Your Council Working for Swindon 2021 2022 - Swindon Borough Council
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Your Council 2021 Working for Swindon 2022
Introduction Overview Over 80% of this year’s budget
will be spent on helping the
of the
Councillor David Renard most vulnerable members of our
Leader of the Council community, and with demand
for these services continuing to
Council’s
increase it means a lot less can
Welcome to this year’s council tax vulnerable children and adults have be spent on other services.
booklet which gives an overview relied on the Council for their care
budget
of where the Council’s money and safety. I’m grateful and inspired To continue to keep up with
comes from and how it is used to by how our staff have managed to this demand, the Government
serve Swindon and the Borough’s maintain services, adapting to fast- has given councils an additional
220,000 + residents. moving events. social care grant for 2021/22 and
Our net budget for 2021/22 has allowed councils to raise
It is with immense pride to see Providing care and the best possible
is £153.3m. This is funded by council tax through the adult
first hand how the Swindon quality of life to our vulnerable
council taxpayers, a share of social care precept you will see
community continues to rally round, children and adults is an essential
the business rates collected on your bill.
nearly a year on since the first but expensive task. The high level
locally and government grants.
national lockdown. The kindness, of need means the costs of these
However, to keep our budget
compassion and resilience shown by services is expected to account for
We use our budget to provide balanced, which is required by
residents, volunteers and staff across over 80% of the Council’s budget
hundreds of services to law, we also need to deliver
the public, private and voluntary this year and is why your council
Swindon’s residents. While savings and the budget
sectors has been impressive. tax bill is going up.
many of our services are highly includes savings of £7.8m.
Every day, the ongoing vaccine In the following pages you can read visible, like waste collections
rollout brings us all a step closer how the Council continues to fight or road maintenance, many This year’s average council tax
to better times. In the meantime, Swindon’s corner, recently securing others go unseen, such as bill has increased by 4.99%.
we have worked hard over the £25m and submitting a bid for an providing foster carers for This includes a rise of 1.99% for
past year to be there for our extra £25m in government funding. children in crisis, caring for general funds (which can be
residents and businesses. older people and supporting spent on any services) and 3%
I'd welcome your feedback on this rough sleepers. which can only be spent on
More than ever during the booklet via this online survey: adult social care.
pandemic, thousands of smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ctaxbooklet
Over the past year, more people
have relied on these council
services than ever before, with
This booklet costs 14p per household to produce. To find out how to switch to a For more detailed information
digital bill and access this booklet online, visit swindon.gov.uk/annualreport many residents facing difficult
challenges brought on by the on your bill please visit:
If you require this booklet in another format email:
customerservices@swindon.gov.uk
COVID-19 pandemic. swindon.gov.uk/annualreport
The financial impact Where the budget comes
of COVID-19 from and how it is spent
What impact has The pandemic has affected the Council’s ability Where the budget Where the budget
the pandemic had to generate income in several areas, for example comes from is spent
on the income we through the reduction or suspension of car
receive and the parking charges and the closure of museums.
money we spend? We have also increased our spending in some
areas, most notably in adult social care, and have
taken on additional responsibilities, including
sourcing and distributing PPE, supporting those
shielding and helping with outbreak control.
What financial We have received over £16.7m in COVID-19
support have we emergency funding from the Government, as well
received over the as various other financial support programmes,
past year from the including outbreak management funding (£3.2m),
Government? infection control grant (£3.4m) and hardship Council Tax£113.0m Vulnerable adults £76.1m
funding (£1.5m). In addition, the Government (74%) (49.6%)
has established an income compensation Business £35.9m Children, families and £46.1m
scheme for up to 75% of eligible income losses. Rates (23%) community health (30.1%)
services
Government £4.4m
Has my council tax No, the increase in council tax is due to the Waste collections, £18.9m
Revenue (3%)
bill gone up in 21/22 continued increase in demand for, and the country parks and (12.3%)
Support
because of costs and cost of services, particularly in adult social tree maintenance
Grant
lost income caused care, as well as the costs of financing the Economy, development, £6.2m
by the pandemic? Council’s capital investment programme. Total £153.3m skills and libraries (4.1%)
(100%) Keeping people safe £3.3m
How has the Over the next year, further support from the (incl. community safety, (2.1%)
Government Government will be provided in the form of emergency planning
planned to support a general grant of £5.7m to meet COVID-19 and trading standards)
the Council with funding pressures and an extension to the Highways and buildings £2.7m
the costs of the income compensation scheme to 30 June (1.8%)
pandemic over the 2021. This support will help us manage COVID-
forthcoming year? related budget risks in the forthcoming year. Total £153.3m
(100%)
How
you help 13,012 120
change
Children given support from Children who couldn’t be
our Early Help services, which cared for by their parents either
include health visiting, youth placed with extended family
the lives of engagement, family support
and mental health support
members or with a foster family
living in or near Swindon
those most
in need
When you pay your council tax,
over 80% of what you pay helps
fund services which support
vulnerable people across the
803
Residential or nursing care
278
Adults helped to live
Borough including the elderly, placements provided for independently in supported
people with disabilities and adults who are too vulnerable living accommodation
children who cannot live with to live by themselves
their families.
While only a relatively small
proportion of people need these
services, they are incredibly
important to those who depend
1,727 1,085
on them, especially during the
ongoing pandemic when many
of those vulnerable people
remain most at risk.
Last year, your council tax
People supported to return Adults given daily help to live
directly helped to support
home from hospital independently at home
some of the Borough’s most
vulnerable including:
Helping
• More than £38m of lifeline grant Outside of our response to the
funding has been distributed to pandemic, our role as a council
local firms to help them get back involves doing what we can to
our town on their feet.
• A fast-track system for pavement
support the success of Swindon’s
wider economy. We continue to
bounce
promote the profile of Swindon as a
licences was introduced to help
great place to live, work and invest,
hospitality businesses serve their
whether this is through attracting
back
customers outdoors, supporting
new employers and external
with social distancing to keep
investment to the town or supporting
their staff and customers safe.
the employers currently based here.
The coronavirus pandemic • For those who need it, we continue
has had a major impact on to signpost to vital financial and
businesses and economies across
the world but we’re doing all we
well-being support organisations.
Other ways we’re supporting the
• Help continues to be provided
can, along with our partners and
Swindon’s innovative business
to businesses, including retailers town’s economy include:
and pubs, to reopen safely when
sector, to encourage economic
guidance permits them to do so. • Strengthening the growing • Creating new employment site
recovery and growth in our town.
tech community: The opportunities: Employment sites
• We continue to work with the
TechSwindon campaign have been incorporated as part of
Here are some of the ways local business community to
showcases Swindon’s emerging the New Eastern Villages housing
we are supporting businesses create new uses for the changing
tech cluster. The role of this development. As part of a £400m
through the pandemic: town centre.
group of local companies is to investment at Symmetry Park (photo
promote Swindon, attract talent, above), one of the units is already
encourage inward investment occupied by Iceland and construction
and create jobs. is well underway on a new state-of-
the-art building, providing 2,000 new
• Supporting businesses
jobs. Work is underway to identify
through redundancy: We
further employment land to support
continue to provide businesses
local business growth and attract
with the support they need,
inward investment.
including helping Honda of
the UK Manufacturing and its • Delivering next-level internet
wider supply chain to minimise speeds: We’re working with fibre
the impact of its closure and broadband providers to enable the
encourage it to consider the infrastructure to offer residents and
best outcomes for the site. businesses next-level internet speeds.
Improving
• We received £25m of
government funding to
Heritage Action Zone The Carriage Works
redevelop Fleming Way, We are working with Historic In 2020, we refurbished a third unit
our town creating a new gateway into
the town centre.
England on a £1.6m plan to
revitalise Swindon’s Railway
of the Carriage Works, in which
the Royal Agricultural University
centre
Village. We will enhance paths has established a Cultural Heritage
• Work is underway on Zurich's
and public spaces and will raise Institute. Over the next year, a
new state-of-the-art offices
awareness of the area’s history government grant of £4m and a
which forms part of a council-
Like many other places, Swindon’s through a programme of cultural potential additional £5m from the
led regeneration scheme at
town centre faces some difficult events. Key buildings will receive Towns Fund, will fund the delivery
Kimmerfields (photo below).
economic challenges, particularly much-needed attention including: of another two units.
as consumers continue to favour • When this booklet went to print,
online shopping. However, our role we were expecting a decision
is to do everything we can to attract on our bid for £25m from the Health Hydro (photo below) Mechanics' Institution
investment and work with partners Government’s Towns Fund to be
We’ve allocated £1.5m towards Last year, a hazardous materials
to overcome these challenges. used towards several regeneration
improvements to this iconic survey was completed to enable
projects to improve the visitor
While there is no simple solution, building and have submitted a structural engineers to safely
experience in the town centre.
our actions have secured big bid for a further £5m from the enter the building and assess
investments in new town centre • Last year, proposals were Government’s Towns Fund. This its current condition. The next
projects from both businesses and approved to seek external funding will enable a complete steps are to estimate the likely
government. These are a huge funding to create a new Cultural refurbishment to ensure the long- refurbishment costs and create
boost for Swindon and the local Quarter that includes the term future of the building and a detailed business plan for the
economy, helping to kick-start the development of a new theatre, to provide a major historic leisure restoration of the non-council
town centre's transformation. dance centre and media facility. attraction in our town centre. owned building.
Here for Swindon
Recruited 396 new volunteers to support vulnerable residents
Found accommodation for over 40 rough sleepers
1,471 3,364 Over
1,213,796 pieces of PPE distributed
1,471 food boxes delivered
food boxes prescriptions £38m
delivered delivered processed
3,364 prescriptions delivered
in business
Over £38m processed in business grants
grants
909 children of critical workers or vulnerable families given free childcare
Helped distribute £241,000 in self-isolation support payments
28,668 letters sent to shielding residents
Helped re-schedule 483 weddings
6,413 emergency response visits from our Homeline team
30,448 library book reservations and orders through Click, Call & Collect 909 children Helped distribute
£241,000
28,668
609 freeOver thepermits
parking past for
year,
NHS we have
staff, provided
key workers and support
charities to of critical workers letters sent to
8,180 welfare or vulnerable in self-isolation shielding
morecalls made than ever, with many people facing
residents
252 colleagues redeployed to support vital services families support residents
challenges they’ve never had to worry about before. given payments
Here are some of the ways we have been free
here for Swindon during the pandemic: childcare
1,213,796 6,413 30,448
Recruited Helped re-schedule
396 483 emergency library book
new weddings response visits reservations and
volunteers
to support pieces of PPE from our
Homeline
orders through
Click,
vulnerable
residents
distributed team Call &
Collect
Found
accommodation 609 8,180 252
for over free parking welfare colleagues
40
permits calls redeployed
for NHS made to support
rough staff, key vital
sleepers workers and services
charities
Facilitating COVID-19
Supporting testing in Swindon
residents
We played a key role in establishing
the COVID-19 testing sites available
in Swindon, to make sure all residents
through the who have symptoms can easily and
promptly access testing. This year
pandemic
we also set up new community sites
to support symptom-free testing of
those unable to work from home.
Over the past year, residents in
Swindon have volunteered their
services like never before, to
support one another and show Recruiting local volunteers
their community spirit, despite the
Last year we worked with our partners in the voluntary and community
challenges many of us have faced.
sector to launch Compassionate Swindon, a new initiative aimed at
helping our town’s most vulnerable residents who were required to
We’ve worked closely with local
shield. We recruited over 200 volunteers to provide practical support
partners, our voluntary sector and
to those who were shielding or who were isolated during the first
Swindon’s residents to provide as
and second lockdown. Our volunteers continue to work alongside us,
much support to those who need
offering befriending support and assisting people in practical ways to
it as possible, particularly to those
regain their independence either at home or when leaving hospital.
who are most vulnerable.
Helping to
Delivering locally enhanced Test and Trace vaccinate Swindon
Our public health local contact tracing team continue to enhance the Since December, the STEAM
national NHS Test and Trace system at a local level by contacting positive Museum has acted as a
COVID-19 cases the national programme have not been able to reach. vaccination site for residents in
The team have so far successfully contacted over 700 local people, Swindon and we have recruited
helping to reduce the spread of the virus in our local community. a number of local volunteers to
support us as car park marshals
and patient co-ordinators.
Improving the road network at the
Keeping New Eastern Villages (NEV)
Swindon Work to upgrade White Hart junction has made good progress, with
improvements at Gablecross junction, Piccadilly roundabout and Nythe
moving
Road also underway. Once complete, the capacity at these junctions will
be increased to support the NEV housing development.
Last year, £19m of Housing Infrastructure funding was approved so that the
As Swindon continues to grow, Council could build the Southern Connector Road, a key link road joining
several projects are underway up the NEV development with the Commonhead roundabout.
to improve our road network,
along with providing routes for
sustainable transport. This includes
investing over £100m in major
schemes to reduce congestion Funding improvements to Junction 15
and improve your journey times. Repairing our roads We have teamed up with Highways England and Swindon and Wiltshire
In 2020, we filled over 5,382 Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver £17.5m of improvements to
This considerable investment
potholes and carried out Junction 15 of the M4, including the addition of a new lane on the
has been made possible
major road resurfacing across A419 for London-bound traffic.
thanks to the Council
areas in North Swindon
obtaining significant funding The scheme is well underway and, once complete, will improve journey
(photo above).
from Central Government. times and reliability for motorists by tackling congestion at both the
This money needs to be spent busy M4 junction and on the A419, particularly at peak times.
by a certain time, which is
why many of the schemes are
currently running in parallel.
We have carefully planned and Creating the
co-ordinated each project in
order to minimise disruption
Wichelstowe
to drivers and residents. Southern Access
Significant progress has been
For the latest news relating to
made on this new road into
the Borough’s roads, including
Wichelstowe beneath the M4,
the major schemes underway,
which will provide easy access to
subscribe to the Council's
the new housing development
Highways News e-newsletter:
and help reduce congestion in
swindon.gov.uk/highwaysnews
other areas of the town.
Taking Changing how new
homes are built
Installing
electric vehicle
Swapping to low
energy LEDs
action on We have changed our planning
requirements so that all new homes
charging points We are more than a quarter of the
way through converting 28,000
climate
We are helping residents and
are more environmentally-friendly. streetlights to LEDs, which will save
visitors looking to make the switch
This includes a requirement for 65% of the energy previously used
to electric cars by providing easy
change
developers to install electric vehicle as well as £800,000 a year in energy
access to charging points in key
charging points in new residential bills. In addition, all our multi-storey
areas across the town.
and commercial developments. car parks are now lit with LED bulbs.
Climate change is the biggest
environmental threat the
world currently faces and we
are committed to playing our
part to tackle this challenge.
Our Carbon Reduction
Strategy sets out our plan to
reduce the Council’s carbon
emissions to net zero by
2030, while also encouraging
residents and businesses to
reduce their emissions. As
part of that we will look to:
• Reduce the emissions from
our vehicles
• Reduce energy emissions
from our own buildings
• Use education to promote
low carbon activity across
the Borough
On top of that, we have made
great strides in recent years to
help our local environment,
investing over £15m in
low-carbon initiatives.
Progress so far includes:Waste &
Recycling
News
With many people spending more time at home, there has
never been a better opportunity to recycle more and waste
less. There are lots of items that can be recycled in your
kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. If you’re ever unsure of
where to dispose of an item you can use our handy A-Z guide:
Using applications. It also helped reduce
swindon.gov.uk/recycling
1,037 tonnes of food waste recycled
technology the application turnaround time
for applicants by 66%. The food waste trial, which was tested by
to improve Responding to fly-tipping
11,000 households across the Borough, was a
fantastic success and received overwhelmingly
services more efficiently positive feedback. With the help of residents,
we successfully recycled 1,037 tonnes of food
for you In 2020, we introduced innovative
technology to make our response
to reports of fly-tipping as efficient
waste during the trial, which was turned into
renewable energy and bio-fertiliser.
We are at the forefront of using as possible. This means we are able In line with our commitment to a more sustainable Swindon,
award-winning technology to respond to fly-tipping faster and plans are currently being worked through to extend the food
to make it easier and more it is easier for residents to report waste collection service to all households in the Borough.
convenient for residents to and track fly-tipping cases.
access our services. Sign up to our garden
Improving your experience
Simplifying free school of the HWRC
waste collection service
meals applications We offer easy, contactless garden waste
The new online booking system
collections. Subscribe to our fortnightly
Last year, despite an increase for the Household Waste Recycling
service and your garden waste will be
in applications for free school Centre (HWRC) introduced last year
collected, composted and recycled into
meals in Swindon, new during the pandemic has not only
environmentally-friendly soil improver
technology at the Council led to supported public safety, but made
for an annual fee. Sign up today:
a 98% increase in efficiency in it a more convenient and efficient
swindon.gov.uk/gardenwaste
the speed of processing these user experience.Supporting children Providing shelter to
Progress Our priorities in our care rough sleepers
against our Priority one
Over the past year, we have
recruited 11 new local foster
Last year, we worked with local
partners to support rough sleepers
priorities
Improve infrastructure and carers, increasing the number of in Swindon by providing food and
housing to support a growing, foster care placements available accommodation, and by drawing
low-carbon economy. for children in Swindon so they over £1m in government funding
remain closer to their friends, to increase our Housing First
Despite the challenges
Priority two family and school. provision and support services.
faced during the COVID-19
Offer education opportunities
pandemic, over the
that lead to the right skills and
past year we have made
right jobs in the right places.
significant progress towards
realising our vision and
Priority three
Queens Drive
priorities for Swindon.
Ensure clean and safe streets Good progress has been made on
Much of this progress is and improve our public spaces the £34m regeneration of Queens
outlined throughout this and local culture. Drive, one of our major house-
booklet, but here are some building projects. A combined
of the other ways we are Priority four total of 47 flats and houses will
working to make progress Help people to help be completed by November 2021
against our priorities: themselves while always ready for occupation. In total, the
protecting our most vulnerable project will deliver 149 affordable
children and adults. homes by November 2023.
Providing first choice A new community
school placements in Wichelstowe
Last year, of the 5,478 applications We're continuing to play a key role
received on time, 95% of pupils in the 4,000 new homes being built
received their first choice primary at Wichelstowe. In the past year, the
and secondary school on National first residents have moved into their
Offer Day, an increase on the Canalside homes, an electric vehicle
previous year. Additionally, 99% charging network has been installed
of pupils were offered one of and construction of the Kingfisher
their top three preferences. primary school has been completed.Where your money goes
Your council tax bill 2021/22
Where every £1,000 of your council tax goes
Vulnerable adults ..................................................................... £496
Children, families and
community health services .............................................. £301
Waste collections, country parks
and tree maintenance .......................................................... £123
Economy, development, skills and libraries ............... £41
Keeping people safe (including
community safety, emergency
planning and trading standards) ...................................... £21
Highways and buildings ........................................................ £18
TOTAL ........................................................... £1,000
The figures are provided for illustrative purposes. They do
not include services provided through Housing Revenue
Account, Dedicated Schools Grant or Public Health Grant
as funding for these is separate to the general fund services.
For further information, please search 'open data and
transparency' on the Council's website.
Information in this booklet correct as of 19/02/2021 D2937 FOI 4151/21You can also read
