The Conservative administration’s proposals include making cuts of more than £40,000 to the Robert Le Kyng and the Penhill/Pinehurst Children’s Centres and cuts of more than £8.500 to Children’s centres in places like Freshbrook, Dorcan, Stratton and Drove Road.

These Tories proposed cuts to Swindon’s children centres will be a huge worry to families in places like Freshbrook, Dorcan, Eastcott and Penhill, whose children’s centres are receiving cuts.

SureStart is a universal service for our town’s young families and any cuts to this service are depriving families of this essential support they deserve.

Unlike Labour, who have created and defended the many excellent children’s centres across our town, the Tories do not prioritise young people.

As Labour councillors and representatives of this town, we will stand up for our children and fight this lack of investment in their future. It is a shame that the Tories both locally and nationally are not doing the same.

Tories Proposed Sure Start Cuts in 2012/13

• Support jobs with money raised from repeating the bank bonus tax – not hold back recovery with the VAT rise and cuts that will put almost one million workers out of their jobs.
• Protect police numbers – not cut them while wasting £100 million on new elected police commissioners.
• Protect your frontline local services – not make unfair cuts which will hit the least well off the most.
• Get the deficit down through strong growth and sensible cuts – not by slashing too far, too fast, and putting your local economy at risk.
• Stand up for young people – not kick away the ladder by tripling tuition fees; scrapping EMAs; cancelling Building Schools for the Future; and slashing school sport

DOWNLOAD THE SWINDON LABOUR MANIFESTO 2011

Voting Stations are open from 7am till 10pm.

Guidance on voting procedure is available from Swindon Borough Council.

Labour Candidates and their contact numbers are:

1. Abbey Meads – Mark Viner (07811 142 413).
2. Central – Derique Montaud (07711 556 261).
3. Covingham & Nythe – Peter Watts (01793 529163).
4. Dorcan – Ged Meheran (07989 918 352).
5. Eastcott – Chris Watts (07776 238 327).
6. Freshbrook & Grange Park –  Neil Heavens (07817 262 258).
7. Gorsehill & Pinehurst – John Ballman (01793 694 584).
8. Haydon Wick – Tim Page (07717 669944).
9. Highworth – Anthea Beaumont (01793 762 517).
10. Moredon – Jenny Millin (07879 023 903).
11. Old Town - Cindy Matthews (01793 644 388).
12. Parks – Fay Howard (07952 350 656).
13. Penhill – Paul Baker (01793 334 598).
14. Shaw & Nine Elms – Michael Heal (07810 872 849).
15. St Margaret – Nigel Chalk (01793 346165).
16. St Philips – Joe Tray (07813 170 202).
17. Toothill – Steve Wakefield (07775 911 922).
18. Walcot – Ellen Osa (07577 923 694) .
19. Wroughton – Geraint Day (07753 957 565).
20. Western – Des Moffatt (07709 066 707).

Polling Stations locations are available from THIS LINK:

To use this link you’ll need to know your Polling District. Check on your card – the Districts in each Ward are as follows:

1. Abbey Meads - AM1-AM4.
2. Central – CE1-CE4.
3. Covingham & Nythe – CN1-CN4.
4. Dorcan – DN1-DN4.
5. Eastcott – ET1-ET5.
6. Freshbrook & Grange Park –  FG1-FG4.
7. Gorsehill & Pinehurst – GH1-GH3.
8. Haydon Wick – HG1-HG5.
9. Highworth – HW1-HW5.
10. Moredon – MD1-MD6.
11. Old Town - TL1-TL5.
12. Parks – PK1-PK4.
13. Penhill – PH1-PH4.
14. Shaw & Nine Elms – SE1-SE4.
15. St Margaret – SM1-SM3.
16. St Philips – SP1-SP6
17. Toothill – TW1-TW3.
18. Walcot – WA1-WA3.
19. Wroughton – WC1-WC5.
20. Western – WE1-WE4.

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OFFER YOUR HELP IN NORTH SWINDON OR SOUTH SWINDON

In order for Swindon Borough Council to be fair to its local residents and employees, it needs to prove it can be efficient in the way it spends Council-taxpayers money and fully accountable in the way it decides how Council-taxpayers money is spent.

Tory-led Swindon Council have failed to be efficient in the way it spends Council-taxpayers money, continuing to waste millions of pounds on external consultants, public relations, hospitality and conference expenses, despite Labour’s calls to end such wasteful spending.

Tory-led Swindon Council have also failed to be accountable for the way it takes decisions, repeatedly failing to properly consult both the public and even Ward Councillors on key decisions.

A Labour-led Swindon Borough Council would:

• Cut management expenditure by no less than 30% of current costs, in order to ensure frontline workers are as protected as possible from the Tory-led Government’s imposed cuts.
• Support the One Swindon principle of the Council working in partnership with the town’s other public sector organisations, in order to drive value for money and better outcomes across Swindon’s public sector.
• Create a fully open and transparent Value for Money Committee, so that Council members and Swindon Council-taxpayers’ can scrutinise Council spending.
• Look to find political consensus for taking the politics out of Councillors Allowances.

Swindon desperately needs a University for the future of our town.  Families would be able to send their children to a local university, ensuring a high class education and unlocking the potential of our young people.  A University could integrate with industry to provide opportunities for working people to develop their skills and fulfil their ambitions.  A University would also drive economic regeneration by attracting new businesses and bringing new jobs to the town.

After 6 years, the Tory Council appears to be no closer to securing a University for Swindon.  Many people have questioned whether the Tories really want a University for our town.  The proposals to sell the land at North Star would appear to confirm this, as it would undermine the viability of North Star for a University campus.

At the same time the Tory and Liberal Democrats including our local MP’s are cutting University funding by an eye watering 80 per cent and trebling tuition fees.  These measures will decimate Universities, will mean that fewer students from Swindon will be able to go to University; and will be a massively damaging to the plans for a University for Swindon.

Students and families will be saddled with debts of between £30,000 and £50,000 for a three-year programme, the highest charged by public universities in the world.  Trebling tuitions fees will lead to future generations of students being burdened with massive debts, and those from the poorest backgrounds priced out of the best universities.

The Liberal Democrats should hang their heads in shame.  Their support for these vicious cuts; and their U-turn on tuition fees will be remembered for many years to come.

A University for Swindon would transform people’s lives, and transform the future of our town.  However the Tories and the Liberal Democrats are wrecking our chances of bringing a University to our town, jeopardising the future of many of our young people, and putting a massive financial burden on families across the town.

Neil Heavens, Labour Candidate Freshbrook & Grange Park;  Cllr Mark Dempsey, Parks

Caption – Site of the University of Bath campus at Marlow avenue. This building was opened in 1960 called Park Grammar School – it became variously Park Senior High, Park School and Oakfield – it closed in 2000 and was then re-opened as an outpost of the University of Bath. They closed operations in 2008 and the building remained empty until it was demolished recently so that business rates could be avoided.  Picture courtesy of Brian Robert Marshall (Cereative Commons Agreement).

I have been a member of the Labour Party since 1987 and fully subscribe to socialist principles of fairness, equality and social justice. An environmentalist by conviction and practice, I choose not to drive a car and prefer to rely upon cycling or public transport to go about my business.

As someone who lives locally, I will work hard to improve the cleanliness and appearance of the local area, campaign against encroaching development and defend public services against severe Conservative cuts.

Please contact me on the link below and give me your ideas to improve our community.

Neil Heavens, Labour Candidate, Freshbrook and Grange Park.

(The photo shows myself and Caroline Flint signing a petition to resist the closure of Sure Start centres in Swindon).

Matt can be contacted here.