Swindon Conservative Councillors

23/10/2026

Full council update:

🥶 Freezing councillor allowances- Labour councillors asked if not now, when would they be getting a pay rise. We believe as the Council is about to make very difficult financial decisions, councillors cannot justify a pay rise.

💷 Leader Cllr Gary Sumner Ridgeway Ward delivered his report to Council, detailing all of his recent engagement with local businesses and employers, as well as future plans to attract more inward investment into the town.

🚸 Cabinet Member Cllr Kate Tomlinson delivered a motion to call on the Government to give extra funding for Children’s Social Services and to deliver the new schools our town needs.

An important debate was held about the balance of ensuring adequate support is provided to Asylum Seekers whilst making sure statutory services are able to cope.

🏍️ A discussion was also held on clamping down on illegal workers in the delivery driving industry.

💦🧽 A proper maintenance schedule for the Cenotaph was seconded by Cllr Leanne Stevenson who spoke about the importance of ensuring the memorial to our fallen heroes is properly maintained.

Some motions were deferred to committees but will be still given the consideration they deserve including:

🚙 Cllr Daniel Adams and Cllr Marco Di Pinto for Stratton St. Margaret ‘s efforts to secure additional EV charging across the town.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Cllr Alex Hughes ‘s motion to ensure the council becomes fully ‘trauma-informed’ building on the work that is already being done to embed best practice across the Council.

17/10/2026

Great to be out in today, with plenty of Conservative colleagues lending a hand!

is a town where building is welcome in the right places, but our green fields and areas of open countryside are not the right places for inappropriate development.

We’ve been delivering our letter to residents explaining how they can object to the proposed development of 275 houses at Inlands Farm, which threatens the vital green gap separating Wanborough from urban Swindon.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to help. We’re determined to fight this application all the way and protect Wanborough’s rural character.

If you know anyone in Wanborough, please encourage them to submit an objection!

09/10/2026

Swindon Conservatives have rejected a proposed rise in councillor allowances and backed a freeze.

With the Council facing a substantial financial shortfall, we believe increasing councillors’ allowances would be the wrong decision. Residents rightly expect us to show restraint when we are making difficult decisions about spending.

Our priority is to get the Council’s finances on a sound footing and improve the services residents rely on. That responsibility starts with us.

Conservative Cabinet members have recommended the freeze. Full Council will take the final decision, and we hope councillors from all parties will support it.

08/10/2026

Kemi giving a shout out to Swindon Conservative Councillors regaining control of SBC in her keynote speech really was the perfect way to wrap up a busy Conservatives Conference!

It's been a packed few days in Birmingham, and were well represented across many policy forums, fringe events, receptions, and across the exhibitions.

Besides focusing on our personal areas of interest as party members (in my case it was delightful to have meetings with several charities, and Conservative Environment Network, and Conservative Councillors' Association among others), the tone of conference was positive, energetic, and focused on issues we know our residents bring up time and again on the doorsteps!

Special mentions to Ridgeway Ward, Cllr Matty Courtliff Matt Hinton for Chiseldon and Ridgeway, Cllr Alex Hughes, Councillor Matthew Vallender, and where would we be without Conservative Print!

N.B. I could not resist posting at least one photo of the 'Birmingham Tapestry', it was absolutely brilliant! 🤣

01/10/2026

Gary Sumner, leader of Swindon Borough Council, has written to the Government asking it to reconsider its decision not to award transformation funding to Swindon Borough Council.

Swindon is facing serious financial pressures alongside the work needed to improve children’s services following the inadequate Ofsted judgement. Yet the Council was neither notified about this funding nor given the opportunity to apply.

The letter asks the Government to explain how councils were selected, how need was assessed and why Swindon was excluded from the process. It also asks what consideration was given to the particular combination of financial and children’s services pressures facing our town.

The Conservative administration is taking responsibility for tackling the challenges we inherited and making the difficult decisions needed to put the Council back on a sustainable footing. But Swindon should also get a fair hearing from Government.

Gary has asked Ministers to reconsider Swindon’s case, allow the Council to put forward a proposal for support and, if this funding has already been fully allocated, explain what alternative support is available.

Swindon residents deserve nothing less than a fair and transparent process.

28/09/2026

Great to see councillors at the Swindon Fostering Summit this afternoon.

Councillors and officers came together to discuss the critical issue of recruiting more foster carers in Swindon, and how we can best support those who already do an amazing job at caring for vulnerable children & young people.

It was also wonderful to see the Artwork - ‘Through their eyes’ - produced by the very talented children we care for.

Cllr Kate Tomlinson
Matt Hinton for Chiseldon and Ridgeway
Cllr Jake Chandler - St Andrews
Cllr Cook - Wroughton & Wichelstowe Ward

22/09/2026

🏘️ Protecting local voices in planning decisions

Following a resolution at Full Council, Council Leader Cllr Gary Sumner has written to the Government urging it to protect councillors’ ability to bring planning applications before the Planning Committee.

These “call-in” powers mean applications raising significant local concerns can be debated openly and decided by elected councillors, giving residents an important route to have their concerns heard.

We support new homes and an efficient planning system. Most applications can and should be decided by professional planning officers. But where development raises concerns for a community, there must be a meaningful democratic safeguard.

From Swindon’s urban neighbourhoods to our villages and hamlets, local councillors understand the places they represent. A national, one-size-fits-all approach risks losing that local knowledge and accountability.

We are asking the Government to reconsider these changes, and have copied in our local MPs asking them to use their voices to preserve this important local voice.

31/08/2026

31/08/2026

💙 100 DAYS OF CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP IN SWINDON

On 22nd May, Conservatives took control of the Council.

We promised to get , restore pride in our town and communities, get a grip on the Council’s finances and focus on delivering for residents.

In our first 100 days, we have:

🧹 Launched the Big Town Centre Clean-Up, tackling graffiti, fly-tipping and neglected public spaces

🌳 Saved a much-loved green space in Highworth from Labour’s plans to build homes on it

🚯 Introduced a new £1,000 fine for fly-tipping

🌱 Finally got a weed-spraying contract in place to tackle weeds across the borough

♻️ Made improvements at the Household Waste Recycling Centre, with more to come

🎭 Submitted Swindon’s UK City of Culture bid, making the case for our town on the national stage

💦 Reopened the Coate Water splash park

🛠️ Repaired facilities at Coate Water and Lydiard Park

🚗 Started work on improving the chaotic arrangements on Commercial Road, while retaining short-stay free parking

🎖️ Progressed work towards Silver recognition under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme

🌾 Rejected development at Inlands Farm in Wanborough

💷 Established a Financial Recovery Board to restore stability and discipline to the Council’s finances

🚁 Held discussions with more drone companies about investing in Swindon, building on the hundreds of millions of pounds of investment our town has already attracted

💼 Begun talks to bring a major employer into Swindon town centre, creating jobs, boosting footfall and supporting the wider town-centre economy

🎟️ Progressed refurbishment work at the Wyvern Theatre and the business case for Swindon’s future entertainment venue

📹 Invested in improved CCTV to deter anti-social behaviour and make the town centre safer

There is a huge amount still to do. We inherited serious challenges and we won’t pretend they can all be fixed in 100 days.

But we said we would get Swindon Council Back to Basics - and these first 100 days show that work is well underway.

💙 Swindon Conservatives are getting on with the job.

22/08/2026

🧹 Back to basics in Swindon town centre.

It was fantastic to be out with an army of Conservative borough councillors, parish councillors and activists today for the Big Town Centre Clean-Up, getting stuck in and making a visible difference to our town centre.

The new Conservative administration has been clear about our priorities: restoring civic pride, raising standards and getting the basics right.

Swindon Borough Council is not the landlord of the whole town centre and we cannot solve every problem ourselves. But that cannot become an excuse for accepting declining standards. As a Council, and as councillors, we can do what is within our power, work with businesses, landlords and communities, and lead by example.

There is much more to do, but we are determined to start as we mean to go on: cleaner streets, better maintained public spaces and a town centre that Swindon can be proud of.

💙 Back to basics. Raising standards. Restoring civic pride.