Stable Doors Are Shut As Dairy Is Torn Down

The 100 year Stratton Old Dairy has been demolished to make way for a house and eight flats.

The councillor for St Philips, David Sammels, came out with lots of words after it had been torn down to say there had been confusion with the planning process and is trying to set up a meeting so that residents know what's happened with the process.

Swindon Centric Says ; Save them the money Mr Sammels and tell them all to look at the pile of rubble. That should tell you and them that the application was rather successful.

Councillors Put In For Overtime To Lower Stratton's Bills

It sounds like a bit of PR and it may well be.

People in Stratton, Covingham and Nythe pay an additional parish council tax on top of their Council Tax to Swindon Borough Council. But do not fear, local councillors are to look into exactly what the extra money is for. There are two worrying aspects to this.

Firstly, why is this investigation even needed? Surely a glance at the accounts book of the parish council will tell you how much is being spent where. Not really rocket science.

Secondly, there's a nagging feeling that after a couple of months of investigation, involving meetings, consultations, maybe even a 'task force', the parish council will say that there are no savings to be made. Because any excess has been spent, on the investigation to find surpluses.

Swindon Centric Says ; So what exactly are residents getting for their £20 to £70 a year in the parish? Gold plated wheelie bins? Plugholes that get water to spin the opposite way? If you're a local to the parish, please leave a comment or email us at swindoncentric@mac.com and let us know what the extra is that you get!