FLIC Wiltshire Article - 18th February

As the MP for North Swindon, one of my favourite parts of the job is when I get the opportunity to champion Swindon to major retailers, global companies and national developers. For me it was one of the duties of elected office that came naturally to me having been a Swindon resident and a local Councillor before becoming the MP.  And since 2010, the job of championing Swindon has become increasingly easy.

As a result of Labour’s Great Recession, developers were bankrupted and any progress towards our town’s regeneration came to an immediate standstill. Since 2010 however, the economy is now growing and our town is turning itself around as we are able to deliver major regeneration projects across Swindon. 

Locally, our economy is seeing the fastest growth rate in any town across the South West. Since 2010, 8,400 more people have found jobs in our town, resulting in a staggering 62.9% fall in unemployment. Prospects have also increased for our young people, with youth unemployment falling by 63.6% and 7,010 newly created apprenticeships. The Government has also reduced taxes to help people deal with the cost of living - in Swindon, 86,074 people have received an Income Tax cut.

This local growth has kick-started regeneration. Just last week I was delighted to attend the launch of the new Cineworld Cinema at the recently completed £30 million Regent Circus development. This development comes in addition to the £35 million extension to the Designer Outlet Village, and the announcement of a major redevelopment of the Northern Orbital Shopping Centre. 

I also recently joined the global TNT group to celebrate the announcement of a brand new £15.5 million super depot site in South Marston which is set to create 250 new jobs locally, and this week I joined Swindon-based Torin-Sifan as they opened a new Manufacturing and Technology Centre at Pagoda Park which is set to lead the way when it comes to energy efficient technology. These are just two examples of the world-class employers that have chosen to base themselves in our town, helping to create a highly skilled and technical workforce. 

Of course, we are also making sure that our infrastructure and transport keeps up to date in order to enhance our competitive edge. In total, central Government has allocated up to £140 million to spend locally on infrastructure and transport projects, including £3 million towards a new town centre bus station. We are also set to benefit considerably from Great Westerns electrification of the Great Western line which will see faster services and improved trains to London and across the South West, resulting in significantly reduced journey times.

So as the UK continues to shrug off the list bits of dust left behind by the economic crises, Swindon is certainly powering ahead with its recovery. We are seeing more jobs, increased investment and major regeneration. Swindon is certainly a town on the up.