Has Swindon just been saved from financial ruin?
A Government £14.7m exceptional financial support package has been announced for Swindon in a week of good news for SBC
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£14.7m to help fill in Swindon’s financial chasm
Last night The Government announced that 30 local authorities can collectively borrow £1.5bn to plug budget gaps caused by underfunding, and one of the local authorities is Swindon Borough Council, which has been granted permission to borrow £14.7m to fill their massive budget black hole. And in a week of other positive news for the borough council are we now, as Swindonians, in a position to dare to hope for a brighter future for the town? Jamie Hill reports…
By Jamie Hill
For the past decade times have been tough for all of us.
We’ve had to be dealing with crisis after crisis from austerity to covid to the cost of living.
For a lot of us it’s been hard to make ends meet as we face an unscaleable mountain of debt and we just don’t know how we’re going to survive the never-ending spiral of financial problems. For the lucky few of us the Bank of Mum and Dad has been the only solution.
Swindon Borough Council has faced the same problems. Year on year it has been having to deal with seemingly impossible budget black holes.
So far they’ve managed to keep their heads above water and haven’t had to go down the declaring bankruptcy routes of other local authorities like Thurrock, Birmingham and Slough.
But it has been close and Swindon has been teetering on the edge, especially after an effective cut of 40% in Government funding since 2010 as part of austerity and the fact that they have to allocate more than 80% of their budget to adults’ and children’s social care.
Back at the start of February in a budget briefing to the press, the council revealed that their latest accounts showed a forecast £7.6m in-year budget overspend with next year’s budget (2025/26) showing an estimated £18.9m budget gap.
For a local authority those shortfalls are huge.
At the time Cllr Kevin Small, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Swindon is a microcosm of the wider local government sector and the Government is under no illusions about the scale of the issues we are facing.
“The cost and demand for social care services continues to rise, making up around 80 per cent of our budget.
“The Government recognises that system-wide reform of both children’s and adults’ social care is essential if these costs are to become more financially sustainable for local authorities. It has also committed to reforming local authority funding, for example, by introducing multi-year funding settlements from 2026/27 to give local authorities the certainty to plan and invest for the long term.”
But now the local authority has had a much-needed cash injection courtesy of their own version of The Bank of Mum and Dad - The Government - with last night’s announcement that they were amongst 30 councils up and down the country who had been granted an exceptional financial support package worth £14.7m.
Exceptional Financial Support gives councils temporary permission for a financial year to use capital funds raised through borrowing and the sale of assets to plug funding gaps in their day-to-day revenue spending. Any council which is granted this support is subject to an external assurance review.
Councillor Kevin Small, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We’re pleased that the government has granted us the ability to be more flexible with our finances through this support.
“However, we don’t want this to detract from the work our budget will be doing to fund services and take forward the Swindon Plan to improve the Borough for all residents.
“We will have a £188m revenue budget next year which includes progressing plans to reinvent the town centre and drive economic growth. This is important as the future prosperity of Swindon will also have a positive knock-on impact on the Council’s finances.
“We also plan to invest millions of pounds through our capital programme to further expand SEND provision and improve social housing across Swindon, which will include our historic Railway Village.
“Meanwhile, we have a clear plan for how the Council can transition to a more financially sustainable position over the next four years. In the short term, having greater flexibility in how we use our funding would mean we avoid having to cut services any further and prevent larger increases in council tax bills.
“It gives us the time to fundamentally change how the Council operates going forward. This will see us focus on early intervention and prevention, so that we can work alongside residents to help them live safe, healthy and independent lives for as long as possible.”
One stipulation of the package though is that for the first time, conditions are imposed preventing councils granted EFS help from selling what it calls “community and heritage assets”, reflecting fears that desperate councils could embark on a fire sale of well loved parks, golf courses, regeneration land and artworks.
In total a record 30 English local authorities have been granted effective “bailouts” enabling them to borrow money to avoid bankruptcy.
Three councils – Birmingham, Bradford, and Windsor and Maidenhead – will each be allowed to borrow more than £100m this year to stay afloat, while also being allowed to issue cap-busting council tax bill increases of up to 10%.
Six councils who are in special measures after declaring effective bankruptcy in recent years – Birmingham, Croydon, Nottingham, Slough, Thurrock and Woking – have again been granted special financial help.
Swindon is amongst the councils granted special borrowing packages for the first time, as are Newham, Shropshire, Trafford, West Berkshire, Wirral, Enfield, Halton, Barnet, Solihull, Worcestershire and Worthing.
It has definitely been a week of good news for Swindon Borough Council.
Just this morning they announced that the council has made the shortlist for ‘most improved council’ at the national local government awards.
This comes after progress demonstrated by the local authority in improving services, strengthening community engagement and its organisational culture, caught the eye of judges for the prestigious 2025 LGC Awards, run by the Local Government Chronicle.
The hotly contested awards, open to all 317 local authorities in England, invited councils to submit entries across 22 categories.
Swindon’s entry drew on feedback from residents, colleagues and the independent views of Ofsted and the Local Government Association (LGA) to evidence improvements made over the past year. The council’s submission referenced the development of the Swindon Plan, finalised in July last year, following a borough-wide engagement exercise that generated feedback from 700 residents, colleagues, and partners to help shape the organisation’s long-term priorities.
Last September, the Council worked with the LGA to invite a team of senior councillors and officers from other local authorities to undertake a ‘Corporate Peer Challenge’, which included a four-day onsite visit alongside seeking feedback from Swindon residents, its workforce, and partners. The report highlighted efforts made to embed an open, transparent, and collaborative culture at the council.
As the council grapples with significant financial pressures and ongoing work to improve services, the LGA’s report also commented that: “Members and officers at SBC have achieved much in the past 15 months and should be congratulated for putting in place sound foundations upon which to build.”
In a demonstration of stronger self-awareness and transparency within the organisation, the council self-referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing in September 2024 and is currently undergoing the first of its planned programme of four-yearly landlord inspections.
Rather than wait for the inspection outcome, the council has already shared a draft housing improvement plan with the regulator, informed by an independent mock inspection completed in late 2023. Delivery of this improvement work is being overseen by a Housing Improvement Board with tenant and cross-party councillor representation.
Three positive Ofsted monitoring visits last year also recognised the progress made to improve services and the support provided to families, children, and young people.
The council’s award submission also referenced the results of the 2024 Resident Survey, which show that resident satisfaction has increased over the past year in relation to many of the key metrics including how well the council runs things, trust, value for money and how well it acts on the concerns of local residents.
An uplift in results from the 2024 colleague survey included a nine per cent increase in the number of colleagues who would recommend the council as a great place to work and a similar increase in those who want to remain working at the organisation for the foreseeable future.
Representatives of the council will now be invited to present at a judging day in London in April, before the final winners are announced on Wednesday, 11 June.
Cllr Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “I’m really delighted for everyone at the council that the impact of our hard work over the past year has been independently recognised through being shortlisted in these national local government awards.
“We’ve been able to evidence to the judges the progress we are making to improve services, strengthen community engagement and our organisational culture.
“Particularly given the challenging financial outlook for local government, I’m proud that Swindon has stood out in its ability to improve and be a force for positive change.
“But we aren’t complacent. Our entry acknowledged that we won’t rest until we are delivering consistently good services for our residents whilst progressing our Swindon Plan priorities to build a fairer, better, and greener Swindon.”
And on top of that, last week, the council revealed that two major landowners in the town centre have thrown their support behind the transformation of Fleming Way.
FI Real Estate, which owns the Tri-Centre and Brunel Shopping Centre, along with Parade Swindon Limited, which controls the area including the old Debenhams building, have highlighted the regeneration work as a key reason for investing in the area and that it will act as a catalyst for future growth in Swindon.
Work to turn the road into a new bus interchange with an improved public realm and a green corridor is entering its final stages and, when complete, will rejuvenate the key gateway into the town centre.
Visitors via train, bus or bike will enjoy a vastly-improved public realm, with more than 175 trees and 23,000 plants and bushes being planted. This will enhance the surrounding environment, supporting local wildlife and, with some of the trees and bushes also being planted in The Parade and other public spaces, make the walk between the town centre and bus and train stations more welcoming for shoppers and visitors.
Once complete, the regeneration scheme will encourage further investment in the area with FI Real Estate having already invested £8m in their nearby offices at 1 Newbridge Square. Plans are also underway to create a new entertainment venue once the current bus station is demolished and Zurich has already opened its new headquarters, Unity Place, next to the road.
Dominic Knowles, Head of Offices at FI Real Estate Management, commented: “The regeneration of Fleming Way outside 1 Newbridge Square is nearing completion, bringing much-needed improvements to connectivity, public spaces, and infrastructure in the heart of Swindon.
“This transformation was a key factor for the £8m investment in the building as we saw the potential for this area to become a vibrant, well-connected hub for businesses and the wider community.
“1 Newbridge Square not only provides high-quality office and retail space but also aligns with Swindon’s broader vision for growth and regeneration. We’re proud to be part of this exciting transformation and to contribute to the town’s continued development.”
Simon Pullen, from Parade Swindon Limited, said: “It’s very exciting to see the Fleming Way scheme coming to an end and we’re very hopeful it will have a transformational impact on the area.
“We’re looking forward to seeing our schemes sit alongside Fleming Way and provide a much better welcome into the town centre than the previous road and underpass did.
“We’re very keen to see the new road increase footfall in the area and hopefully drive further investment, including in the new entertainment venue.”
Cllr Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “It’s great to see two of the biggest landowners in the town publicly supporting the scheme and highlighting its benefits.
“We understand the importance of this project as the cornerstone for the wider regeneration of the town centre. We have worked very hard over the last 18 months with utility companies and Central Government to remove the barriers to completion and all involved are pleased that we’ve been able to claw back the project timeline.
“The opening of the road will act as a catalyst to build footfall in the area that will encourage other landowners and businesses to take notice of Swindon and invest.
“With the road nearing completion, those working, living in or visiting the town centre will start to notice the changes and I’m sure they’ll agree it’s starting to look much better.”
For Swindonians though, under the current administration, although it should be mentioned that the Fleming Way project was started under the previous administration, it looks like the town is actually moving forward and pulling itself out of the mire.
Times are still hard and there’s still a rough road ahead but at least there are now a good few positives so that we can all dare hope for a brighter future.
The Ink News Briefing
GWH breast screening team urge Swindon women to make sure they attend appointments - The breast screening team at Swindon's Great Western Hospital say those invited should save the date as it might save their life. Full Story here
Help for Ukrainians in Swindon needing visa extensions - Around 300 Ukrainian people who have sought refuge in Swindon will be supported by the borough council to extend their visas. Full Story here
Swindon barbers' shop closed following money laundering and drug probe - A closure order has been secured by Swindon Police against A Style Barbers in Manchester Road. Full Story here
Next phase of multi-million pound Oakfield regeneration to get underway - A total of 16 high-quality zero carbon accessible homes have been earmarked for a derelict portion of land on the former Oakfield campus in Swindon's Marlowe Avenue. Full Story here
Mid Fight At The Oasis
The Ink’s new resident poet Debbie Raikes May lives near Swindon again after 20 years in South Wales and Boston, USA. She splits her time between fundraising, coaching, managing social media content and creative writing. This month she writes about The Oasis Leisure Centre…
Sweaty Wrestlers, sweaty crowd
Cheering and yelling instructions
'Kill 'im , kill 'im'! roars the sweet little old lady
Next to me, chomping her dentures furiously on a Nuttals Minto.
My grandma. Five feet and a half inch
Of spit and steel
She'll remember tonight for years to come.
At the Oasis. Round eyed and huffing;
Watching Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks slugging it out and putting 'Swindon on the map'.
Two years later there I was again.
The only wrestling then between me
And a boy called Robin.
Dennis Waterman was 'In Concert'
And during his quieter songs, Robin
Grew three extra hands and tried
To slide at least one of them
Inside my teen bra.
Ha ha Robin! I'd been warned.
And wore a seamless one, in case.
No dice. And certainly no ' two submissions and a pin fall'.
Sometimes on a Saturday
We went to swim, or rather pose along the Sandy 'beach'
Our gym teacher once was there - pale and
Somewhat hairy in her new bikini - how we mocked.
Hand in hand with Mr Ramsey, our geography master.
Was he 'putting Swindon on the map' too?
We thought not. He steered her masterfully towards the slide
And pinched her bum.
What were you, Oasis?
A Concert venue or a poshed up pool?
We never knew.
Across the years we heard so many bands there
With chlorine and towel dampened air in place
Of dry ice.
And bit by bit, the thrill wore off
We early fans grew up, struck out
For different reaches.
Sorry, but your wave machine : a sea without a beach got rather tired.
Today you languish, land locked
Waiting for What Next To be decided.
Hoping for your day or any day - to come again
Your days of music, swimmers, wrestlers and old ladies.
Cdeb25
The Swindon Link Magazine Archive
Over on The Ink’s sister publication Swindon Link’s website you will find an impressive archive of the past 45 years of Swindon Link magazines, giving you a huge glimpse into the town’s recent past from the beginnings of West Swindon to now. You can find the archive here.
The latest magazines
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