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Safer, Cleaner, Smarter

7 09 2008

Over the past few months we have been preparing a massive reorganisation of many of Swindon Borough Council’s environmental functions.  Each area of Swindon now has a dedicated team to deal with all local environmental issues – waste, street cleaning, road maintenance, street lighting, parking and so on.

This has been designed to help improve the response time to many of these important local services, given that the teams will become very familiar with their particular areas and will be purely responsible for their area.  It should also make the lines of accountability much clearer.

To report problems to the StreetSmart team you can telephone them on 01793 445 501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm) or email them at streetsmart@swindon.gov.uk.  The StreetSmart website can be found here.

We are determined to ensure that Swindon tax payers get value for money and this is an important plank of that policy.  Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any comments regarding the new service and I will be happy to pass those comments on to the relevant officers and Councillors.


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Categories : Local Issues, Swindon

How Low Will Labour Go?

5 09 2008

Quite apart from the fact that it’s highly illegal for a charity to give money to a political party (or indeed for them to partake in most kinds of political activism) it’s simply unbelievable that the Labour Party would deem it morally correct to accept donations from a children’s charity.  Surely they aren’t that close to bankruptcy?


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Categories : Charity, Labour Party

Town Centre Regeneration Update

4 09 2008

The town centre regeneration plans for Swindon are moving ahead at full pace despite the credit crunch.  We have just finalised a deal with Modus Properties that will see £200million of private and public money used to regenerate Regent Place (the old College site) into an upmarket shopping, dining and living space.  It will also include a large number of desperately needed parking spaces!

The Muse development, which will regenerate the areas to the north of Fleming Way and around the bus station, is also in the final stages of development.

Two common questions I have been asked are, why have so many buildings been knocked down in the town centre and the areas left empty, and why has the old College building not yet been knocked down?

To answer, the first is because it avoids us paying any rates on the land.  The buildings would need to have been knocked down anyway, but the current laws mean that if a commercial building is left unoccupied for six months then the owner must begin paying rates, and we didn’t want to waste tax payer’s money on this.  

The old College site is actually being prepared for demolition and has been for several months.  The problem is that significant amounts of asbestos were found in the building that need to be removed before the college can be demolished safely.

It’s very exciting that the plans for the town centre and coming to fruition and that we have managed to successfully attract a large amount of private sector money in order to achieve it.  Please feel free to get in touch if you wish to discuss any element of the town centre regeneration!


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Categories : Regeneration, Swindon

Swindon Youth Festival 2008

3 09 2008

The annual Swindon Youth Festival is due to take place on Saturday 12th September from 1pm until 10pm in the Old Town Gardens (off Westlecot Road.)

It is a great event that showcases the best that young Swindonians have to offer, from live bands and DJs, to dance and craft areas, to poets corner, interactive arts, and many, many more stalls.  There is also a raffle to win an iPod for young people who visit every one of the different zones at this years festival (Activity, Eco, Health, Glamourous, Information and Urban Arts.)

Best of all the event is completely free and open to young people of all ages – fingers crossed for good weather again this year!


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Categories : Education / Youth, Events, Swindon

Surgery Reminder

2 09 2008

It is our monthly surgery this Saturday from 11:30am until 12:30pm in the Upper Room of Upper Stratton Library on Beechcroft Road. 

No appointment is required, just drop in for a chat.  If you think you will struggle to get up the stairs, then please feel free to ask one of the library staff to fetch one of us downstairs to meet you.


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Categories : Campaigning / Surgeries

Repairing the Military Covenant

2 09 2008

One of the most important commissions currently developing policy for the Conservatives is the Military Covenant Commission.  There is a real feeling within the party that the relationship between Parliament and the Armed Forces has been strained to breaking point under Labour.

David Cameron has pledged to increase the time that British troops get to spend on leave by not starting the leave timer until they actually arrive back in Britain.  At present many of our troops lose leave time waiting to be transported home, which is a travesty considering the extreme situations they have to operate in whilst on duty.  

I look forward to the Commission providing more policies that will help ensure that British troops are treated with the huge respect that they deserve.


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Categories : Armed Forces / Defence, Conservative Policy

Welcome to My Blog

1 09 2008

Welcome to my home on the web.

You can find out more about me by clicking on the “About Me” page.  Please feel free to contact me directly if you are a resident of St Philip’s ward looking for assistance with a local issue; all of my contact and surgery details are available on the “Contact Me” page.

David


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Categories : Site News