South Swindon Parish has already done much, but its work is just beginning. By Patrick Herring South Swindon Parish is coming up to the first anniversary of its first full election. Although many of us objected to how the Parish was created it has given residents in Swindon an opportunity to take control of local issues and improve on services previously supplied by Swindon Borough Council. Within less than a year the Parish has begun to save local amenities from…
For many years Toothill has been forgotten about by Tory-run Swindon Council. There has been chronic under- investment in the area and decisions have been made for Toothill that aren't the best for the local community. While other West Swindon wards have benefitted from new amenities and play areas, Toothill has not. Labour knows Toothill and Steph Exell has a proven track record of sticking up for local residents and representing their views. If Labour's West Swindon Parish Candidates are…
Over recent years cutbacks to local services from Tory-run Swindon Borough Council has caused Freshbrook & Grange Park to look increasingly untidy with the grass becoming overgrown and litter and fly-tipping not being picked up by the Council. With local Conservative Councillors unwilling to agree that this has become a problem it is now only Labour who have shown the determination to make West Swindon a more pleasant environment to live in. Labour has consistently opposed the creation of new…
Your ward councillors Nadine Watts and Jane Milner-Barry will be standing as parish councillors for Old Town and East Wichel in the elections on 4th May, along with new team members Saleh Ahmed and Neil Hopkins. Jane and I are keen to continue our work on behalf of Old Town and East Wichel and we will be even more effective with the help of Neil and Saleh. Parishes were forced on us by the Conservative administration against overwhelming public opposition….
Your ward councillor Paul Dixon will be standing as a parish councillor for Eastcott in the elections on 4th May, along with fellow team members Domingos Dias, Abdul Hamid, Cindy Matthews and Patrick Herring. You have five votes in Eastcott for our representatives on the twenty three person council. Parishes were forced on us by the Conservative administration against overwhelming public opposition. Labour voted against them but we were voted down. We asked for a referendum but this was refused….
Figures produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government have shown Swindon to have the largest percentage increase in council tax in England. Including Parish Precept charges, Swindon residents will be receiving an average percentage increase of 10.35%. That’s 3% more than the next largest average council-tax increase in a local authority area- Waveney District Council area. Figures produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government have shown Swindon to have the largest percentage increase in council tax…
Central Swindon South Parish Council The shadow parish council has now set a precept and on 1st April 2017 the parish council will take over responsibility for grass cutting, litter collection and graffiti removal; the management of parks and green spaces including the Town Gardens, Lawn Woods and the Great Copse; the Old Town Library, the Victoria Road public toilets and other services. The precept also has to cover the cost of the Parish administration. Central Swindon South Parish Council…
Labour councillors on the Central Swindon South Shadow Parish Council have opposed plans by the council to impose additional costs of over £400,000 on to the new parish council for the cleaning of the Town Centre. We will keep fighting to get the best deal for local residents in Eastcott. New Parish Councils in North-Central, West and South-Central Swindon will be having to pay a combined cost of £600,000 in extra bureaucracy as a result of Tory- run Swindon Council…
This week Tory-run Swindon Borough Council will be sending out Council Tax bills to residents. These bills will include the biggest Council Tax rise in the country, as the Conservative administration have found an administrative loophole to add additional cost ahead of the maximum allowed 2% tax rise and the extra 3% levy for Adult Social Care. This is before the higher Parish precepts are added, as a result of the Administration taking the decision to create parish councils for…
New Parish Councils New Parish councils are now being formed with Liden and Eldene joining Nythe Parish. Councillor Derique Montaut aims to join Nythe parish as he is concerned that Liden and Eldene residents will be under-represented on the parish during this year’s precept setting process. Thank you to those who have come forward interested in becoming parish councillors too. More parish councillors will still be needed. It is important for Eldene and Liden to have adequate representation as decisions…
New Parish Councils in North-Central, West and South-Central Swindon will be having to pay a combined cost of £500K in extra bureaucracy as a result of Tory-run Swindon Council imposing new parishes on these areas. This spending will be money that won’t fund local services, but instead will be levied to pay for the new bureaucracy in the Each parish will spend a minimum of £160K each on new bureaucracy. This spending will be money that won’t fund local services,…
I’m writing in response to the chaotic way the Council have proceeded to set up new parish councils. After the Conservative administration forced new parish councils to be set up in November, you might have expected Swindon Council to be fully prepared for these new organisations, with full information available to them about the types of services, open spaces and community buildings they wished to transfer to the new parish councils. Instead while sitting on the new Parish Councils to…