The leader and deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council have pleaded with votes to judge them on their record and not that of central government.

David Renard, the council's leader since 2013, and Gary Sumner, appointed his deputy in 2021, say their long-term plans and solutions to long-term issues are coming together.

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service ahead of crunch local elections next month, they have appealed to voters to keep them in power.

They say their record stands on six main planks: jobs and employment; using the council’s land for housing growth; roads and infrastructure improvements, ecology and biodiversity and the move towards net zero, urban regeneration and education and skills.

Coun Renard said: “A lot of these things are connected.

“We have just seen Panattoni get approval for the regeneration of the Honda site and that will create 12,000 jobs.

“We are expanding with the New Eastern Villages. Many of those jobs will be taken by people living in Swindon, but they will also attract people to the town and there will be the housing there for them.

"And that in turn then attracts companies who want to come to Swindon.”

Coun Sumner, who has been in charge of the NEV programme: “To enable that expansion and to make sure we are prepared for that growth we’ve been engaged on a major roads infrastructure improvement programme.

"People will have experienced the inconvenience, the White Hart Roundabout is significantly improved, Oxford Road has increased capacity, so that when the houses come on stream, we are ready.”

The changes in the town centre, similarly, link together, said the councillors.

Coun Sumner said: “The improvements at Kimmerfields, the new Zurich Headquarters, links up to the improvements of Fleming Way.

“Zurich said they wanted to stay, but their staff didn’t like going through the underpass.

“The whole project will improve the office district and that part of the town centre, we’re seeing more investment there, at the Tri Centre, at UK Life Centre.

"There are challenges facing every high street and shopping area in towns in the country but we are taking the initiative.”

Similarly, the pair say, the provision of education in the town is fitting it for the future. Coun Renard said: “We have the Institute of Technology now offering degree level qualifications and we have The Royal Agricultural University with one of its institutes in the Carriage Works and the University of Bath bringing a research department.”

And Coun Renard is keen to emphasise the council’s green credentials: “There have been 50,000 trees planted in the borough in recent years and we have a long-term partnership with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on increasing biodiversity.”

The pair said that many of the long-term plans the council has been working on are starting to pay off.

Coun Renard said: “We are well-placed for the future and it would be a terrible tragedy if voters decided to put that at risk by voting in another party."

He acknowledged that the fortunes of the Conservatives nationally have dipped in the last 12 months and certainly since the successful local elections in Swindon in 2019 and 2021.

He said: “We are standing in this election on our record here in Swindon.

"I think people should remember that and vote accordingly. Local elections are not referendums on national governments. We are proud of our record here in Swindon and we’re standing on that.”

There are 19 seats, out of 57, up for grabs in the local elections in Swindon on Thursday, May 4.

The Conservatives, Labour Party and Liberal Democrats are each fielding a candidate in every ward.

The Green Party has 10 candidates standing, the Trade Union & Socialist Coalition has two, and there are two independents.

Coun Renard is standing for election in his ward of Haydon Wick. He is opposed by Stanka Adamcova of Labour and Omar Syed Muhammad of the Liberal Democrats.