As part of my ongoing work to close the employment gap for autistic people and those with other neurodivergent needs, I was pleased to speak at the Neurodiversity in Business Annual Conference in London last Thursday.
The Conference brought together businesses, partner organisations, and neurodivergent individuals, for a day of building understanding and embracing action towards neuro-inclusive workplaces. I was glad to take part in the event, and further highlight the growing recognition of the value that neurodiverse people can bring to the workplace, including better problem-solving capabilities, more creativity, and increased productivity.
You can find out more about my work in this area, as well as my other local and national work on my website here https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/ You can also subscribe to my monthly newsletter by emailing [email protected]
Here in Swindon, I enjoyed meeting the team at Metro Bank in the town centre on Friday and learning more about the friendly service being provided to local businesses and residents, as well as how Metro is working to support the local community.
I am pleased that the Conservative Government has awarded Swindon Borough Council an additional £931,767 of Supporting Families Funding to help families here in South Swindon. The same amount has also been awarded for families in North Swindon.
Over 100,000 more families in England will benefit from allocations totalling £233.5 million as part of the Supporting Families Funding. The programme enables local councils to provide vital support to families, including work to help people leave abusive relationships, reducing the number of children entering care, cutting the number of juvenile sentences, and helping people into employment.
The programme provides value for money, returning £2.28 in taxpayer savings per every £1 spent, through diverting families away from acute services such as children’s social care and the welfare and justice systems. It has reduced the number of children on the programme entering care by 32%, reduced the number of juvenile custodial sentences by almost 40% and the proportion of adults on the programme claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance decreased by 11%.
I will continue to fight hard to ensure that we receive our fair share of government funding here in South Swindon, to support those vulnerable families who need it the most and help them to turn their lives around.
Thank you to all of the local residents who attended my busy Shaw ward surgery at Westlea Primary School on Saturday, it was also great to catch up with hardworking Cllrs Keith Williams and Suresh Gattapur afterwards.
Finally, my local charity of the week is Swindon Bats Sports and Social Club for the Visually Impaired. The charity, which was formed in 2006, has won a number of trophies over the years and are members of the British Blind Sport Tenpin.
The Bats aim is to provide regular activities for visually impaired people aged eighteen plus. Tenpin bowling sessions organised by the charity regularly take place at Tenpin Swindon, located on the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park.
Other activities for members throughout the years have included acoustic rifle shooting, skittles, and indoor kurling. The group also has a trip to the seaside in the summer and a Christmas dinner in December and is always looking for new activities for members.
You can find out more about Swindon Bats Sports and Social Club for the Visually Impaired by visiting their website here: https://www.swindonbats.org/#
