THE letter, “It’s smoke and mirrors”, from Terry Flinders, February 2, gives an excellent summary of the incompetent service provision which has become synonymous with Swindon Borough Council.
Readers may recall the merger of Highworth Rural District Council and the Municipal Borough of Swindon created The Borough of Thamesdown in 1974. The unitary authority of Swindon Borough Council was then created in 1997 when The Borough of Thamesdown took responsibility for additional services from Wiltshire County Council.
Mr Flinders hits the nail on the head when he points out that, during the ongoing evolution of Swindon Borough Council and regardless of political control, endless promises about improvements to the environment and service provision have failed to materialise.
It is undeniable that Swindon has had a certain amount of economic success but the infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the ever increasing industrial estates, retail outlets and housing estates. The subsequent congestion has become a severe hindrance to quality of life.
Mr Flinders explains that on his estate he can’t even get a few ‘give way’ lines painted at road junctions. This is not just a one-off problem. Failure to provide adequate road markings and failure to remark faded road markings is a borough-wide problem. I don’t need to walk too far from my own front door to find examples of this problem.
On the day that Mr Flinder’s letter appeared there was a report in the Swindon Advertiser which informed us that Swindon Borough Council has found someone who, according to Labour group leader Cllr Jim Grant, not only knows the challenges and opportunities facing Swindon and the council but who also has the skills and experiences best suited to meeting them.
The person he refers to is the Council’s former interim chief executive, Mr John Gilbert, who joined the council in 2008 and was previously responsible for Children’s Services and Adult Social Care.
The council advertised, nationally, for the vacant post of chief executive and had a total of twenty-eight candidates apply for the role. Having been short listed to the final group of four Mr Gilbert was then found to be the best man for the job.
I suppose the tax payers and voters of Swindon will be absolutely ecstatic to know that the council already employed the right man. This good news will go a long way to ensure public confidence. It will also help to make people feel better about using their hard earned cash to pay for a proposed four percent council tax increase.
Before Mr Gilbert attempts to implement any major projects associated with the Vision for Swindon can I suggest that he uses his expertise to get to grips with the fundamental requirements of the Borough. I suggest he could start by sorting out the road markings on Mr Flinders estate and those adjacent to my home.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to turn back the clock but, in agreement with Mr Flinders, I would prefer to see the return of Highworth Rural District Council. The visionaries would then be able concentrate on the central area of Swindon without having to make excuses for their neglect of the regions within the Borough.
I suggest their super project could then be renamed Tunnel Vision for Swindon.
Mr K Kane
Wharf Road
Wroughton