public Health Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict.

The New Swindon Local Board held its first meeting on 27 April 1864 at the Mechanics' Institute, with the GWR's William Frederick Gooch as chairman.

The name alludes to the two natural boundaries of the region, the River Thames to the north and the Wiltshire and Marlborough Downs to the south.

[1] On 1 April 1997, Thamesdown became a unitary authority independent of Wiltshire County Council, following a review by the Local Government Commission for England.

The local bus company was called Thamesdown Transport until its sale by the Council in February 2017 to the Go-Ahead Group.

After the Town Development Act 1952 was passed, the council was able to make a persuasive case for Swindon as an overspill district, ideally suited to accommodate a good number of London's jobless.

The companies of Plessey and Vickers assisted by agreeing to employ over 1,500 of those moving to Swindon; the Council funded the creation of industrial estates and housing developments.