Swindon Election : Town Tories Silent on Honda Accord for Brexit

'Strong and stable' may be Theresa's mantra, but for Swindon's incumbent MPs 'silent and still' would suit on the Honda Brexit elephant in the room.

The government has promised Sunderland's Nissan something (but has not admitted it), no doubt officials from Honda UK have been keen to get similar treatment, but nothing has been revealed in public.

But never mind our MPs since June last year, who have gone into the election campaign without a word about the 3,500 workforce's future outside the EU, or those many thousands locally in the supply chain for the South Marston plant that will depend on whatever deal is eventually struck on exiting the EU.

The industrial backbone (along with at least 3,500 voters) of Swindon deserves better treatment from it's local incumbent Tory candidates.

Feckless & Cowardly Conservative Councillors Hang Parishes Out To Die

There's an awful lot of skulking happening around Swindon's Civic Offices at present and with good reason.

The biggest transfer of power at local government level in Swindon since the creation of the Borough in 1997 is currently afoot with the foisting upon of Borough responsibilities to current parishes and the newly (yet to properly be created) ones.

As a result of this, there's a scramble to set the parish precept (the amount with the annual council tax bill that covers the services carried out by the parish within your area) with all these newly foisted upon services suddenly having to be taken into account. This is quite a shock administratively and politically as many simply cut the grass until recently.

Haydon Wick has voted a 50% increase in tax.

Stratton has voted a 27% increase in tax.

Wroughton has voted a 16.5% increase for a band D property.

Meanwhile the Borough Council has not raised council tax in Swindon since 2007, teetered on the brink of service-provision oblivion, dumped said services into the laps of parishes (and where they've not existed, just forced their undemocratic creation), and seen them have no choice but to raise tax to eye-watering levels.

Other authorities have and are doing it differently. Surrey County Council is proposing a 15% council tax increase, it, like Swindon, is Conservative-run and has had enough of government nationally sticking it's fingers in it's ears and thinking if it can't hear, everything's fine.

Swindon Borough Council's ruling Tories have done nothing of the sort, they have axed, cut and closed services while they could have been lobbying parliament nationally with the help of their Conservative MPs and putting their heads above the parapet and fighting for the people of Swindon.

But they've not. They've done nothing.

Swindon Borough Council's Conservatives are feckless, cowardly and irresponsible with the future of the Borough.

But I'm sure in the next financial year those three talents will be devolved to parishes.

Welcome to the Rotten Borough (now with 50% more parish for 50% more money).

Swindon's Rotten Parishes : Council WILL Force Legally-Questionable Parishing Whatever Residents Think

Swindon South MP Robert Buckland has shot more holes in Swindon Borough Council's Swiss Cheese proposal enforcing of parishes.

Yes, it is enforcing, as the cabinet paper for the final option, will be printed within 2 weeks of the public consultation closing.

Meanwhile the councillor responsible for parishing doesn't have answers to most questions on it.

Plus, SBC's wishful thinking is that businesses in the centre of Swindon will pay a one-off VOLUNTARY contribution of £400,000 towards sustaining the Town Centre parish through until after the 2018 elections until a more sustainable solution has been found.

Komadori's blistering post of their reply to the consultation shows how legally questionable the  rotten parishing of Swindon is.

And just to give one more example of SBC's North Korean attitude to and understanding of democracy, it's said that unless Stratton Parish Council takes on StreetSmart services (despite Stratton having a referendum on extending parishing powers, which they rejected, a basic bit of democracy that's been denied to the rest of Swindon) SBC will simply stop carrying them out.

That's not an option, that's an ultimatum.

These councillors are acting with reckless disregard for Swindon's residents and the democratic process. And they don't care, they really don't.

Wi-Failed : Digital City Boss Paid £82,000 of Our Money

The boss of Swindon Borough Council-funded Digital City was paid £82,000 for 'coaching fees' during his tenure. The news is in today's Swindon Advertiser, a link to come later.

The company was set up to provide Borough-wide Wi-Fi access through an initial £400,000 loan from Swindon Borough Council.

The company failed to meet a single target and is dead in the water.

Swindon Centric Says ; Disgusting, shameful. To paraphrase a previously used line, if you stand on the top of the David Murray John Building (where Digital City were given free offices by Swindon Borough Council), on a clear day you can see a democratic council.

Wi-Failed : Were Things Wrapped Up?

Did Swindon Borough Council know more about the Wi-Failed scheme (and how much danger the project, and the £400,000 of public money) were in? New details have emerged today of the botched attempt to bring free wi-fi to everywhere and everyone in the Borough.

A month before a Scrutiny meeting in March this year, a councillor was briefed on the current state of Digital City.

Swindon Centric Says ; How much, and in what depth, was the state of Digital City's finances and the frozen roll-out plan discussed, and what elements of this did not reach the Scrutiny meeting the following month?

We want our money back, getting someone else to give you £400,000 (that is not the original £400,000) is not 'recovering the money', it's 'attempting to recover your political integrity'.

Wi-Failed ; Council Leader Admits, The Money's Gone

Yes, that's right, click here.

Swindon Centric Says ; Armchair Auditors across town, you know who you are, raise a glass tonight.

PS - Being vigilant, thorough and questioning isn't being politically opportunistic - it's democratically necessary.

Wi-Failed ; Death Held Off For Truth To Come Forth

Pages Councillor Perkins?

The automatic striking off of Swindon's wi-fi company (taken £400,000 of our money and showing us precious little for it) would have allowed answers to questions to be buried for ever.

Mr Richard Symonds has written and objected to the striking off, which will now be postponed until the end of February.

Swindon Centric Says ; Coming soon, those long-overdue Digital City accounts (and where that money went and what it was spent on)... Maybe?

Isn't it great what the written word can, and may yet, achieve?

Wi-Failed : Closest To Accountability We Got (So Far?)

Cast your mind back to March last year, and to a sparse House of Commons chamber, then MP for Swindon South, Anne Snelgrove, raised the questions about the wi-fi scheme for Swindon that's now dead. Her words are as relevant now as they were nearly 18 months ago.

Swindon Centric Says ; Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, MPs for Swindon North and South, what are you waiting for?

Where's the questions, concern and accountability from them?

Former MP Anne Starts The Walk To 2015

Predictions of cracks in the coalition have been doing the rounds since last May and the long-look forward to the next general election has already started.

As reported in the Swindon Advertiser, the former MP for Swindon South, Anne Snelgrove, is in the selection process for the Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency.

Swindon Centric Says ; Anne and Robert, it'll be a contest worth watching!