Swindon city status bid "wrong priority"
The Labour leader in Swindon has rejected timing of a bid for city status.
Labour group leader Jim Grant said: “We don’t believe that the bid should be a priority for the council during a global pandemic, especially when we have recently been told officers don’t have the time to focus on other important issues such as working on reopening the Oasis whilst the pandemic is on.
“It is clear from conversations with residents since the news broke that there isn’t huge support for the plan, and the clear message from residents is the council should be focusing on getting the basics right: keeping the grass under control, repairing potholes, finding skilled jobs to replace those to be lost at Honda and finally getting the town centre sorted out.
“The way to make residents feel positive about the town is to provide the key public services that people pay for with their council tax and to deliver on regeneration promises rather than endlessly talk about projects that don’t ever proceed, like the Snowdome.
Coun Grant added: “Were Labour in charge, we would be focusing all of our efforts on ending the pandemic and keeping Swindon residents safe, providing value-for-money public services, improving the town centre and ensuring it is ready for the post-pandemic world and reopening vital local assets such as the Oasis.”