Over the past months, I have been working to help secure a sustainable future for the former Honda site here in Swindon, which is vital for jobs and investment and the future of our town. I was delighted last week when Panattoni’s application for the redevelopment of the site was approved at Swindon’s Planning Committee. This is a major step forward for our town, and I am glad to have worked closely with both Swindon Borough Council and Panattoni on this.
The redevelopment is anticipated to bring around 7,000 on-site jobs and 5,000 off-site. This is set to be a £1.2bn boost to Swindon’s economy and a £750m investment by Panattoni.
I will continue to work to ensure that maximum economic benefit is secured for our town, as part of the Panattoni redevelopment, bringing jobs, growth, and skills. There will be a need for skilled jobs in the redevelopment project, and I have already requested that Pannatoni explores training opportunities for local people, including apprentices, with New College. The redevelopment of the site is a success for Swindon and our plans to keep the local economy moving.
Several agencies are working hard here in Wiltshire to tackle modern slavery, but it is also vital that whilst we go after traffickers, we provide refuge and care to the men, women, and children who are survivors of modern slavery. On Friday, I was pleased to open a new Medaille Trust Safehouse and meet and chat with some of the survivors and the staff supporting them. I was happy to hear about Medaille's work in providing not just accommodation but personalised support so that these survivors can recover from their terrible experiences and rebuild their lives. Medaille is a valued subcontractor under the Government's Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), which funds supported accommodation for victims of modern slavery. This charity is doing incredible work in my constituency, and I look forward to it continuing to grow and expand its work.
There has been some inaccurate and misleading publicity generated by the opposition recently about sentencing, which not only misrepresents the process but ignores the changes that this Government has already made. You may already be aware that when I was Justice Secretary, I introduced an overhaul of the justice system to strengthen the use of minimum sentences for knife crime, house burglary and the supply of Class A drugs, as well as making it easier to stop and search those suspected of carrying a blade.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill, which I proposed as Justice Secretary in March 2020, was enacted in April 2022 and made major changes to the criminal justice system. It gives the police the powers and the tools that they need to protect themselves and the public, and increases the time that serious violent and sexual offenders will spend behind bars, as well as placing greater emphasis on rehabilitation to help offenders to turn their lives around and prevent further crime.
Some machetes and knives can have legitimate uses in the agricultural and outdoor sectors, but criminals are buying, selling, and using the larger blades as weapons to intimidate and cause serious harm, so I am glad that the government has launched a seven-week public consultation today, to look at what further can be done to make our streets safer for everyone.
Here in Swindon, I will be teaming up with local business Nanogreen and the organisation Knife Crime Matters to raise awareness and further promote education about the devastating impact of knife crime.
This week, as part of my ongoing charity of the week scheme, I will be promoting the organisation Knife Crime Matters, who are a team of passionate individuals who have come together to create a platform for change. Knife Crime Matters firmly believes that education is the key to tackling knife crime. By educating young people about the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, we can empower them to make positive choices and prevent further tragedies. Further information about Knife Crime Matter can be found on their website here https://knifecrimematters.org/
