The Liberal Democrats retained the Salisbury Milford seat on Wiltshire Council in a by-election held on 15 October 2026, beating the Conservatives by 154 votes and preserving their minority administration. A parallel by-election for the linked Salisbury City Council seat was also won by a Liberal Democrat, giving the party both contests triggered by the resignation of councillor Alan Bayliss.
Liberal Democrat candidate Mac Brown won the Salisbury Milford division on Wiltshire Council, defeating Conservative candidate Laura Jones by 154 votes, according to results reported by Salisbury Radio and Hello Rayo. The seat had become vacant after Alan Bayliss, who held it for the Liberal Democrats, resigned in September for personal reasons.
The results
On Wiltshire Council, Brown took 759 votes (45.6%), ahead of Jones on 605 (36.4%). Reform UK's Simon Lever placed third with 189 votes (11.4%) and Labour's Sony Assuon was fourth with 110 votes (6.6%), according to Salisbury Radio's figures, which match the vote shares and swings recorded by Liberal Democrat commentator Mark Pack. Turnout was 41.19%.
Salisbury Milford by-election result, Wiltshire Council, 15 October 2026
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Mac Brown
Liberal Democrats
759
45.6%
Laura Jones
Conservative
605
36.4%
Simon Lever
Reform UK
189
11.4%
Sony Assuon
Labour
110
6.6%
A second, coterminous by-election was held the same day for the Milford seat on Salisbury City Council, a separate tier of local government covering the same area. Liberal Democrat Lawrence Gillies won that contest with 751 votes, beating the Conservative candidate by a margin of 138 votes, on the same 41.19% turnout, Salisbury Radio and Hello Rayo reported. Gillies said it was the first time he had stood for election.
Why the Wiltshire Council seat mattered
Wiltshire Council has been run since the 2025 all-out elections by a Liberal Democrat-led minority administration in partnership with independent councillors, after no party won the 50 seats needed for a majority on the 98-seat council, according to Wikipedia's summary of that election, sourced to official results. The 2025 vote made the Liberal Democrats the council's largest party for the first time since 1997 and ended 25 years of Conservative majority control, with the party winning 43 seats to the Conservatives' 37, Reform UK's 10, independents' 7 and Labour's 1.
Before the Salisbury Milford by-election, the Liberal Democrats held 42 of those seats with the division vacant, against 38 for the Conservatives, 10 for Reform UK and 7 independents, according to figures reported by Yahoo News. Commentator Mark Pack wrote that a Conservative or Reform UK win in the seat could have let the two parties combine to challenge the Liberal Democrat administration, including through the use of a casting vote by the council chair. The Liberal Democrat hold restored the party's seat count to 43.
In 40 years of campaigning, this is the most important by-election I can remember.
— Ian Thorn, leader of Wiltshire Council and the Liberal Democrat group, quoted by Yahoo News/BBC
Thorn also said he was pleased the party had held the seat with an increased vote share, Yahoo News reported. Sam Charleston, leader of Salisbury City Council, said the combined result reflected strong local support for the Liberal Democrats, according to Salisbury Radio. Victoria Charleston, a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for the area, said the results reflected growing support for the party in Salisbury.
What is not yet known
None of the sources reviewed give a full breakdown of votes for the Conservative candidate or other contenders in the Salisbury City Council contest beyond the winning margin. The exact date of Bayliss's resignation and the full reasons behind it have not been disclosed beyond being described as personal.
Questions
Why was there a by-election in Salisbury Milford?
Councillor Alan Bayliss, who held the Salisbury Milford seat on both Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council for the Liberal Democrats, resigned from both in September 2026 for personal reasons, triggering simultaneous by-elections.
Who won the by-elections?
Liberal Democrat Mac Brown won the Wiltshire Council seat with 759 votes (45.6%), beating Conservative Laura Jones by 154 votes. Liberal Democrat Lawrence Gillies won the linked Salisbury City Council seat with 751 votes, a 138-vote margin.
Did the Liberal Democrats actually win the seat for the first time in 40 years?
No. The seat was already held by a Liberal Democrat before the resignation; the by-election was a hold, not a gain. The "40 years" reference comes from a quote by council leader Ian Thorn describing it as the most important by-election of his roughly 40 years of campaigning, not a claim about the seat's electoral history.
Why did this by-election matter for Wiltshire Council?
Wiltshire Council is run by a Liberal Democrat-independent minority administration with 42 of 98 seats before the vote, against 38 Conservatives, 10 Reform UK and 7 independents. A Conservative or Reform UK win could have let those parties combine to challenge control of the council; the Liberal Democrat hold prevented that and restored the party to 43 seats.
What was the turnout?
Turnout for both the Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council by-elections was 41.19%, according to Salisbury Radio and Hello Rayo.
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