PARISH councils are in a position to present Swindon in the best way possible, the chairman of one has claimed - despite him admitting he initially opposed the council’s creation

Chris Watts, chairman of South Swindon Parish Council, was speaking ahead of the first full set of elections held by the body. More than 40 people have put themselves forward for the poll on May 2.

The council’s chairman, who is stepping down from his ward councillor role this month, urged people to get involved and vote in the upcoming election.

He told the parish’s annual general meeting: “The parish councils were created as an accounting issue. A parish council should have been created from the ground up by the will of the people. That wasn’t the case.”

Financial challenges led members of the borough council to decide they can no longer afford to pay for services such as street cleaning, grass cutting, litter, graffiti removal and minor maintenance while still meeting their legal obligations to care for vulnerable people.

Coun Watts had initially opposed the establishment of the six new parish councils in 2017 in previously unparished areas like Toothill, Eldene, Old Town, Penhill and Pinehurst: “We thought the borough council should have gone back to central government and said you need to fund this better.”

However, he said councillors now had “no choice to try and make the best of them”.

South Swindon Parish Council, which officially came into being on April 1, 2017, had since taken over responsibility for Town Gardens, Queen’s Park, Broadgreen Community Centre and Old Town Library from the borough council.

“I believe that the socio-economic success of Swindon isn’t just about businesses coming here, it’s about how you present this town,” he told councillors.

“We are in a position as the parish council to make sure we present this town in the best way we can. Included in that is making sure the litter is picked up, making sure the bins are emptied. Also, aspects such as the Town Gardens and Queen’s Park are incredibly important.

“I am in no doubt that if we hadn’t picked these parks up they’d have moved to a statutory minimum.”

He pointed to the state of the old formal gardens in the GWR Park, Faringdon Road, as an example of what the “statutory minimum” looked like in practice.

“That wouldn’t be good for the people of Swindon or the future of the town,” added Coun Watts.

Elections to South Swindon Parish Council take place on May 2. Meetings of parish committees are generally weekly and take place at the Broadgreen Community Centre.

The following candidates are standing for election

Walcot and Park North ward: Saleh Ahmed (Labour); Steve Allsopp (Labour; Steve Halden (United Kingdom Independence Party), Peter Mallinson (Conservative); Mohammed Jamal Miah (Labour); Peter Oliver (Liberal Democrat); Trish Philpot (Labour); Roy Stephen (Conservative); Rebecca Wolf (Conservative).

Park South ward: Sally Hawson (Conservative); Zachary Hawson (Conservative); Javed Miah (Labour); Chris Watts (Labour).

Old Town ward: Mohammad Chowdhury (Conservative); Richard Freestone (Conservative); Bhawna Goyal (Conservative); Neil Hopkins (Labour); Linda Kasmaty (Labour); Jane Milner-Barry (Labour); Nadine Watts (Labour).

Lawn & Badbury Park ward: Vince Ayris (Conservative); Peter Bates (Labour); Ellen Heavens (Conservative); William Horley (Conservative); Deborah King (Liberal Democrat).

Eastcott ward: Dave Griffiths (Labour); Patrick Herring (Labour); Samuel James (Labour); Lydia Masseron-Heade (Labour); Stan Pajak (Liberal Democrat); Victoria Pratt (Conservative); Toby Robson (Liberal Democrat); Marina Strinkovsky (Labour).

Central ward: Junab Ali (Labour); John Firmin (Labour); Mary Gladman (Labour); Mohammed Hamid (Labour); Janine Howarth (Labour); Ray James (Liberal Democrat); Shy Nandilath (Conservative); Sudha Nukana (Conservative).