Swindon residents who attended last week's Full Council meeting have reported being struck by the difference between the Conservative administration's evasive approach to the upcoming local elections on May 5th, and the much clearer proactive strategy from the Swindon Labour party.
Swindon residents who attended last week's Full Council meeting have reported being struck by the difference between the Conservative administration's evasive approach to the upcoming local elections on May 5th, and the much clearer proactive strategy from the Swindon Labour party.
There are many big issues facing the town at the moment, forced on us by the central Conservative government's austerity programme which has drastically reduced the Swindon Borough Council budget. These include the proposal to hand over Lydiard Park to a private provider, plans that have put 14 of the town's 15 Libraries at risk and plans to introduce parish councils to the areas of Swindon that don't currently have them.
The plans to hand over Lydiard Park to a private provider caused such a public outcry earlier in the year that the Swindon Conservative administration delayed the final decision, and have pushed it back until after the election. Labour Councillor candidate for Lydiard & Freshbrook ward, Matthew Courtliff, explains:
"As soon as the administration discovered the strength of feeling against the plans, they quickly and cynically moved to delay the decision until after the election. The Labour group are very clear on our position, we would keep the Park and House in public control and work with the newly formed Lydiard Park Heritage Trust to safeguard the long term future of the House and Park and ensure that it remains open for generations of Swindonians to enjoy in the future."
The Conservative administration have cut £300k from the Libraries budget already this year, and put 14 of the town's 15 libraries at risk of closure as they seek to cut a further £1.5m over the next few years. Jane Milner-Barry, the Labour Candidate for Old Town & East Wichel commented:
"At the Council meeting on 14th April I was delighted to see the Save Swindon Library campaign present their 3,000 signature petition to the Council, showing the passion that residents have for their libraries. I was shocked at the Conservative Councillors' response to the petition and their determination to kick the issue into the long grass until after the local elections in May. Labour has identified the funding needed to reverse the £300,000 cut for this year, money which the Conservative administration is just leaving idle in the coffers, and has committed to using additional money available from Government to keep all our libraries open while we determine the best way forward. There are lots of possible models we should be looking into, such as the mutuals set up in Devon and Suffolk, rather than the failed Conservative model replacing skilled staff with untrained volunteers that has seen borrowing rates plummet. It's not fair on the volunteers to expect them to be replacing skilled staff, and it's not fair on the people of Swindon to have a sub-standard service."
The Conservative have also proposed forcing Parish Councils onto those areas of the town that don't have them. Swindon Labour Leader, Cllr Jim Grant, explains:
"The Conservatives are trying to dress this up as part of their drive for localism, but it is clear that the real reason is to drive through a Council tax rise by the back door. The Government has put a cap on Council tax meaning that you need a referendum to put it up above 2%. There is no cap on Parish Council tax hikes so the Tories want to impose the parishes, move services across to them and then get the Parish Council to charge more to deliver those services. The Conservatives have again said that no decision will be made ahead of the election, again trying to deflect decisions that they know will be unpopular. The Labour party are determined to open and transparent with voters and have committed to holding a binding referendum before introducing any parishes. We know that Parish Councils can be a great addition to local democracy where they are wanted by the locals, but we don't think that they should be imposed on people against their wishes where they will be just be another level of expensive and unwanted bureaucracy."
The Labour group have made it clear that they want to change the relationship that residents have with Swindon Borough Council.
You can read more about Cllr Jim Grant's plans to end the Conservative ploy of holding consultations when decisions have already been taken by clicking here.
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