When one political party replaces another in power, there is always an expectation of change. The question for Swindon Borough Council’s new Conservative administration is how much change is enough.
In the weeks since taking control of the council, the Conservatives have already begun reshaping how the authority operates. They reduced the number of cabinet positions proposed before the authority’s first meeting, changed the committee structure, ruled out developing Highworth’s old Golf Course and announced they are preparing to replace Labour’s overarching “Heart of Swindon” strategy with a new council plan.
Some of those decisions reverse the previous administration’s direction. Others continue projects that were already underway.
Speaking to Swindon24, deputy leader Jake Chandler insisted the aim was not to erase the last three years, but to give the council a clearer set of priorities.
“We’ve made it clear which priorities the previous administration we’re not carrying forward,” he said.
“We’ve also set out to develop our own council plan.
“Currently Swindon has inherited the previous Labour administration’s ‘Heart of Swindon’ plan.
“We’re setting out our own priorities for Swindon, and there’ll be more to announce in the next few weeks.”
One of Labour’s biggest legacies was the Heart of Swindon strategy, built around its ambitions for a “better, greener and fairer” borough. Chandler says those ambitions were well intentioned, but too broad.
“The previous administration had big plans around their better, greener and fairer missions,” he said.
“While we think those are noble, those are still incredibly vague missions. We want to get back to the tangibles that really help people.”
That change in language may prove significant. Rather than defining success through broad missions, the Conservatives say they want residents to judge them on visible improvements, from the town centre and entertainment venue, which they are still supporting, to council finances and neighbourhood issues.
The administration is also changing how councillors scrutinise decisions.
“We’ve set out the way we want to do scrutiny, moving away from policy discussion groups back into hard scrutiny where we can tackle the real issues that Swindon faces.”
Not everything inherited from Labour is disappearing. The administration still faces many of the same challenges, including balancing the council’s finances, delivering the Local Plan, regenerating the town centre and addressing Swindon’s housing shortage.
Some flagship projects, including the entertainment venue and wider regeneration programme, remain live, albeit under review. Highworth Golf Course is one area where the Conservatives have taken a different path. Rather than pursuing development on the site, Chandler said the council would instead look for savings and new income through a Financial Recovery Advisory Group.
“We’re not prepared to do that off the back of selling off assets like Highworth Golf Course,” he said.
Delivering that vision may not be straightforward. The Conservatives remain a minority administration, relying on support from other parties to pass major decisions.
“We’d have rather had a Conservative majority and been able to press for our agenda without having to need that,” Chandler admitted.
He said Reform councillors had so far been more willing to work with the administration than Labour, although he stressed there was no formal agreement between the parties.
Perhaps the biggest test for the new administration will not be whether it can replace Labour’s strategy, but whether it can demonstrate that a different strategy produces different results.
Swindon’s direction of travel over the past few years, from housing growth and regeneration to investment in the town centre, has been recognised by government and investors alike. Much of that work spans multiple administrations and will continue regardless of who controls the council.
The challenge now is deciding where continuity provides stability, and where change delivers something better. For Chandler, the answer is clear.
“We’re setting out our own priorities for Swindon,” he said.
“There’ll be more to announce in the next few weeks.”
