| Election Name: | 2023 Swale Borough Council election |
| Country: | Kent |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2019 Swale Borough Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2019 |
| Next Election: | 2027 Swale Borough Council election |
| Next Year: | 2027 |
| Seats For Election: | All 47 seats to Swale Borough Council |
| Majority Seats: | 24 |
| Leader1: | Roger Truelove |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 11 seats, 23.7% |
| Seats Before1: | 9 |
| Seats After1: | 15 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Percentage1: | 24.4% |
| Leader2: | Alan Horton |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 16 seats, 34.1% |
| Seats Before2: | 15 |
| Seats After2: | 12 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| Percentage2: | 30.6% |
| Leader3: | Mike Baldock |
| Party3: | Swale Independents |
| Last Election3: | 10 seats, 20.1% |
| Seats Before3: | 8 |
| Seats After3: | 11 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Percentage3: | 17.3% |
| Leader4: | Ben Martin |
| Party4: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election4: | 5 seats, 9.7% |
| Seats Before4: | 4 |
| Seats After4: | 5 |
| Percentage4: | 13.1% |
| Leader5: | Tim Valentine |
| Party5: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats, 5.7% |
| Seats Before5: | 2 |
| Seats After5: | 3 |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| Percentage5: | 8.7% |
| Party6: | Independent politician |
| Last Election6: | 2 seats, 4.6% |
| Seats Before6: | 8 |
| Seats After6: | 1 |
| Seat Change6: | 1 |
| Percentage6: | 4.2% |
| Party7: | Reform UK |
| Last Election7: | N/A |
| Seats Before7: | 1 |
| Seats After7: | 0 |
| Seat Change7: | N/A |
| Percentage7: | 1.0% |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Mike Baldock Swale Independents |
| Before Party: | No overall control |
| After Election: | Tim Gibson Labour |
| After Party: | No overall control |
The 2023 Swale Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Swale Borough Council in Kent, England.[1] This was on the same day as other local elections across England.
The council was under no overall control prior to the election. The Conservatives were the largest party, but the council was being run by a rainbow coalition of all the other main parties, led by Mike Baldock of local party the Swale Independents. The council remained under no overall control after the election, and Labour overtook the Conservatives to become the largest party.[2] A new coalition of Labour, the Swale Independents and Greens formed.[3] The new Labour group leader, Tim Gibson, was appointed leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 17 May 2023, with Mike Baldock becoming deputy leader.[4]
|-
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Swale Borough Council following the close of nominations on 4 April 2023.[5] The results for each ward were as follows:[6]
The Minster Cliffs by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Ken Ingleton in July 2023.[7] [8]