OUR main aim is for the years ahead is to promote economic growth.

It’s only by supporting wealth creation that we will raise more money to invest in roads, schools, and services. That means we have to say yes to new businesses and new homes.

Government sees our commitment. The Housing Minister, during a visit to Wichelstowe, welcomed what we had done but pressed us to do more.

Greg Clark MP, the Communities Minister, published a comment yesterday, noting the role that this council plays in boosting the town, and the fact that most jobs in Swindon are in the private, wealth-creating sector, not the public sector.

We have to continue our work through Forward Swindon Ltd to market the town, and implement the Central Area Action Plan for the town centre redevelopment. As a local authority, we will support businesses with policies such as the £2 for four hours’ parking, the use of local development orders to speed up planning applications, and our role as local leaders to tell the world that Swindon is a good place in which to do business.

As well as supporting new businesses, we also need to manage the town’s expansion. New houses mean jobs for local residents as well as homes. These do come at a cost with the need for new schools, roads, and infrastructure to serve them.

By working with developers, and not saying no, we can get the best results for everyone. It’s too easy for some in this borough to say “no.” There is a fear of the unknown; a reluctance to accept change; or a desire to hold up future developments until we fix our current problems. This opposition may be principled, but it can be counter-productive. We are not here to say yes at any cost, but you cannot negotiate if you have a reputation for saying no to everything.

We need to project that fact that the town that is open for business. I am delighted that the work by my predecessors – Councillors Mike Bawden and Rod Bluh – towards this has paid off.

We have had the ceremony of the council’s annual meeting, and now we have to get down to the serious business of preparing next year’s budget. The figures are beyond challenging.

Although we saved £70m in the past few years, in order to meet rising demand due to demographic pressures, and manage with less tax payers’ money, we have to deliver £14m of savings this year and find £17m more next year.

This administration is ready to make the tough and necessary decisions to secure economic growth while balancing the budget.