Tory pair oppose university scheme (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Prospective MPs not happy with UWE bid
11:00am Sunday 14th December 2008 in News
THE duo that hope to represent Swindon in Westminster have set out their opposition to bringing part of the University of the West of England to Swindon.
Prospective Conservative parliamentary candidates for North and South Swindon, Coun Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland oppose the scheme for different reasons, but their strong views put them at odds with the town’s councillors and MPs.
Coun Tomlinson is worried about the effect a university would have on affordable housing in the town, while Mr Buckland thinks UWE’s scheme is “the wrong plan at the wrong time”.
At a cabinet meeting Coun Tomlinson chose to abstain from a vote on committing the North Star campus for a university.
He explained said he was as concerned as his colleagues about fighting off development at Coate, but did not share their view that having a university in Swindon was an entirely positive development.
He said: “My concern is the effect that a university would have on affordable housing in the town.
“I am concerned about affordable accommodation being hoovered up by landlords wanting to attract students.
“One of the things that makes Swindon attractive in respect of Bristol or Oxford or Bath is the cost of housing and I am worried about the effect a university would have on that, and whether we would see businesses leaving Swindon.
“If they could build a campus for 10,000 students I would have less concern.”
Mr Buckland, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said he had not been impressed by the “sketchy” plans unveiled so far by UWE.
He said: “What is important to me is not creating some identikit university building but developing something sustainable and that Swindon can be proud of. I would like the debate to be extended beyond just the physical building into what kind of education the university would provide and whether we can get the right people to do the job.
“I don’t want people to say ‘I went to Swindon because I couldn’t get in anywhere else’. I want Swindon to be the best.
“My vision for Swindon is for what I call centres of excellence which could utilise the best of Swindon and extend things that are already happening at the moment.
“For instance I would like to see a medical training centre aligned with the hospital, or a centre of engineering to reflect the excellent engineering skills already present in Swindon.
“I would also love to see some form of higher education facility around IT in the town.”
Michael Wills, North Swindon MP, said: “The town desperately needs a university.
“It has got to be on the right site and I hope that everyone can work together to get the university the town deserves.”
Comments(16)
Felix A
says...
1:38pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Will UWE abandon any college in Swindon at short notice (as did the University of Bath over the Oakfield Campus)when things haven't worked out for them?
Why isn't Swindon College taking a lead in all this debate? Surely they have a better idea of what courses are needed than anybody?
Majorie Poops
says...
2:16pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Why not state the fact!
These people are NO-BODY'S
Not elected because their opinion just does not make any difference.
Tomlinson and Buckland should resign now whilst their brain has enough left to still spell the word – RESIGN.
Always Grumpy
says...
2:36pm Sun 14 Dec 08
They appear to as small minded as the rest of the opponents to the scheme.
If they continue along this vein then they will be struggling to unseat our current labour disasters at the next election.
concerned_of_old_town
says...
2:44pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Donkey
says...
3:19pm Sun 14 Dec 08
LordBelacqua
says...
4:16pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Marjorie...how can they resign when THEY ARE NOT MPS? Perhaps you should keep the drivel to yourself and Newcastle, eh? Besides, those two are almost certainly going to be Swindon's MPs after the next election, and I for one am glad of it.
Big Mac
says...
5:29pm Sun 14 Dec 08
We live in a democracy, where all views have a right to be expressed (and Stalinist Donkey is so keen to bleat about when people lampoon his daft ideas), therefore it is only right and proper that if Messrs Tomlinson and Buckland have concerns - and their concerns do seem well founded - then they should vote the way they feel.
What would the likes of Donkey prefer? That they ignore their own concerns and simply vote the way our two Labour MPs would prefer them to? Oh, hang on a minute, that kind of approach is *exactly* what Donkey would like to force.
Ironically, Mr Tomlinson's concern seems to be around affordable housing and the impact on it by a university coming here. Strange that Donkey doesn't seem to give a monkey's about that, considering he claims to 'care' so much about the less well off.
Mr Buckland simply seems to think that the proposed concept would lead to a second rate university for the town and, let's face it, his comments do strike a chord. I mean, what student from, say, London, is going to say, 'Hmm, Bristol Uni, Oxford Uni or Reading Uni? Nah, I'll study at Swindon Uni please'. It's just NOT going to happen.
Although, on balance (and if done correctly - which it probably wouldn't be) I am still in favour of a university in Swindon but the comments from our soon-to-be new MPs have certainly made me take a step back and consider some aspects that really do need thinking about.
Donkey
says...
6:24pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Still no real answer to my post ... just the usual literary bitchiness one expects from our regular partisan closet Tories .. the next general Election will be LB's first, I understand, that's why he gets so excited, but BMc thinks the Prophet X is incarnate of JT!
Rather too confident in the Conservatives actually outsmarting 'Bullets' Brown, methinks?
Big Mac
says...
6:54pm Sun 14 Dec 08
I mentioned that "Tory councillors do not just toe the party line on such subjects" - given that Mr Tomlinson is a Tory councillor, my statement was entirely correct.
Poor effort Donkey.
By the way, is this the post you claim you've not had an answer to?
"Is this a retrospect thinking by the Conservatives 'hopefuls' and the local party ... or just another refusal to say / think the same as the Labour members on any issue for the town?"
If so:
"No" and "Yes, but rightly so" are the respective answers.
It is hysterical that you believe people are just being obstructive if they refuse to go along with what Wills & Snelgrove want - but of little real surprise.
You do realise that you're attacking people simply for not 'saying and thinking' what our two clueless Labour MPs think? Is that what democracy means to you?
BTW, would Snelgrove be the same 'in touch' Labour MP who recently campaigned (and failed) to save Swindon's speed cameras, even though the available polls suggested that c.80% of Swindon people didn't want them saved?
The real question here is why our two MPs only ever follow the Labour party line and constantly hold different opinions to our Tory council, which is made up of many different elected representatives that were elected this year, not just two people that have been the bane of our lives since 2005 and who most people want to see the back of as soon as they're allowed to vote them out.
still an oldcrone
says...
9:37pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Beckie Wolf
says...
10:15pm Sun 14 Dec 08
As for Justin and Robert, I think that they have raised some very valid points. I never voted conservative either oldcrone, until I realised that local politics is as much about the candidate as it is the party. Justin and Rob are fab and I think Swindon would greatly benefit if they were our local mps.
Parks and Proud
says...
1:20am Mon 15 Dec 08
Nearly every child that goes to university comes out in DEBT and spends years paying the goverment/banks back. I'm sure the banks just love the intrest they get on all the loans the kids have to take out.
It seems to me that any child with half a dozen grade 'C' A levels can get into a University, some studying some strange or not so strange degree, which, most, have no chance of getting a job in.
What we need to do is to get these kids in jobs or apprenticeships
Hang on - no job - no apprenticeship = the DOLE - lets send them all to uni, it keeps the unemployment numbers down.
ItsPavAgain
says...
9:02am Mon 15 Dec 08
Let's hear some numbers. How many students, how many courses, how many will be full-time, part-time, evening etc?
I have grave reservations if, for example, 10,000 students all decend on Swindon looking for residential accomodation.
doug on the farm
says...
10:36am Mon 15 Dec 08
Big Mac
says...
10:57am Mon 15 Dec 08
As I've mentioned above though, it will take many, many years to establish Swindon as a university town (if it ever really can be) and so, initially, the Uni would have to accept less qualified students in order to gain any entrants... which then makes being taken seriously as a Uni even harder. Bit of a Catch-22.
Always Grumpy
says...
11:31am Mon 15 Dec 08
Parks and Proud wrote:Fortunately few people think as you do. If they did then there would be very little hope left for this country.
Just what do we need a University for?
Nearly every child that goes to university comes out in DEBT and spends years paying the goverment/banks back. I'm sure the banks just love the intrest they get on all the loans the kids have to take out.
It seems to me that any child with half a dozen grade 'C' A levels can get into a University, some studying some strange or not so strange degree, which, most, have no chance of getting a job in.
What we need to do is to get these kids in jobs or apprenticeships
Hang on - no job - no apprenticeship = the DOLE - lets send them all to uni, it keeps the unemployment numbers down.
A University in a town open up all sorts of opportunities for not only students from outside, but training opportunities for local businesses and industries.
Before the Polytechnics became Universities they worked very closely with local industry in designing Sandwich Courses and Post Graduate courses geared to the needs of the communitiy and local industry. Very often, at the start, these Polytechnics were the poor relation to traditional universities in a town or city such as UWE in Bristol (Formerly Bristol Poly) and Brookes in Oxford. They offered many niche courses and eventually established themselves as equals when they gained full university status. Southampton for instance offered a range of marine related courses and students came from far and wide to study these coures. Hatfield offered aeronautical degrees and again was an attractive place to study this type of course.
Swindon could do the same, offering a range of technical courses linked to the motor industry, telecommunications or electronics. Successful courses would soon start to attract students who wished to study and gain qualifications in these subjects.
It would not bring overnight recognition but would eventually establish Swindon as a seat of learning. That is something every town should seek to achieve.
What a pity the likes of Parks and Proud are so negative in their casual dismissal of an opportunity to bring a university to Swindon. What a poor message they would be passing on to any of their own children and what a pity they are so ignorant of what a university is all about or does.
I just hope the two prospective tory candidates see the light and encourage a university in Swindon. Their failure to support this scheme will leave them standing shoulder to shoulder with our two labour disasters in saying a lot, but doing nothing for the town.
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