Members of Swindon Borough Council’s Town Twinning Committee agreed on Tuesday evening to recommend entering into the agreement. The proposal will now be considered by Cabinet before a final decision is made by Full Council.
The recommendation follows months of work to strengthen links between the two communities. Earlier this summer, Rivne’s mayor and civic representatives visited Swindon, where they met council leaders, community organisations and members of Swindon Welcomes Ukraine.
The visit helped establish the foundations for what both sides hope will become a long-term partnership. Following the committee meeting, Deputy Leader of Swindon Borough Council Jake Chandler confirmed discussions are already taking place about the next stage of the relationship. He said:
“Well that went better than expected! We had a conversation after the meeting and members would be keen to set up a Swindon visit to Rivne before the end of the year to cement the agreement.”
If approved, a delegation from Swindon could travel to Rivne before councillors formally ratify the agreement. Rather than pursuing a traditional town twinning arrangement, councillors opted for a Friendship Agreement.
Committee chairman Cllr Kevin Small explained the committee chose this model because it avoids the additional costs often associated with formal twinning arrangements.
Although there is no legal difference between the two types of partnership, Friendship Agreements are generally focused on developing educational, cultural, community and business links without the greater ceremonial commitments.
The proposed agreement is expected to encourage cooperation in education, culture, youth projects, local government, humanitarian work and business.
One project is already underway, with breweries in Swindon and Rivne working together to produce a charity beer using a traditional Rivne recipe. Proceeds will support Ukrainian causes.
The partnership has already received support from Rivne City Council. In a letter to former Swindon Mayor Fay Howard, the authority described the agreement as “a strong foundation for joint projects in the fields of culture, education, youth policy, environmental protection, local governance, and humanitarian cooperation.”
Rivne is one of western Ukraine’s largest cities and has partnerships with 19 international cities, along with three within Ukraine.
If the agreement receives final approval from Cabinet and Full Council, Rivne will become Swindon’s fourth active international civic partnership, joining Salzgitter in Germany, Ocotal in Nicaragua and Toruń in Poland.
The recommendation marks another milestone in a relationship that began with Swindon’s support for Ukrainian families fleeing the war and has since developed into plans for long-term cooperation between the two communities.
