Car Compassionate Conservatives (With a Large C)

Fairness and equality were given a good kicking last week, transport-wise.

A town-centre car parking charges cut was announced (and passed), followed by transport budget cuts to several bus services.

The cherry on top of the cake is that the deal-breaker for the Union Square redevelopment deal with MUSE seems to hinge on the council spending £11 million to buy a to-be-built car park on the site, which for MUSE makes the scheme viable.

So in summary,

the council is cutting car parking charges in the town centre, to get more people in...

... at the same time cutting bus services, so those without cars can't reach said town centre or other places...

... and is being held-hostage by the only developer interested in the last-surviving town centre regeneration scheme, to operate a car park, at a cost of £11 million to Swindon Borough Council, which will take maybe a decade to recoup the money.

While the same report said the council need to reduce their car-parking capacity to save money.

Swindon Centric Says ; Maybe some enterprising council wonk will come up with an idea for Thamesdown and V Bus to park all their surplus-to-requirements vehicles in the empty car park spaces? Charging them for it, or course.