"Success is based on the strength of your integrity" - Rikki Hunt

The SwindonWeb profile of Rikki Hunt makes interesting reading, especially in light of the setting up of Digital City and the wi-fi scheme late last year.

In his own words "Success is based on the strength of your integrity. Do what you say you will."

Swindon Centric Says ; According to his own words then, we have nothing to worry about. Convinced?

P.S. The addition of an advert for Digital City's 'Signal' at the very bottom of that page could be a metaphor for the marketing of the wi-fi scheme by Digital City : small, hidden and keeping as low a profile as possible.

Council Steps Up & Confirms Mechanics Work

Repair work on making the Mechanics' Institute safe has been confirmed by Swindon Borough Council.

Chances are you may have missed this news, but it's in the latest issue of Swindon News that Swindon Centric posted about yesterday (Scroll down on the link and you'll find it on the sixth page).

The work has been ordered by the council to make the building safe and money (in the form of a grant of £200,000 from English Heritage) spent will be claimed back from the owner.

Swindon Centric Says ; Will the work be carried out by Swindon Commercial Services or will the council bring in another contractor?

P.S. Swindon Centric spotted the current owner of the Mechanics' Institute, standing on the corner of Emlyn Square and London Street a few days ago, pensively listening on his phone. Seems that the time for talking is over.

Final Front Page For Swindon's 'Pravda' Paper?

The monthly, local publication that you pay Swindon Borough Council to produce, have you recently read a copy?

Central government isn't a fan of local council-produced newspapers, including our own Swindon News.

Eric Pickles (Local Government Secretary) isn't keen on "town hall Pravdas" pretending they're real, independent newspapers.

Swindon Centric hasn't received a copy of Swindon News for over a year and doubts a majority of residents know of it's existence. The current issue and previous ones are available as pdf files and provide an interesting record of what's in the council's 'to do' list, month-to-month.

Swindon Centric Says ; The name Pravdas has been applied to the Swindon Advertiser by some at Talk Swindon, it appears the name, for all different publications, is back in favour!

Leaked : Swindon's Budget Rapidly Losing Height

A letter leaked to the TalkSwindon Lamplighters Leakline has shown that Swindon Borough Council's Gavin Jones (Chief Executive Officer) is to announce a
emergency'mid year' budget in October.

Swindon Centric Says ; Swindon Borough Council, as led by the Conservatives, is seriously holed below the waterline. How long before advice to load lifeboats and leave is officially given, or will the Captain stubbornly refuse and go down with the ship?

Swindon Becomes A Rotten Borough

If someone can photoshop Tony Blair's head for that of the Swindon Borough Council leader, this cover would be spot on for our town.

The appearance of Swindon's wi-fi deal in the Rotten Borough Column of Private Eye has been acknowledged by many, but unsurprisingly, has entirely escaped the pages of the Swindon Advertiser.

It might be because the Private Eye story summarises the main points of the deal with more facts in one story than the Adver have included in the many puffy column-inches they've written since November last year.

Swindon Centric is hoping Private Eye will be keeping tabs on how the wi-fi ends and reports accordingly.

Swindon Centric Says ; With £400,000 of the £450,000 now taken by Digital City, where's our money gone and where's our wi-fi?

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 157

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. He waved his hand and that was it.

9. I've got four more 2's to do.

8. Sublime, professional, but an arsehole.

7. When he retires he'll be saved for the nation.

6. She buys everything on the Jewellery Channel.

5. Their bananas looked manky, so I didn't get any.

4. Unmarked, at the spot, midnight.

3. He's got a face like Blofeld without makeup.

2. Don't expect mercy, it's a political decision.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. Don't worry, I'm in charge of this Rotten Borough.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Council Bus Bingo Service Cuts... Grab Your Dabber

901 The Copse/Groundwell Park & Ride.
12 Priory Vale Express.

54 West Swindon routing.

1 Covingham and Eldene (renamed number 2, reduced frequency)

Will the buses below soon be added to the above list of withdrawals and cutbacks of buses in Swindon?

15 23 V bus 73 74 75

Swindon's recent record on buses isn't a happy one. A combination of house builders support money coming to an end, and a £100,000 cutback in the Swindon Borough council transport budget for subsidies will see the above services severely effected.

Any resemblance to a coherent public transport policy hasn't been the case for a while now. With reelected councillors pontificating on bus cuts, but without knowledge of the industry, or the laws shaping it, knowledge is thin on the ground bus-wise in the Council. It appears the ruling party have yet to get over the very 80s and 90s habit of pandering to motorists for votes.

Swindon Centric Says ; Perhaps Swindon/Wiltshire should launch it's own Passenger Transport Executive, but fill the board with a majority of passengers (each of different demographics, students, OAPs, workers, etc), Thamesdown Transport, Stagecoach in Swindon, First Great Western and a highly knowledgeable transport officer from Swindon Borough Council. But not a councillor in sight.

PS Swindon Centric understands that Thamesdown are planning on releasing a summary leaflet of the changes soon, with the new timetable and greater details from the 1st of July, with the changes being implemented from Sunday 25th of July.

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.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 156

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. There's a soul in there, somewhere.

9. Sunny, but overcast most of the day, how is that an accurate forecast?

8. This one will go entirely, whilst the 15 will be heavily cut back.

7. But if you park, the council care more about you.

6. I hope they don't cut money for the essential things, like orange stickers on taxis and fountain cleaning.

5. The best person to play Tony Hayward in a film of the disaster is Michael Sheen.

4. Google it if you want, but you'll still be wrong.

3. I could never convincingly be interested in football.

2. I'm investing in a crepemaker, I plan on using it every day.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. Move away from the window, if you're that close you'll start licking it.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 155

Have you seen the view from the top?

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. Is this real?

9. We're going to get him back.

8. There's a very small chance that I've been lying all along.

7. Prices have been slashed, along with our fiscal future.

6. The guy with the leaflets got on at the same time as last week and he really unsettles me.

5. We're having fish for dinner and no potatoes or I'll heave.

4. Tom likes poetry and is quite proud about it.

3. I will be living mainly between the two places.

2. There are themes I wish to cover and one of them is superficially erotic.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. He sounds like he's either in a bowling alley or the kitchen.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 154

Clearly Thames Water's flood relief programme still had some way to go in Haydon Wick.

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. Eyes front, Mister!

9. It's coming in exactly 11 seconds.

8. There's hurricanes, rains and sunshine heading for us.

7. He really is lost.

6. They need to save several millions, but they've just bought land for a carpark?

5. The guy needs a bite of a reality sandwich.

4. Bahrain, Singapore and Coleview are all on my list.

3. She's got no idea that I can't dance.

2. Not there, there!

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. He got a spare, which added up to several extra points at the end.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

5 Years of 50 Promises - Style & Substance

The local council elections gave the ruling Conservatives the opportunity to carry out a cabinet reshuffle, giving Councillor Dale Heenan (Conservative, Covingham & Nythe) responsibility for Policy & Performance, including assessment of the 50 Promises made back in 2005.

A look back at them has been made on TalkSwindon, so I won't repeat that here. Reading of the 'official' review of them will be fascinating indeed. A look back at them from 2005 shows how the 'appearance is everything' era of the Swindon Conservatives started. Now we're use to the presidential-style rule of Councillor Rod Bluh (Dorcan) and how the appearance of doing something is more important than actually doing something, the 'all fur coat and no knickers' syndrome.

The appearance of signs on hoardings at the Central Library during construction work, or the old Railway Museum whilst refurbishment took place and no-doubt many other places, with the relevant promise emblazoned, e.g. 'Promise 26 We will have a new Central Library by 2008' was to remind us that the council were getting good work done.

Certainly PR, but patronising all the same. In the fog of this PR it is easy to lose the attributes of which promises were the council being effective and which were part of national programmes or prevously planned schemes.

This era of taking credit for national schemes (school rebuilding) or local plans set in motion before the 50 Promises was conceived (Lydiard Park restoration) continues to this day, as anyone who may have received local councillor leaflets in the last election will find if they unwind the language used.

Swindon Centric Says ; Will the wi-fi scheme sit in the new 50 promises list, and be emblazoned on leaflets at the next election?

Re-elect your local councillor, he got you a new school (out of his hands, part of a national government project), rebuilt your favourite park (instigated by the park's management and paid for by Heritage Lottery Funds) and put in place traffic calming (planned by the traffic management department, who are, you know, do it for a living), so re- elect him! For all that achievement in your ward, by others.

Is the Living Wall Dead On Arrival?

A big and flashy part of the Canal Walk redevelopment was the Living Wall on the bridge between the Brunel Centre and Brunel Arcade.

So where is it?

The Canal Walk project has been touted as finished and work has now moved on to Regent Street. So what happened to the wall?

Swindon Centric Says : Considering that root and branch reform of the New Swindon Company/Forward Swindon has been a rolling wish by many for a while, it's not surprising that a part of the 'vibrant' vision has been lost in the long grass.

A Wi-Fi Bolt-On

Digital City has agreed with local house builder Bower Mapson to bundle the Home User package for free, when you purchase one of their houses. This was reported in a 'news in brief' column from the Swindon Advertiser on Wednesday 19th of May, but isn't able to be sourced online from either Digital City, or Bower Mapson.

Maybe their wi-fi signal is patchy?

Swindon Centric Says ; If you're planning on spending £200,000 on a new pad, maybe a saving of £9.99 a month for a year will just swing the deal.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 153

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. He's acting like a man possessed.

9. Get out before the whole place becomes smellier than a fishmonger's armpit.

8. It was funny at the time, but it's now very serious.

7. They can make more money out of those more damaging things than the usual, above-board things.

6. He threw up everywhere, I actually saw it.

5. Come and have a look at it, it's a sight to see.

4. Flapjacks all over the floor.

3. Sandra needs to know the answer before she goes off for her fake tan.

2. I was outside and realised I was bleeding.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. His glasses make him look like a pelican.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

The Audacity of Nope

The Audit Commission has decided that nothing has been done legally wrong in Swindon Borough Council's decision to give £450,000 of your money, free office space, and incalculable council time to a business venture being executed by a firm with no previous experience and only 13 paying customers.

There are no laws against "naviety, incompetence and negligence", shame.

Swindon Centric Says ; Swindon Borough Council : your investor in paper lifeboat manufacturing, for a better Swindon.

A Slice of Local Pie For All

Swindon Centric would like to welcome Bumpkinpie's Blog to the town's online presence.

Swindon Centric Says ; Dishing it out since 2010 , with a tagline like that, it should go far.

A Political Fountain - Dripping in the Wrong Direction

Like Komadori, Swindon Centric is impressed by the new look of Canal Walk. The paving has mostly solved the uneven levels of the street and the feeling of a wider space has been achieved.

The fountain has become a talking point and yesterday's visit certainly showed children were drawn to it and people were stopping to look and comment. It does seem to dribble more than rush and even the dribble is creating a permanent damp patch over the new paving as the water falls outside the range of the drainage grills and flows down towards Bridge Street and the BHS site.

I was expecting the water to follow the contour of the design and neatly down into the drains, perhaps a change in flow speed and direction could be made. Or, increase the horizontal ground space of the grills, replacing some of the paving.

Swindon Centric Says ; With a report that the council leader would prefer the town centre to be about leisure rather than retail, what does he plan to turn all the empty shop units in the Brunel Centre and empty swathes of land into?

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 152

Swindon Centric would add to that, please wear appropriate clothing. The number of elderly people wearing coats since the warmer weather began on Friday is notable. Perhaps an awareness campaign of how to cope during hot weather that is as visible as that carried out during extreme cold weather is what we now need.

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. She's left his father, taken the waffle-maker and everything.

9. We need more cheerfulness, that's what.

8. It could be a niche you could exploit until you get sore.

7. Fish finger sandwich, are you wrong in the head?

6. He cheered, kicked me in the calf and went back to sleep.

5. What brains you got?

4. A covert plan, that's just what we need, perfect, give me details.

3. Bridge Street doesn't end, it just fades away.

2. Washing-up liquid or not, it's certainly a talking point.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. Stick a calippo down your pants, that'll cool you down.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Sign of the Times?

Swindon Centric noticed that the contractor's signs put up around the perimeter of the Mechanic's Institute have gone, with just the wooden frame that held them remaining.

Is this anything to do with the passing of the deadline the council happily made lots of noise about regarding the basic safety of the building?

Swindon Centric Says ; The 20th April deadline was a long time ago, so, Planning Director David Potter, when does SCS (Swindon Commercial Services, the limited company that the council created of it's 'works' department at the beginning of the year, for more on that, read the threads on TalkSwindon) move in?