Plan to shape Swindon’s future to be shared with public

The draft Swindon Plan will be discussed by Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet next Wednesday (13 Dec) and is based on the current Labour administration’s three main priority missions for the town. These are to:

• Combat Inequality – make Swindon a fairer place, reduce disadvantage and eliminate big disparities in life expectancy, education levels and social justice

• Build a Better Swindon – create a town ready for the challenges of the coming decades. Where possible, lead town centre improvement and create more affordable housing in partnership with the private sector

• Achieve Net Zero – fully play our part as a council and a town in combatting climate change. Work with communities to find new ways of doing things that help, not hinder, the natural environment

The three missions will underpin the work of the Council and drive everything that it does. Each mission will be addressed through themes and objectives with progress monitored through performance measures and against deliverables.

To achieve the Combat Inequality mission, the Council has committed to improving areas like educational outcomes, reducing falls in older people, tackling obesity and children’s oral health, improving public transport and active travel, as well as working with partners to make Swindon a safer place for adults and young people.

In delivering the Build a Better Swindon mission there will be a focus on protecting the Borough’s heritage, improving civic engagement and residents’ pride, supporting the growth of businesses and meet the housing and infrastructure needs of the local population.

By delivering on the Achieve Net Zero mission, the Council will reduce waste and increase recycling, plant trees and create large scale habitats, produce road maps to ensure the Council and borough get to net zero by 2030 and 2050 respectively, and enable zero carbon developments and improve the energy performance ratings in homes.

Councillors will discuss how delivering the Swindon Plan will depend on managing the Council’s finances against the backdrop of reduced government funding, ongoing inflation and demand pressures in children’s and adults’ social care.

In order to deliver the missions, councillors will hear how the Council will have to be increasingly inventive in the use of its resources, by working with partners and residents, to achieve the priority areas for transformation.

A big focus of the Swindon Plan will be on engagement with the local community and local residents, over 3,000 of whom have already contributed to the draft plan through the Council’s Annual Resident Survey.

During January, the Council plans to build on this resident feedback by running an engagement exercise called ‘Let’s talk Swindon’, holding a number of community events to share the results of the survey with residents and community groups and get their views on the initial draft Swindon Plan.

Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “I’m really excited we are bringing this paper to Cabinet which sets out how we intend to take forward the three big priority missions we believe are important for Swindon’s future.

“Without doubt the missions aim to tackle some big, tricky challenges. There are no quick fixes. But we believe that these are the three most important priorities that demand the Council’s focus and effort, working alongside residents and our partners, in the coming years.

“Undeniably, public finances will remain extremely tight for the foreseeable future, but we must remain ambitious for the Borough. The plan makes clear where progress is dependent on securing additional funding from central government or external partners.

“The draft plan being discussed by Cabinet is just the start of the process. We really want to involve and seek input from residents and partners to help evolve it.”

Details of the ‘Let’s talk Swindon’ events, which will help inform the final Swindon Plan will be made public over the coming weeks.