Swindon MPs reflect on 2021
Swindon's MPs have reflected on a year of change – but say they are proud of the job they are doing for the people of the town.
September’s government reshuffle saw both Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson make the headlines.
South Swindon MP Robert Buckland lost his post as Lord Chancellor and justice secretary to Dominic Raab.
Meanwhile, North Swindon counterpart Mr Tomlinson left his job as minister for state for disabled people at the Department for Work and Pensions – but then announced he had become the Conservatives’ deputy chairman.
Mr Buckland said: “The amount of goodwill and support I received really kept me going, with people stopping in the street and thanking for me the work I had been doing.
Otherwise he said he had a busy year and is “proud to be able to cite both local and national achievements” with his name on them.
These range from individual case work, to his work on the Town’s Fund, which recently saw Swindon awarded £6m for a major redevelopment project, as well as things such as a judicial review reform.
Going forward, Mr Buckland says there will be more work to be done on things such as the urgent care ward at Great Western Hospital, and a campaign to make Swindon the Headquarters of Great British Rail – a campaign he will support in the new year and beyond.
Mr Tomlinson said: “As the minister for disabled people, I was proud to deliver the new National Disability Strategy, which delivered the first-ever cross-government, transformational plan with over 100 commitments across different departments, all designed to improve the lives and experiences of disabled people. I was thrilled that local mums in Swindon played their part in helping to shape the strategy.
“Locally, it was announced in March this year that the Honda site had been sold to Panattoni, Europe’s biggest developer of industrial and logistics facilities, which was both a huge relief and a massive boost for Swindon’s economy.”