The Swindon Advertiser reported recently that only 18 people had commented on where the proposed Council cuts should fall.  Residents are being asked to chose between cuts in play services, Connections services, Swindon direct, Country Ground fitness services, daycare services and  supported employment.  But why are these the only cuts being consulted on – when we know much more is planned (libraries, care-homes, road-maintenance, sure-start, rubbish disposal, youth services etc).

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David Miliband gave a stirring talk to more than 200 Labour supporters in the Punjabi Community Centre, Kembry Street last night (18th August).  He highlighted the damage caused by only 100 days of Tory govermnent – and it is a Tory government since the fig leaf of the LibDems have allowed them to be more reactionary even than Margaret Thatcher.

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I was Labour’s candidate in the May 2010 elections for Eastcott.  During the the election I heard the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg  and local LibDems attack secret Tory secret plans to increase VAT.    Even more recently Simon Hughes (LibDem MP) said “I hope we don’t have a VAT increase because it is the most regressive form of tax, it penalises the poor at the same rate as the rich”.   I AGREE WITH SIMON.

PARKS LABOUR COUNCILLORS, have called for the urgent repair of the pot holes in Parks, and have launched a survey to ensure all Parks Pot Holes are repaired.

Cllr Mark Dempsey said: ‘The acute winter weather has severely damaged Swindon’s roads so much so that it is becoming known as “Pothole city”.  Roads in Parks have been particularly affected including Kingswood Avenue, Whitbourne Avenue and Cranmore Avenue. On Kingswood Avenue, there are 20 pot holes in 20 metres of road.

‘Unfortunately the Tory council has slashed the money on road repairs by £500,000 over the past 5 years.  Our residents are suffering with untold damage to people’s vehicles.  Many of the roads in Parks are so bad that they really need to be completely resurfaced.’

‘We are asking residents to join our call for Swindon Borough Council to repair the Parks pot holes.  Residents can sign our petition electronically at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ParksPH/petition.html.  We will be taking the petition out across Parks and we are also asking residents to compete a survey so that we can tell Swindon Council which road need to be repaired”.

We would also like residents to send us their photos of the worst Pot Holes in Parks so that we can send Swindon Borough Council a dossier of the Parks potholes.  They can send their photos to mark@markdempsey.org.uk‘

Mark Dempsey, Cllr Parks

The news that Swindon Town Centre’s economy is in serious peril, is alarming but not surprising. The Tory Council have failed to regenerate the Town Centre.  They have had 8 years in power in Swindon and yet our Town Centre is still scarred by wasteland, derelict buildings, and eyesores.

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We know by now that the Tory budget is leading to job cuts, holding back economic growth and damaging the public services we all rely on.  The Tories have broken their promise to be fair –  with tax increases and benefit cuts that will hit hardest at the people who can least afford it.  Their cuts also hit Swindon much harder than neighbouring authorities.

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This weekend I had the pleasure of joining thousands of others at the Swindon Mela. It was great to see so many local residents from such different back grounds come together to enjoy the varied entertainment on offer, not to mention the mouth watering food! I had the privilege of meeting some fantastic people including several ex-Ghurkhas who had fought bravely for this country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a number of locals who organise groups which do vital work supporting some of our most vulnerable and excluded groups. As an English born Asian, it was a great feeling to see so many people come together and the fact that it afforded me with an opportunity to wear my first turban made it all the better! The day really underlined the sense of community cohesion that exists in the Swindon, and although there is still more work to do, it shows how we can be proud of our town.

This weeks (admittedly gaffe strewn) visit by the Prime Minister to Southern Asia really highlighted the growing importance of the area in global terms and events like the Mela go a long way to underpin the spirit of understanding and co-operation that exists between ourselves and the countries in the region. At a time of large cuts in Local Authority spending, Local Councils need to remember the value of events like these for bringing the community together.

Victor Agarwal

Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for North Swindon, May 2010

Caption: Victor Agarwal with Jas Grewal, Trustee of the Swindon Gurdwara

This week Thamesdown Transport made a number of changes to its services due to the Tory council slashing funding.

Without public consultation (and despite Thamesdown Transport being owned by Swindon Council), the Number 23 bus service – vital for Okus Road area residents – has been withdrawn.  This is thanks to Swindon Council withdrawing funding worth £120,000.

Residents must now rely on the less frequent Number 22 service when travelling, as must visitors to the Health Centre and Kingshill House.  The last bus from the area now leaves for the town centre at 15:48 – woefully inadequate for travellers.

Already, cuts being imposed by the Tory led coalition government are having a devastating impact on Swindon residents, particularly the more vulnerable.

Thanks to local residents mobilising, a petition is being handed in to Tory councillors that contains almost 900 signatures – even though Thamesdown Transport estimates that average passenger numbers were ‘about seven’ on the Number 23 route.

Cindy Matthews, local resident and petition organiser said “This has affected a large number of people.  The new service doesn’t enable people to get to work and back and many people are unable to get to the Health Centre, which relocated from Bath Road. The decision was clearly made without any consultation.”

Swindon Council recently came under fire for cutting funding for the ‘V Bus’ – a door to door, bookable service for vulnerable residents without access to transport.  There may be even more bad news on the horizon, with many industry insiders expecting the coalition government to cut the Bus Service Operator’s Grant.  Further cuts and fare increases would inevitably follow.

Do you want to sign this petition?  Do you have a comment on how the withdrawal of bus services has affected you?  If so, send an email to denis.matthews@virgin.net.

Local residents are being invited to give their views on what their council will look like as the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England begins an electoral review of Swindon Borough Council today(20th July 2010).

The review will consider changes to the number of councillors on the council as well as the number and boundaries of the council’s electoral wards.

Max Caller, Chair of the Commission, said:

• “Having fair electoral boundaries is important for local democracy.”
• “The purpose of a review is to try to ensure that each councillor represents around the same number of people and that every elector’s vote is worth the same. That’s not the case at the moment: Abbey Meads ward, for example, has 65% more electors per councillor than the average in Swindon, whereas Penhill ward has 15% fewer.”
• “We’ll also be looking to take into account local community identities. This is your chance to shape your council for the future.”

The first stage of the Commission’s consultation closes on 30th August 2010. During this stage, local people are being invited to comment – specifically – on how many councillors should serve the Swindon area in total.

Once it has considered the evidence provided by local people and organisations, the Commission will then publish its decision on the total number of councillors and invite further views on where new ward boundaries should be drawn. By April 2011, the Commission will publish draft recommendations for new wards across Swindon.

Following further public consultation on its draft recommendations, the Commission is likely to publish its final proposals by Autumn 2011.

Further information on electoral reviews and guidance on what sort of information the Commission is looking for should be available at council offices, in your local library, or the following website at www.lgbce.org.uk

As Labour Group spokesman for Transport and the Environment I was delighted to receive an early copy of the Swindon Civic Trust Strategy 2010-2013.  The Trust are campaigning on many of the issues that Labour fought the last Borough election on, and are committed to the sort of localism in planning and politics which was pioneered by Labour in its 2008 White Paper (Real People Real Power – communities in control).

I’m pleased that the Trust are concentrating on three strategic projects:

• town centre regeneration – focusing on the need to contribute to the best possible regeneration of our town centre and its long-term needs;
• creating a University for Swindon – building on previous studies and producing an economic and academic case for the university to be centrally located;
• Swindon’s landscapes - helping communities to establish a positive sense of identity and wellbeing, and encouraging residents to become more involved with planning for both conservation and change.

These are all areas that the Labour Group campaigned on at the last election, and we also included the following Civic Trust priorities in our detailed plans:

• recognising the character & potential of the GWR Heritage Area & its neglected landmarks;
• securing a central position for the Modern Art Collection and Registrar’s Office;
• producing a plan to resolve traffic circulation and design an ultra-light transport circuit.

The Labour Group looks forward to discussing these issues with the Civic Trust in preparation for Labour regaining a majority on Swindon Borough Council in May 2012…