Like every organisation and household, the Council has to live within its means at a time when inflation is significantly increasing our running costs. Next week (1 February) the Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a proposed overall budget of £166.4m for the next financial year, approximately 80 per cent of which would be prioritised on essential social care services to support the wellbeing and safety of residents. The remaining 20 per cent of the budget would be spent on day-to-day services which will benefit all residents, such as waste and recycling services, including extending the food waste collection service across the Borough from later this year.

Funding has also been allocated for maintaining Swindon’s roads, education services, cultural facilities, libraries and Swindon’s much-loved country parks. Despite the huge amount of money set aside for the hundreds of services the Council provides, a number of proposals have been identified to close an unprecedented budget gap of almost £40m for 2023/24, which has been caused by record levels of inflation (£22.3m) and service cost pressures (£17.5m).

This includes a proposal to increase council tax by 4.99 per cent – two per cent of which will support adult social care, with the remaining 2.99 per cent being used to support general council services. A 4.99 per cent increase would increase the average council tax bill by £6.39 per month, excluding precepts from other bodies such as parish councils and the police and fire authorities.

Significant savings have been identified through reviewing the cost of adults and children’s social care packages and reducing the placement costs of children who come under the care of the local authority. You can read the budget management report being considered at Cabinet and the list of proposed £26 million savings.The full agenda and supporting papers are also available. Final budget proposals will be submitted on 16 February 2023 for full Council to debate and vote on.

After more than two years, tomorrow (28 January) will mark the final day of the vaccination centre at the STEAM Museum. Since the centre first opened its doors in December 2020, it has seen a staggering 463,307 vaccinations take place and 697 people volunteer as car park marshals and patient co-ordinators.

As a small gesture to thank them for their huge efforts, the staff and volunteers at STEAM’s vaccination centre, will get together at lunchtime tomorrow and be treated to some cake and other refreshments during the final clinic.

Although the STEAM Museum’s vaccination centre is closing, other vaccination clinics continue to run across Swindon – check under the ‘Getting Vaccinated’ tab for more information.

500 warm packs, which contain items like hats, gloves, hot water bottles and flasks, are being given to Warm and Welcome Spaces across the Borough.

Launched last year, Warm and Welcome Spaces are available for residents to spend time, stay warm and feel safe. These spaces are open to anyone. Visitors won’t be asked why they are there and won’t have to take part in any activities if they don’t wish to.

Read more.

You may receive a Cold Weather Payment from the Government if you’re getting certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest. If you’re eligible, you’ll get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March 2023.

You don’t need to apply for the payment. Use this postcode search to check if a payment is due in your area.

If you’re looking for a new broadband contract, check using Money Saving Expert’s broadband comparison tool or a price comparison website to see if you’re missing out on a better deal.

On universal credit or similar? Check out social tariffs, which are longer-term cheaper tariffs for people who receive certain benefits.

You can also check this list of 19 things to see if you or someone you know are one of the seven million people missing out on benefits that you’re entitled to.

We’re looking for people to work as poll clerks at the polling stations for the borough and parish elections on Thursday, 4 May. To undertake the role, you’ll need to:

• work at a polling station from 6.15am until 10.15pm
• complete online training prior to the day
• meet the requirements of the job description/person specification

View the job description, including pay rate.

Interested? Apply now.

Swindon marked Holocaust Memorial Day today (27 January) with a short ceremony which included a wreath-laying at the Cenotaph in Regents Circus. 

People then gathered at the Friends Meeting House on Eastcott Hill, to listen to readings and presentations by members of Swindon's faith groups and community groups, as well as contributions from individuals. 

Our Youth Justice Service (YJS), which helps young offenders turn their lives around, has been given high praise following a recent inspection.

The Government’s Inspectorate of Probation rated the service as ‘Outstanding’, the highest grading it could give, and labelled the team ‘a credit to the town’.

The team works with children aged between 10 to 17, many of whom have complex needs, to help them turn their back on crime and make the right life choices. Read more.

Aiming to be completed in the coming months, Coate Water's new park will be accessible to all children and will include a variety of play equipment such as:

• a wheelchair roundabout
• an inclusive multi-play seesaw
• swings, one of which is wheelchair accessible
• in-ground trampolines
• nine-platform multi-play unit
• sensory bells and wind chimes

The contractor, EPS, has been on site at the park for a number of weeks now and is making good progress.

Funding for this play area was secured from local developer contributions.

We’ve recently received a large number of pothole reports due to the cold and wet winter weather. A combination of heavy rain and freezing temperature creates the perfect recipe for potholes. The water that enters into cracks expands when frozen, which then causes the road surfaces to crumble. Our teams are working as quickly as they can to repair potholes across the Borough and we also have a dedicated team who are working out of hours to fix them.

Want to know more about potholes and our approach? We've answered some of the common questions on our website, where you can also report a pothole.