Tributes have been paid from across the council chamber to Swindon’s deputy mayor and Brian Mattock, who died at the weekend. Coun Mattock was a long-serving Conservative councillor. A former deputy leader, he had held cabinet posts and chaired committees after first working as a council officer. He was due to step up to succeed Garry Perkins as mayor in May – and was active in council and in committees until very recently despite managing a serious medical condition for some years.
Swindon Borough Council leader David Renard was saddened by the news. He said: “Brian was really one of the good guys.
Fire service cuts prompt petition A petition has been launched to save what fire fighters say is vital water rescue equipment being cut from stations in Chippenham and Trowbridge - to move it to Swindon and Dorset. More than 250 people have already signed it, fearing the cuts will affect rescue operations in the River Avon area which has some of the biggest flood risks in Wiltshire. The petition claims that members of the public will have to wait an hour to be rescued safely instead of eight minutes in the River Avon area because of the decision. “This will put the lives at risk of people caught in flooding,” said Becky Montague who started the petition, and hopes to get 500 signatures to send to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority to reverse the move.