After the strong support from residents for our petition to protect Lydiard Park the Conservatives have finally admitted their plans to transfer our wonderful Swindon amenity out of council control.
After the strong support from residents for our petition to protect Lydiard Park the Conservatives have finally admitted their plans to transfer our wonderful Swindon amenity out of council control.
In a Conservative motion to be debated tonight they are seeking authority to transfer out of democratically accountable local control another part of Swindon's heritage, this time to some ill defined "trust". After the transfer out from council control of The Arts Centre on April 1st and the plans to offload most leisure centres and golf courses, including the Link, the pattern of Conservative plans is now patently clear.
Only the Labour Group Leader Jim Grant's pledge to retain Lydiard, and other country parks like Coate, in council care and control remains in force with the ambiguous words of the Conservative council leader now contradicted by his party's own motion. If you have been told every parties position on Lydiard is the same in supporting no change in the management model, the issue was sorted and to move along quietly then why this motion.
Only public support has got the Conservatives to reveal their hand and if you have not signed our petition yet please do so now as we are at the crunch point. The Conservatives' motion attempts to buy time and push the fate of our country parks and other amenities beyond the May elections so the Conservatives can move their plans forward then under less scrutiny. Only Labour will properly protect Lydiard and the strongest long term protection is continued public ownership where you can regularly choose at the ballot box who is best placed to protect Swindon's heritage for ourselves and future generations.
