On Friday we had the latest Towns Fund Board meeting, where it was great to confirm that £11 million of our allocation has now been formally approved and is on its way to us for the Kimmerfields and Carriageworks projects, which much to come.
This follows the news that Swindon will benefit from a total of £19.5 million from the Government’s Towns Fund to help regenerate our town. Since being first elected in 2010, this has been a priority of mine and alongside the Conservative-led Council and Justin Tomlinson MP, I lobbied hard for the Towns Fund deal funding announced by the Chancellor earlier this year.
I will continue to do all I can to make Swindon’s case in Parliament and ensure that investing in Swindon remains a priority for the Government.
Yesterday I also had the opportunity to visit the Great Western Hospital once again and see the progress being made on the new Urgent Treatment Centre – this will make a real and tangible difference to the capacity of our hospital.
I have been in touch with the Chief Executive of GWH about the impact Covid-19 is having. Covid admissions are currently slightly lower than recent months, but we are waiting to see how the Omicron surge in the South East will impact us here in Swindon. They are working hard to improve the process of discharging patients, which has been a big challenge.
Everybody in the GWH is working incredibly hard and I thank them for all they do, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year.
It was brilliant to see members of the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group create a fantastic Christmas sing along with their rendition of ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’.
Last year the Group’s Christmas sing along raised over £800 worth of vital funds and they are hoping to beat that target this year. They have been donated a beautiful Christmas hamper full of goodies by the Zurich Community Trust.
To have a chance at winning this hamper, all you need to do is donate £5 to their dedicated Just Giving page and you will be entered into the draw. The Down’s Syndrome Group will be allocating one entry for every £5 donated, so the more you donate, the more chances you have of winning.
You can enter the raffle here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sdsgxmas-2021. Entries close at 5pm on 22nd December, so there is not much time left to enter!
With Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day falling over the weekend this year, Swindon Borough Council have confirmed that there will be no changes to waste and recycling collection days over the festive period.
You can visit the Council’s website to find out more about the additional recycling services they will be putting on throughout January: www.swindon.gov.uk/christmaswaste.
I would like to use this opportunity to wish everybody here in Swindon and beyond a very happy and peaceful Christmas 2021. It has been quite a year for all of us, and as we await more important information about the effects of the Omicron Covid wave, I hope that everyone can find some peace and enjoyment this Christmas season.
