SWINDON Borough Council has officially joined a strategic partnership to improve economic growth and build greater links with Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire.

England's Economic Heartland (EEH) is a voluntary partnership between local authorities that now connects 11 transport authorities, after Swindon and Hertfordshire both joined.

Coun Martin Tett, chairman of EHH, said: "We have always been clear that the opportunity of the 'Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge' corridor extends far beyond those cities, and actually runs from west coast to east coast, and from the borders of north London to the south Midlands. We are always open to hearing from authorities who feel they fit into this wider geography."

Coun David Renard, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: "We have a growing economy and fantastic connectivity here in Swindon, as well as affordable housing and a great quality of life.

"We want to share all these benefits with other successful areas by making the case for additional infrastructure investment so we can improve travel between east and west, linking up Cambridge with Swindon and the West of England and driving economic growth from East Anglia and the M11 to the M4 and beyond."