Aled Thomas

2 days ago | swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Aled Thomas

A report to cabinet to be given on Wednesday June 4 says the council spent £178,175,000 last financial year, which is £685,000 less than the £178,860 in the budget for day-to-day spending on services. But the Conservative shadow cabinet member for finance, Councillor Dale Heenan says this doesn’t really count as au underspend, as the council had needed to put in  just over £5m of its reserves to cover a gap between income and outgoings.

3 days ago | swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Aled Thomas

Members of the administration will be asked to approve one of three options for the future of Highworth Old Golf Course south of the town. One is to convert the disused course, long used by people from Highworth as a public open space, to a countryside park. Another option would see a park, but 400 houses, and the third option 700 houses, with the rest of the site made into a park. That last option has been recommended to the cabinet by officers.

3 days ago | swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Aled Thomas

Councillors on Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee have been recommended to approve the plan. That’s despite the opposition of the local ward member, Councillor Gary Sumner, two parish councils and a number of local residents. Transport specialist CNG Fuels put in an application for permission to build a refuelling station for lorries on Purley Road, just off the Commonhead Roundabout on the south-eastern border of Swindon proper.

4 days ago | swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Aled Thomas

Kevin Small (Image: Swindon Labour Councillors) Despite genuine and significant fears that Swindon Borough Council would overspend its budget in the last financial year by millions, the authority actually underspent by a small margin. But that was only achieved by pumping in just a little more than £5m from the council’s  savings to cover the gap between what the council had budgeted and what it was spending.

4 days ago | swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Aled Thomas

Low bridges, like the one carrying the railway over Corporation Street at its junction with Station Road, has prevented the wholesale use of double-decker buses, and even the electrification of the fleet serving Swindon. A report to the Build a Better Swindon committee discusses ways of helping people get about without using private cars, but is critical of the options currently available.