Swindon's new MPs set out priorities for time in office

The visitors might range from business chiefs seeking new sites for their firms to the senior political figures in charge of the purse strings when it comes to deciding how much Government money the town should receive.

The MPs, both Conservative, also promise that the interests of Swindon will take priority over any other consideration.

South Swindon member Robert Buckland and North Swindon counterpart Justin Tomlinson say they’re looking forward to working with people across the political spectrum.

And they have pledged to avoid what they call the “yah-boo” school of politics.

Mr Tomlinson, formerly a Swindon councillor for Abbey Meads, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a councillor, and now I have the opportunity to represent the whole of North Swindon.

“There are our duties at Westminster, but it’s also about championing the town. If you can get the right people around a table, you can achieve huge amounts.

“There’s a real role for Robert and I to play that is away from the ‘yah-boo’ of traditional politics – helping people from all backgrounds.

“We are local residents – this is about our lives, our communties and our friends.”

Mr Buckland agreed, adding that he and Mr Tomlinson had both resolved at the beginning of their campaigns that their electioneering would be positive. This, they decided, was especially necessary in view of the poor image of politicians nationally thanks to issues such as the expenses row.

Mr Buckland said: “One of the big issues was to engage people in the political process. Trust was totally gone. The last Parliament utterly failed.

“Our campaigns went some way to rebuilding that trust. We looked people in the eye, we talked to them and we asked what they thought.

“The wide range of opinions on the doorsteps of Swindon is a valuable resource that we ignore at our peril.

“When an issue comes up that’s important to residents, both Justin and I will not hesitate to put the interests of Swindon people first.”

Mr Buckland added that he felt certain aspects of Labour’s national campaign were overly negative and untruthful, including an assertion that people with incomes over £31,000 would lose out on family tax credits when the real income threshold was £50,000.

Mr Tomlinson said: “I’m very proud that we stuck to a positive campaign.

“Not only did we want to win, we wanted to be able to hold our heads up high.”

Although the MPs plan to present a united front on issues affecting Swindon as a whole, both say they are acutely aware of the differing needs of their respective constituencies.

Mr Tomlinson said of North Swindon: “One of my priorities will be dealing with developers. As a councillor for 10 years, I’m frustrated as to how developers fail to deliver some of the promises in their glossy sales brochures.

“In any other sales process you are covered by the Trades Descriptions Act.”

Mr Tomlinson said he would work to ensure new developments came with a full complement of infrastructure, especially shops, open spaces and schools.

Mr Buckland said a major constituency priority for him would be helping to revitalise the town centre, with a resultant revitalisation of other areas, notably Old Town.

He added: “We are, hopefully, coming out of recession. Now is the time to make long term plans for the successful regeneration of the town.

“The mistake that was made in Swindon, it seems to me, was that unlike Bristol we didn’t start making plans until the 1990s.

“This council has done its best, but it has come late to the game, and the economic situation has done Swindon very badly indeed.

“Without a vibrant town centre we really have a problem in Swindon. It’s Old Town as well that is suffering, and it’s my belief that it’s connected. Without a vibrant town centre, the satellites are going to suffer.”

In spite of these challenges, however, both men insist all is far from lost.

Mr Tomlinson said: “On a positive note, I believe we’re best placed to be the first to benefit from regeneration once the economy starts to recover.

“The council is so receptive to regeneration of the town centre, and with our excellent transport links our potential customer base for new facilities and shops is excellent.

“We must seize that opportunity to be the first town to benefit from a recovering economy.”

Another priority for Mr Buckland is helping residents whose lives are blighted by anti-social behaviour – although he doesn’t call it anti-social behaviour.

He said: “I call it crime, and despite the good work of our neighbourhood police, there is more that can be done. I want to work with the police and local residents.”

The new South Swindon MP wants to see, for example, increased police activity not just in the places where such problems occur, but also at the specific times when they are most likely.

When it comes to attracting more Central Government funding to Swindon, which has lagged behind many other communities in this respect for many years, both MPs are optimistic.

Mr Buckland said previous MPs had responded to claims of underfunding by demanding evidence, and added: “We have the evidence, and we can go and present that evidence in a constructive way.”

Both new MPs have big plans for their first 100 days in office.

Mr Buckland said: “I would like there to be a radical change in planning strategy. We need to abolish the top-down planning targets that have put huge pressure on Swindon to build thousands of houses in a short period.”

The MPs are anxious to begin helping the jobless to find work, and believe one of the best ways is to extol the town’s virtues to potential business investors, and encourage the relocation of major employers to Swindon.

Mr Tomlinson said: “We will do everything we can to sell Swindon’s excellent location, transport links and quality housing to these new businesses.”

Nationally, the two hope the Government will implement its plan to cancel the scheduled increase in the National Insurance rate, and to support small and medium sized businesses through tax cuts, believing both measures will boost the economy.