OVER the past few weeks, there has been intense debate about what is the best way to provide jobs and public services for the country. Some argue that we need to divide the public spending cake differently; others might suggest we need to make that cake bigger so there is more to go around.

For many years, I have been firmly of the view that we need to help the economy grow so that as a nation we have more resources to address everyone’s needs.

That is why I have put economic development at the heart of the Council’s Vision for 2030, with no less than 19 of the 30 pledges focusing on this crucial area.

This desire to ensure that we are successful as a place in which to create wealth crosses most of cabinet, not just those portfolios covering growing the economy and regeneration.

However, most of the real achievements will come from the private sector, which already provides 80 per cent of the borough’s employment – one of the highest levels in the 63 leading town and cities in the UK.

Alongside our established international and national firms, such as BMW, Honda, and Nationwide to name but a few, the real area for growth will be in our small and medium enterprises.

In seeking to support this, the council has drawn up, with the help of some local businesses, a draft economic strategy. We have started a consultation on this, which is an opportunity for residents, employers and anyone concerned to make comments about how we can ensure that when people think of Swindon, they think of it as a place in which to invest or to do business.

The draft economic strategy and an online survey are available at www.swindon.gov.uk/economicstrategy. You must submit your opinions by July 10.

Of course, the council is just one partner in all this and the whole Vision, including the economic strategy, can only be successful if the whole town is working together to promote all that is good here.

I am delighted that so many employers have already signed up to the Switch on to Swindon campaign to become ambassadors for the town.

You would expect me to be a powerful advocate for the borough, but we can all draw encouragement from companies large and small that have signed up to be champions for what is good about Swindon. From the Advertiser to Zurich these spokesmen cover a huge range of local businesses.

You can read more about Switch On To Swindon here http://switchontoswindon.com.

You might even wish to become an ambassador, too, so that you can encourage others with your own accounts of why it is good to live and work here.