Elections at Bracknell Forest Council this year look set to be especially significant—with controversy, fall-outs and talk of secret deals setting the scene.

The Conservatives have controlled the council solidly since 1997. In fact, in the 50 years since the council was established, they’ve only been out of office for five of them.

But, now Labour and the Liberal Democrats both hope to gain further control from the Tories in one of their strongholds.

Every seat at the council is up for grabs this Thursday, 4 May. The last time that happened, in 2019, the Conservatives lost three seats—two to Labour and one to the Liberal Democrats. Then Labour gained another one, in Old Bracknell ward, in a by-election in 2021.

The election will look a little different this time, as changes to the ward boundaries mean some old wards have gone and new ones have been created. There are 41 seats up for election in 15 wards this year, rather than the 42 in 18 in 2019.

But the Observer newspaper reports on a possible unofficial agreement between Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens to avoid challenging each other this year. And it’s true that—unusually—there are no wards where Labour and the Lib Dems are both standing candidates.

Will this situation deliver them both gains? Labour also hopes that national polling—which seems to suggest rising support for them—will be reflected in local election results.

Easthampstead and Wildridings

This is a new ward, but one of the Conservatives, Dee Hamilton, is a sitting councillor. That being said, so is one of Labour’s candidates, Paul Bidwell—who took Old Bracknell from the Conservatives in 2021.

Not only that, but Liberal Democrat Thomas Parker took the now-abolished Wildridings ward from the Conservatives in 2019. He’s not standing this year, and all three of Labour’s candidates have an almost clear run at the Tories, with the Green Party also standing one candidate, Victor John Rones.

It’s one ward where Labour could do well.

Town Centre and the Parks

Another new ward—and another where it could be a closely-fought battle.

One Conservative candidate is Peter Hedyon—a current executive member and the sole remaining Tory in Old Bracknell following 2021s upset. The other is Suki Hayes, last elected in 2019 for Crown Wood ward. She took third place then, enough to win her a seat. But Labour was advancing on her, gaining 9 per cent on their previous vote share.

Harmans Water and Crown Wood

Speaking of Crown Wood, its third and final Conservative councillor Marc Brunel-Walker is a current member of the council’s leading executive group. He took first place there in 2019.

But since announcing in January that he wouldn’t stand again, he’s been a very vocal critic of the Conservatives on social media—and went on to back a Liberal Democrat candidate for election in neighbouring Wokingham Borough Council.

A new ward, Harmans Water and Crown Wood, sees three Labour candidates facing off against a mix of three Conservatives, and one apiece from the right wing Heritage and Reform UK parties.

Other wards to look out for are Swinley Forest, where the Lib Dems hope to gain, and Winkfield and Warfield East, where they and the Green Party also may do well. Hanworth is one where Labour and the Lib Dems took more than 49 per cent of the vote between them in 2019, and where Labour now has a clear run at the Conservatives.

Finally, there’s Priestwood ward on Bracknell Town Council, where a former senior figure in the far right BNP and Britain First parties, Andrew McBride, is standing for the Conservatives.