Labour the only party for Swindon’s Future Economic Growth

In his column last week the Leader of Swindon Council, Rod Bluh, announced that cross-party support had been reached on the emerging Economic Strategy for Swindon Borough Council.

Councillor Bluh is absolutely right in acknowledging this, indeed when the Labour Group first read the Economic Strategy we thought it was so similar to our own Economic Strategy published a year ago that Council officers had been instructed to lift extracts from our policy document.
In his column last week the Leader of Swindon Council, Rod Bluh, announced that cross-party support had been reached on the emerging Economic Strategy for Swindon Borough Council.
 
Councillor Bluh is absolutely right in acknowledging this, indeed when the Labour Group first read the Economic Strategy we thought it was so similar to our own Economic Strategy published a year ago that Council officers had been instructed to lift extracts from our policy document. Indeed it was under a year ago that the Labour Group’s Deputy Leader, Mark Dempsey, moved a motion at a Council Meeting calling on the Conservatives to commission an Economic Strategy. The Conservatives rejected Councillor Dempsey’s calls at the time of his motion but we are pleased they changed their mind.
 
The key priorities behind Labour’s Economic Strategy which the Conservative Group have now taken on board are:
  • To create more employment and training opportunities for young people and develop higher education provision in Swindon
  • To regenerate the Swindon Town Centre
  • To establish Swindon as a Regional Leisure destination- with the Oasis development taking shape
  • And, most importantly, to make Swindon a Low Carbon town, positioning itself as a hub for new engineering and manufacturing technology
We believe these priorities not only builds on many of Swindon historic strengths like its manufacturing base, but also addresses many of Swindon’s perceived weaknesses such as its image to people outside of the town, and are the right priorities for Swindon.
 
Now that the strategy has been agreed Swindon needs an administration that will deliver this strategy. On this issue the cross-party consensus ends. Labour believes that if you compare our record on the local economy when we were last in administration with this Conservative administration’s 10 years in charge, the answer of who will best deliver this strategy will speak for itself.
 
Since the Conservatives took administration, not one major employer has moved to Swindon, Swindon has lost more than 7,000 jobs and only 26% of local residents occupy Swindon’s managerial and professional jobs. Meanwhile under the previous Labour administration, Swindon was dubbed the fastest growing town in Western Europe, with major employers like Honda, Motorola and Nationwide arriving in the town.
 
With these records in mind, we believe it is time for Swindon to reject this current Conservative administration with a Labour Party that has a clear plan for economic growth.   
 
Cllr Jim Grant
Swindon Labour Group Leader