Letters: October 22, 2016

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Increase in council tax

WITH absolute predictability the Conservative administration at the Civic Offices advise that Swindon tax payers will face above inflation council tax rises for the next three or four years.

Of course it is not only a 4.99 per cent increase on council tax it is also a potential five per cent increase on other ‘services’ such as green waste collection which used to be funded from general taxation but is now charged separately.

The new service was intended to save SBC tax payers more than £720,000 a year but was opposed by a majority of residents on the basis that the charge was unfair and regressive. But, most importantly, the service was already paid for in the existing council tax.

It was only three years ago that the council cancelled its contract with SCS and brought street cleaning etc back under SBC control with politicians claiming the move would “deliver efficient services within budgetary constraints” and yet now they are forcing parish councils to take on the tasks of the Streetsmart portfolio, which will result in Swindon residents paying even more tax.

How short term is the approach taken by Swindon’s politicians or is three years a “long time in politics”?

Coun Renard and his fellow councillors lack the moral courage to make the case for council tax increases and present them to the people of Swindon to decide by way of a referendum; they would prefer to take the 3.99 per cent and continue reducing publicly funded services while leaving the parish councils to pick up the shortfall.

Perhaps they simply do not trust the electorate to provide the answer they want.

The reality, as we all know is that central government – of the same hue as the council administration – is starving local authorities of funding whilst at the same time indulging their appetite for fancy futuristic ‘legacy schemes’ which cost billions but offer little in terms of satisfying the requirements of people today.

There is no shortage of money in the government’s coffers, just an unwillingness to allocate it in the right way.

I fear that Coun Renard and his motley crew are not as aggressive in seeking funding as they ought to be and they certainly do not appear to be willing to tell central government enough is enough.

DES MORGAN

Caraway Drive, Swindon

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Halloween has a heart

WORLD Vision, the world’s largest international children’s charity, is asking people in Swindon to remember the vulnerable children of Syria this Halloween, by ditching the scary face on their pumpkin and carving a heart instead.

As children across the UK prepare to head out for a night of ‘fun’ fear on October 31, millions of children in Syria live in real fear every night of the year.

And 7.5 million of these children are growing up knowing nothing but conflict.

World Vision’s annual Carve A Heart campaign aims to help children living in the world’s poorest countries, and this year, the charity is focusing on the children of Syria.

Internal conflict in the country has left more than two million children out of school, with thousands facing violence, kidnap and malnutrition.

Children like Khalid, 11, a refugee now living in Lebanon, whose parents were injured when fleeing Syria leaving them unable to work and forcing Khalid to sell biscuits for long hours to help his family survive.

Khalid is now living in one of the many tent settlements that have popped up in the city, where he wants to forget about the war.

World Vision is on the ground helping children do just that, by building Child Friendly Spaces to help war stricken children feel safe, learn, play and enable them to just be children. Join us this Halloween to take one simple action. Carve a heart in your pumpkin as a symbol of hope for children living in fear.

Then text HEART to 70060 to donate £3 to World Vision’s work, and turn a night of fear into a night of lasting hope.

For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.uk/carveaheart.

NATALIE OWEN

World Vision

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Supporting top projects

AT PEOPLE’S Health Trust it’s our five-year anniversary.

This is a fantastic time to celebrate all the great work funded groups like The New Mechanics’ Institution Preservation Trust, Volunteer Centre Swindon and Swindon Advocacy Movement do in Swindon to help reduce health inequalities.

For five years People’s Health Trust has been supporting residents to make their communities an even better place to live.

More than £80m has been raised so far, supporting 2,300 projects and helping more than 400,000 people.

Over the years, we have funded a huge variety of projects.

From IT classes for older people to community craft sessions, radio shows run by people with mental health issues or drama clubs for young people.

The projects may vary, but what they all have in common is that they are led by local people.

All of our funded projects give local residents the chance to design and deliver activities that will benefit local people the most.

The trust believes that giving local communities greater control over what happens in their neighbourhood is key to creating new and stronger relationships, improving confidence and a greater sense of belonging.

Thank you to the many residents and readers we’ve supported over the last 12 months for all the great work they have done to make their local neighbourhoods even better.

JOHN HUME

Chief executive – People’s Health Trust

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Look before letting in

RE ALL these Calais “children” streaming here: Should not have all the organisers, volunteers, MPs, etc have visited their local Specsavers first?

Just a thought.

JEFF ADAMS

Bloomsbury, Swindon