IMPROVING Swindon’s shops is top of the wishlist for many people in the town.

A think tank’s survey revealed that around one in five people in the South Swindon constituency believe that having better retailers is the most urgent issue in the area while a similar percentage of those surveyed in North Swindon said the same.

Good transport services and more premises which would support local jobs came second and third, respectively.

These results mirrored the national picture, with the same three issues proving the most pressing across Britain.

An estimated 26 per cent of residents in South Swindon and 25 per cent in North Swindon think that the provision of facilities they consider most important is nearer to ‘bad’ than ‘good’ – which was again similar to the national average.

Vince Ayris has managed his own shop in the town centre for decades and agrees that more local shops would improve the town.

He added: “The town is looking tidy but it’s lacking in big brands as a fair few have gone, which is a great chance for independent businesses to be highlighted and more are definitely needed.

“There’s a community here that wants to go out and shop, and it’s growing because of all the flats and houses that are being built, which hopefully means more customers for the shops. It’s a long process but it is developing.”

Swindon’s Labour leader Jim Grant said: “The public have clearly indicated in this survey how Swindon deserves better. 

“I agree that local shops, transport services and premises to support local jobs are crucial areas for improvement so the town can move forward. 

“The government has allocated nearly £5 billion towards its so-called “levelling up” agenda. 

“If our local council and two MPs are serious about improving the town, they should be bidding to receive some of that funding to improve and support our shops, transport and local jobs. 

“We all need to listen to the public when they make their views known. The powers that be now need to act on what the public have told them.”

Swindon Borough Council leader David Renard said that steps were being taken to address improvements in shops, transport and job creation.

He added: “We’ll take this survey on board and see what we can do.

“Shops are a difficult one because the vast majority are owned by private companies but we work with their owners and inSwindon to encourage high-quality retail though we know the high street is shrinking.

“There’s an opportunity to have more smaller units and local businesses set up shop.

“The pandemic cut public transport to the bone for months but we’re working with bus companies to improve their offer and well be cracking on with the new Fleming Way bus boulevard which should encourage people to get out of their cars so we can hit net carbon zero.

“Swindon’s economy is poised to bounce back faster than other towns, Panattoni bought the Honda site and will create thousands of jobs which will eventually exceed the ones lost from Honda leaving.

“That site will be developed more densely with a mixture of companies, not just logistics, and we have businesses interested in setting up in or moving to Swindon.”

The survey by Demos asked 10,000 adults across the UK to pick which one of nine issues most urgently needs improvement in their area.

In South Swindon, 18 per cent chose good local shops, 16 per cent picked good transport services, and 13 per cent prioritised premises to support local jobs.

Parliamentary representative Robert Buckland MP said: “These findings reflect the concerns that fellow residents often express to me, which is why I pressed hard to attract more than £44 million of government investment into our town centre over the past year.

“Our reforms to bus and train services announced in the Queen's Speech will help deliver quality transport as we continue to improve roads in and around our town thanks to government support.

“As we recover from Covid, Swindon is in a strong place to benefit from economic growth and new jobs.”

In North Swindon, 17.3 per cent chose good local shops, 16.9 per cent picked good transport services and 12.8 per cent wanted premises to support local jobs.

MP Justin Tomlinson did not provide a comment before deadline.