THE council hopes praise from central government over its efforts to beat housing targets will mean more cash for the town.

A letter from housing secretary Robert Jenrick to Swindon Borough Council leader David Renard says: “I am very pleased to see in Swindon you have exceeded your target for housebuilding over the last three years.

"You performance so far shows Swindon is really rising to the challenge. I know how hard delivering the homes can be whilst maintaining the support of your communities.”

It adds there will be continued pressure on local authorities to keep building more houses: “I would encourage you to maintain an up-to-date plan which reflects the need of your community.

“The government has set an ambitious target to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s and I intend to do everything I can do to help us achieve this.

"The continued performance of authorities like yours will be vital to delivering this. The work you are doing to build the homes your community requires is an essential part of making the housing market work for everyone and restoring the dream of home ownership for a new generation.”

Despite the council exceeding its targets, it still doesn’t have the legally required five-year supply of housing land identified and allocated.

This means it is easier for developers – especially housebuilders – to challenge the council if it turns down proposals for new housing.

The draft update Local Plan which could come into force later this year would see a five-year supply allocated.

A response from the Conservative administration is grateful, but asks for more powers to drive delivery of houses and support for the town as it grows.

It says: “In Swindon, thousands of consented homes have not yet been built.

"We would welcome intervention to develop a mechanism that would encourage house builders to build what they have consent for and to do so more speedily.

"Incentives could include reductions to the length of the planning consent or for developers to pay council tax on homes if they are not built within specified timeframes.

“To move forward with certainty and bring a much-needed step change to our town centre, we would be grateful for a timely response to our bid for a £25m grant from the Future High Streets Fund.

"Our submission to transform the town centre is centred on a new bus station, and addressing the physical barrier between the town centre and the Kimmerfields business quarter. Planning permission was approved several years ago, and our bid was submitted to Government in March 2019.

"There has been limited progress made. Regeneration and investment must continue for the town to thrive. The final decision is now due in October. We are ready. If government said yes on Monday, Swindon could have diggers on site by the end of March 2020.”