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Thanks to paramedics

While shopping in Sainsburys Bridgemead on April 17 my wife had a fall. The Sainsburys first aid team quickly attended to my wife and also phoned for a paramedic.

I would like to offer the first aid team our sincere thanks for their concern and professionalism throughout. We would also like to offer our extreme thanks to the paramedics who attended to my wife and for ensuring all was well before leaving us. These people are all very devoted to their profession and thank you all once again.

R Albrighton, Shaw, Swindon

Sick of gridlock

IN today’s Adver Coun Heenan states that opening the bridge to all traffic would have a detrimental effect on Covingham/Dorcan residents. Well, tough.

Let me inform him that we residents of Oxford Road area are sick and tired of gridlock, speeding traffic etc at times on what is already a very busy route into Greenbridge.

Still, one should be able to cross to and from the bus stop without risking life and limb when traffic is indeed gridlocked in future.

Rodney J M Wirdnam, Whilestone Way, Swindon

Promises, promises

YES, it getting near to election time, the once a year leaflets are now coming through the letter boxes, and the election pledges are also rife. We have been told, again, that this council has managed its financial measures in a very robust and compete manner.

At a time when the council budget has gone from a reserve of £6m to a debt now in the region of around £300m, we have had the parish council fiasco, where my non parish precept payment went up from £48 (an increase of 69% on the previous year) to the now parish precept payment of £114, and for what? The parish councillors we were told would be not be paid but they are, they are spending the money, as is normal for them as it’s not their money, on things like bulbs etc or buying equipment for the council to do the job the parish is paying them to do.

In today’s Adver Coun Heenan is reported as saying Covingham doesn’t want any scheme that will cause traffic problems. What has his council done about the road problems at the Stratton crossroads, which have gone on now for over five years, with daily blocked roads? The answer is nothing, but all these items will be lost in the election.

T Reynolds, Wheeler Avenue, Swindon

We deserve value

Two Swindon Advertiser reports, April 14, gave a clear demonstration that excessive remuneration for local government managers doesn’t ensure better service provision.

The report informed us that seven executives at SBC are paid in excess of £100,000 a year with the chief executive on £192,000 a year. It was stated the average salary for a resident in Swindon is £25,783.

There are numerous residents in Swindon who are struggling to pay their bills but this year’s increase in council tax was five per cent or about twice the level of inflation.

The report ‘Barber shop customers anger locals’ explained that “Neighbours of a Swindon barbers complain they are having to walk on the road to get past cars parked on the pavement by customers”. It said people living in Dudmore Road have even had to push their prams into the highway to get around the parked vehicles.

The photograph which accompanied this report said all. Two vehicles are shown parked adjacent to double yellow lines and causing a complete obstruction of the footpath.

The irony of this situation is just a couple of hundred metres away from this location is the Civic Offices, where our highly paid local government managers are based.

In support of excessively paid local government officers SBC spokesman, Kevin Burchall, said “we need to attract experienced, high calibre individuals”. The obvious question is, where are they? Why aren’t these “experienced, high calibre individuals” able to identify the problems which the residents they represent experience every day? 

Those in control of Swindon Borough Council need to wake up. Residents, especially those who struggle to make ends meet, deserve to get better value for the council tax which is extracted from them.

K Kane, Wharf Road, Wroughton