Swindon s local elections were postponed last year – and there are reports the same could happen in 2021 Picture: STUART HARRISON Local elections scheduled for May should go ahead, Swindon Borough Council has said. The Times reported on Monday that the government is working on a plan to delay the spring polls by anything between one and four months. Swindon s local elections in 2020 were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Borough council, parish seats and Angus Macpherson s Police and Crime Commissioner role are scheduled to be up for grabs in less than four months time. A council spokesman said: “We have been in regular contact with the government about the arrangements for this year’s local elections and, at this time, the guidance we have received is they will go ahead as planned on May 6.
Local government public health officials do not expect to gain celebrity status in the areas they serve. But it’s fair to say Steve Maddern is the best-known director of public health Swindon Borough Council has ever had. He joined the council in early April and has been thrust into the spotlight by the pandemic, holding regular Covid-19 press briefings and live question and answer sessions on the local authority’s Facebook page as case rates in the borough have risen, fallen and risen again. But the councillor who approved his appointment doesn’t see why Mr Maddern should have been fazed by 2020.