VANDALS are covering the town centre in ugly graffiti while shops are shut – and one business owner is fed up with the ‘morons’ ruining the look of the area. Shop owner and South Swindon parish councillor Vince Ayris claims he’s seen more and more tags and spray-painted scribbles popping up on walls, street signs and buildings since the stay at home guidelines returned and most of the area’s retailers temporarily closed. He hit out at the spray can-wielding criminals who, he believes, are taking advantage of the fact that far fewer people are filling the usually-busy streets to create unsightly scrawls without worrying about getting caught in the act.
Many people make a resolution or set themselves a target at the start of a new year. The man in political control of Swindon’s town centre has set himself 11 – both personal and political – and there’s no escape from scrutiny. Dale Heenan posted a Twitter thread detailing his his aims for 2021 on New Year’s Day. The Conservative cabinet member for the town centre, heritage and culture is aiming to. :: Raise £20,000 over the 12 months through fundraising and securing grants for local charities. :: Make sure residents and businesses see visible progress made on the demolition and construction for the ‘bus boulevard’ now £33m has been agreed for the new town centre development.
What does 2021 have in store for local politics? ALED THOMAS gazes into his crystal ball. IF there’s anything to learn from 2020 (apart from where the mute button is) then it s not to make predictions. But here we are, looking ahead to the next 12 months in Swindon local politics and government. There are two massive variables which will influence how voters and councillors look back a year from now – but nobody can say for certain how both Covid-19 and Brexit will pan out this year. Swindon has just been moved up to Tier 4 restrictions along with the majority of the rest of England, with Wales doing something similar – essentially a repeat of the national lockdown conditions which applied in March and April and May.