The Labour Group Leader reacts to the news that Swindon Borough Council has budgeted to spend £11.5m to pay-off the interest payments on its debts in the 2012/13 financial year. This is an increase of £1.5m from the 2011/12 Council budget. The Council’s existing debt is £80m, however it is expected that this will increase [...]

I have been informed by elderly tenants living within Council-managed Elderly Person Group Dwellings (EPGDs) that the Council have been telling them that they may lose their wardens if they do not vote Yes to Stock Transfer. The fact that this Tory administration is telling residents of Elderly Persons Group Dwellings (EPDGs) that unless they [...]

The Swindon Labour Party is instigating a “Labour Listens” campaign in which we will hold public meetings around the town, particularly in places which are currently without Labour councillors. The purpose of these meetings will be to allow residents to share their views with the local Labour Party, so that we can attempt to resolve [...]

The Swindon Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has called on Swindon Borough Council’s Conservative administration to delay the approval of a deal with a new mystery Wi-Fi investor until more detail is given as to how the Council will get back the £400,000 originally loaned to Digital City. JIm Grant said: “Though it is [...]

At the end of this week the Leader of the Swindon Labour Group called on Swindon Council’s Leader and Deputy Leader to resign over their involvement in the Wi-Fi project.  In this exclusive blog the Swindon Labour Group Leader explains why he took this decision. On Friday’s BBC Radio Swindon “Drive Time” programme I called [...]

The Swindon Labour Group Leader reacts to the news that Swindon Borough Council has failed to deliver a Waste 2 Energy plant at Waterside. After nearly two years of talking and preparing for a mobile Waste 2 Energy plant at Waterside Park, which was meant to be the first of a chain of similar plants [...]

Earlier this month the Kings Fund published a report (available here) on Social Enterprises in the state-funded health and Social Care sector. The Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, believes the recommendations from the report need to be taken seriously by Swindon Borough Council. The report published by the Kings Fund on Social Enterprises in [...]

Last week, Swindon received very good news that two new car prototypes will be built at Honda’s South Marston plant over the next 12 month, preserving 3,000 jobs for working people in the town and another 7000 jobs from local companies who rely on business with Honda. Your local Labour Group is very proud that [...]

At Thursday 21st of July’s Full Council Meeting the Labour Group will be moving a motion calling on your Council to take measures to help rejuvenate the local housing market, by addressing the central reason for the slowdown of the local housing market, the high number of young adults who cannot afford the 25-30% deposits [...]

The Labour Group Leader provides the reasons why Swindon Borough Council should not ballot its tenants to transfer its Council housing stock to a Housing Association. On Thursday 21st of July Swindon’s Councillors will be meeting to vote on whether the Council should ballot its Council tenants for a transfer of the housing stock to [...]