New website lets Swindon residents have their say on plans for Swindon’s future

A new online engagement hub is available to encourage local people to have their say on the Council’s long-term priorities.

It builds on a series of community engagement events starting next week and will share Swindon Borough Council’s draft Swindon Plan, which aims to deliver on the administration’s three priority missions for the Borough.

Doing more to involve and engage residents in the Council’s work is a key priority of the administration elected in May, reinforced by the results of a resident survey conducted in Summer 2023.

Now residents who cannot make the engagement events, can still feed in to the process by visiting a dedicated engagement website entitled ‘Let’s talk Swindon’ to find out more about the draft Swindon Plan and give their views.

The missions to Reduce Inequality, Build a Better Swindon and Achieve Net Zero will underpin the work of the Council and drive everything that it does. The draft Plan proposes initial activity over the next three years to progress each of these missions.

The new ‘Let’s talk Swindon’ online hub is a discussion platform, allowing people across Swindon to comment on future projects and offer feedback on other Council plans around planning, regeneration, highways and transport.

The feedback received will inform a final version of the Swindon Plan due to be reviewed by the Council’s Cabinet in March.

Throughout January, the ‘Let’s Talk Swindon’ engagement events will be held across the Borough and will include two extra dates and venues, which will be announced shortly.

The events will be running through January at the following venues:

• Foundation Park, County Ground Lane, SN1 2FD, on Tuesday, 16 January between 6pm and 9pm
• Haydon Centre, Thames Avenue, SN25 1QQ, on Monday, 22 January between 6pm and 9pm
• Pinetrees Community Centre, The Circle, Pinehurst, SN2 1RF, on Tuesday, 23 January between 6pm and 9pm
• Toothill Community Centre, Dunwich Drive, Toothill, SN5 8DH, on Thursday, 25 January between 6pm and 9pm
• Parks Library, Cavendish Square, SN3 2LZ, on Saturday, 27 January between 2pm and 5pm
• Ellendune Centre, Barrett Way, Wroughton, Swindon SN4 9LW on Monday, 29 January 2024, 6.00pm to 9.00pm 
• Highworth Library, Brewery St, Highworth, Swindon SN6 7AJ on Thursday, 1 February 2024, 6.00pm to 9.00pm 

Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “We have lots to celebrate and be proud of in Swindon, but we know there are things that need to improve to make the Borough even better.

“We’d like to hear from as many residents as possible on the proposals we've developed, which will help achieve our missions to make a positive difference to the lives of current and future Swindonians. We're determined to demonstrate to residents that the Council is changing and that we're taking consultations seriously and that we'll act on your responses.

“If you’d like to play your part in helping us finalise the Swindon Plan, please sign up for one of the upcoming ‘Let’s talk Swindon’ community engagement events or, if you can’t make the events, please visit the new online engagement platform to let us know what you think.”

Details of the engagement events and how residents can book a place are available at www.swindon.gov.uk/letstalkswindon. Links to the engagement online platform is also detailed on this page.