This week, Swindon Borough Council passed one of the most challenging budgets we’ve faced in years. It’s our third budget as an administration, and each year the task becomes clearer: balancing our statutory responsibilities with rising demand, all while investing in the priorities that matter to residents. It’s not easy, and it’s certainly not glamorous—but it is essential.
We’ve been helped by the Government’s three‑year financial settlement, which has increased core funding for Swindon by nearly £14 million. Crucially, it has also removed several ring‑fences imposed by the previous government, giving us greater freedom to make decisions locally about how we spend Swindon taxpayers’ money. That flexibility has allowed us to build a serious budget for serious times—one that focuses on stabilising core services and delivering the Swindon Plan.
At its heart, this budget is about supporting the people who need us most. Children’s services, adult social care and housing all require significant investment to meet rising demand, and this budget provides exactly that. The work would not be possible without the strong financial stewardship shown by Cllr Small, Cabinet colleagues and our officers across the council.
Despite the national challenges facing local government, Swindon is not in the same position as councils forced into emergency financial measures this year. In fact, next week we will report an underspend on the current budget and confirm we are on track to deliver 94% of the savings we committed to last year—the best savings delivery on record for this organisation. Independent reviewers at CIPFA have verified the scale of the challenge and confirmed we have already removed most of what can realistically be stripped out.
Some will continue to claim this is evidence of poor financial management. The opposite is true. Thanks to careful stewardship, Swindon is laying the foundations of a strong and resilient council. We have been nominated for seven national awards, hold a good CQC rating, and are attracting new sectors such as drone‑defence technology to the town.
Last year’s budget delivered real outcomes: a new youth centre, thousands of trees planted, the reopening of the Health Hydro, £1.3m secured for the arts, improvements in children’s oral health, and economic growth driven by the businesses our economy team supported to relocate here.
This year we go further: £3.2m for more social workers, extended council tax exemption for care‑experienced young people, new tools to help residents access the benefits they’re entitled to, four new community hubs, and renewed investment in our roads and pavements.
We’re also preparing for significant new jobs from companies like Tekever, Stark, Flyby and the MOD. Swindon’s economy is beginning to move in the right direction—and this budget buys the time we need to rebuild the prevention services that were stripped away over many years.
This council is efficient, ambitious and delivering for our residents. That’s why I’m proud to have put forward this budget alongside our finance lead, Cllr Kevin Small.