Congratulations to 8 new Labour Councillors and a huge thanks to our supporters and campaigners.  Special mention goes to Julian Price (Covingham & Dorcan), Cindy Matthews (Lydiard & Freshbrook)  & Nadine Watts (Old Town) for election in wards where Labour had not previously been represented, and where they have two Tory colleagues.  Commiserations to other [...]

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Many people may miss the chance to vote because they don’t have a polling card, either having not received one in the post or having mislaid it but don’t miss your chance to shape Swindon’s future – you can turn up at your polling station in person and vote if you are on the electoral [...]

An example of Tory dogma that cost Swindon council tax payers a whopping £300,000 was their preferred position to rid the council of its housing stock. Tenants demonstrated their disbelief of this preferred position and a resounding defeat in the housing ballot  by tenants put paid to it once and for all. Labour campaigned against this unnecessary ballot from [...]

Cindy, Ged and Jamal are concerned about the Conservatives building on Swindon’s green spaces. As well as the controversial developments at Croft School in Old Town and the Tories support for building on the former allotment site at Pickard’s Field in Gorse Hill, they are building locally on the Windmill Hill site and land along [...]

It’s interesting that the leader of Swindon’s Tory Council, Cllr Rod Bluh, should have had a letter published in the Swindon Advertiser on 30/03/2012 (and a quite detailed letter at that). It must have taken him a while to write, and yet at around the same time, he publicly berated the Labour Party in Swindon [...]

In the Council Elections on May the 3rd, Swindon residents will have a big decision to make about who they want to run their local Council. The Conservatives, led by Councillor Bluh, have said that if they retain control of the Council they will provide the same approach to running the council as they have [...]

The Tories budget last week said and delivered nothing for those people that want hope for a better future for this town.  There were no actions to tackle youth unemployment, no strategy for growth, and no measures to create the new jobs and businesses this town needs. Just as businesses in Swindon have declared – [...]

Youth unemployment is now one of the greatest challenges facing the country. Youth unemployment is the highest since records began.  Nearly 1½ million young people are currently not in education, employment or training –   over 1 in 5 of all young people. Swindon has been particularly hard hit – identified as a youth unemployment hot [...]

It was a surprise to get a call this week inviting me as a guest on the BBC Sunday Politics Show.  It was first real experience of TV and the recording seemed to pass by in a flash.  The show focussed on two key issues – restorative justice and regenerating deprived neighbourhoods.  I was joined [...]