Swindon election debate - what are the parties promising?

It is less than a week until voters in Swindon go to the polls, with countless doors being knocked and a stream of videos being posted on social media as aspiring councillors prepare for 7 May.

A record 239 candidates are standing, and those who top the ballot will help to run Swindon Borough Council for the next four years.

Key figures from across the town's political landscape came together this week for a debate on BBC Radio Wiltshire held at the Strawberry Thief Pub.

The Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Conservative panellists arrived to the debate with a gaggle of supporters, comparing their door knocking step counts and talking about the final push before polling day.

The Reform representative was a lonelier, but confident figure. James Ward is not a candidate in Swindon, he is a Trowbridge town councillor, a distinction raised pretty rapidly by Labour's Jim Robbins.

"They don't understand the real issues in Swindon," said Robbins.

Ward said there was nothing wrong with bringing in talent from elsewhere to solve local problems.

Swindon's town centre is facing similar issues to others across the country. Big retailers are leaving town, issues around anti-social behaviour stubbornly remain and small businesses are struggling to keep going.

Many of the issues are not within the council's control. But what would they do?

Liz Mearns for the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party's Tom Butcher say the town needs mixed uses, including housing, entertainment and retail offerings, and solutions to improve rural transport into Swindon.

Labour's Jim Robbins says voters should trust the current council. They are making progress, he told the debate, proved by the government pledging 20m for an entertainment venue in the town.

The current council boss added: "We need to keep going with the regeneration plan in place."

The Conservative's Gary Sumner said his party "wouldn't have increased parking charges" and claimed the town's planned new entertainment venue would not bring in the footfall needed.

James Ward of Reform was scathing about the decline of the high street.

"I don't see leadership, I don't see vision," he said. He added that there were investors looking at Swindon, and that attracting commerce was the key to unlocking the local economy.

Nothing sums up the exasperation some Swindon voters feel about their town more than the continued closure of the iconic Oasis Leisure Centre.

Once famous for its lagoon pool under a domed roof, it opened in 1976 but shut in 2020 after the building fell into disrepair.

All parties are in agreement - they want it open. But how?

Nothing is set in stone.

Reform says there are investors waiting in the wings ready to spend in Swindon, the Conservatives threatened to break the deal with the developers Severn Capital - despite being the party in control of the council when the leisure centre was originally sold off.

Labour says there are plans coming this year and that it would work to get them over the line, and The Green Party wants the Oasis back in public ownership as a hub for leisure - funded by heritage and leisure grant funding.

The Liberal Democrats say the situation is "complex" with Liz Mearns adding: "It may be we need to be a little bit wider about what actually goes in [the dome] and whether it really is a replication of the old lagoon pool."

This is the only area where all parties reach a consensus.

One of the few ways a local council can impact how much money we have in our pockets is how much they charge us for council tax.

All parties make promises about having "fair" and "sustainable" council tax, but when pushed in the debate about whether rates are going down, staying the same, or going up in Swindon, candidates stressed it was "impossible" not to raise council tax.

Whoever is running the council after 7 May, council tax will be raised.

And the reason is simple - increased need for adult social care and children's services. In Swindon, paying for those statutory services takes up a huge proportion of the council budget and is a big reason the council has had a budget deficit to fix.

Levels of immigration in Swindon are not something the council can control.

However, Swindon is the fastest growing town in the West. Part of that growth is driven by rising immigration, and the services the council provides are stretched.

Would these candidates want Swindon to continue to welcome people from overseas to live and work in the town?

It is a resounding yes from Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Conservatives.

Green's Tom Butcher says immigrants are propping up the NHS and the care sector.

Reform UK's campaign leaflets promise to "Stop Illegal Immigration". James Ward admits the council has no influence or ability to do so.

Polling day is 7 May. Unlike in previous local elections in Swindon, this is an all out election, so every seat is up for grabs.

To vote, you will need to bring photo ID, and polling stations are open from 7:00 - 10 BST.

The results are expected on 8 May.

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