Since first being elected as Member of Parliament for South Swindon back in 2010, it has always been my priority to make sure that we get our fair share of Government funding here in the town, so I am glad that Swindon was one of the first towns to receive levelling up money worth £19 million through the Towns Fund.
We have also received over £2.4m in funding here in Swindon from the Conservative Government’s Safer Streets Fund since it first launched in 2020. The Safer Streets Fund allows police forces and local authorities to invest in crime prevention initiatives, and I am pleased to have supported all of Swindon’s bids, with funding being spent on a variety of measures designed to make our streets safer across the town. These measures have included the installation of fixed and deployable CCTV cameras, and the installation of additional lighting in areas across the town to help target anti-social behaviour activity.
The Government’s Safer Streets Funding is also being used in Swindon to provide training and support in schools and businesses, as well as to engage with communities and work with local families to provide early interventions. It is welcome news that we are leading the way here in Swindon with the Home Office using our town as a pilot area for programmes, which include the running of workshops and one-to-one sessions with local students who have been referred to the programmes by schools.
WAY Beacons at the Great Western Hospital Emergency Department is the newest project to launch with funding from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund. WAY Beacons are experienced practitioners who are available at the Emergency Department three times a week, to offer guidance and support to young people aged 11 – 18 during their most challenging moments.
The project aims to break cycles of violence, substance misuse, and risk-taking behaviour through immediate and sustained support. The project has only been available for the past few months but has already supported more than twelve young people. This is very much part of my thinking and work on the “reachable moment,” where direct engagement with young people who have been involved in violence can and often does lead them away from a cycle of abuse and criminality. The Serious Violence Prevention Duty, which I helped to introduce when I was Justice Secretary, means that this sort of active intervention becomes more widespread, with real benefits for our community in Swindon.
I am calling on local schools, colleges, community groups and residents in South Swindon to sign up and get involved in UK Parliament Week again this year.
UK Parliament Week is a UK-wide festival taking place from 6th – 12th November, which aims to engage people, especially young people, from different backgrounds and communities, with the UK Parliament and empower them to get involved.
It is important that our voters and future voters and citizens of tomorrow understand how vital their participation is in our democracy and there are a variety of free resources available for those who sign up for Parliament Week, which are available here: https://www.ukparliamentweek.org/en/
I also provide free videos to schools and community groups every Parliament Week to spread the word about what Parliament is, what it does, and how you can get involved. If you would like to be sent a video, please get in touch with me by emailing [email protected] or by ringing 01793 533393.
Finally, my charity of the week is Surviving Economic Abuse, who I have worked closely with recently to promote a new ‘Hidden Reference’ online banking initiative by Starling Bank. The charity is dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and influencing changes to professional practice, systems, policy, legislation, and regulation so that more people can recognise economic abuse and provide better support to victims and survivors. You can find out more about the work of this brilliant charity here: https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/
Further details about my work to combat domestic abuse in all its forms and the new ‘Hidden References’ online banking initiative can be found on my website here https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/news/sir-robert-supports-important-initiatives-help-victims-domestic-abuse
