The former deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council Russell Holland feels more work is needed before the town bids for city status.

The government is running a competition to mark her Majesty the Queen's platinum jubilee next year to award city status to successful towns and to make their first citizen a Lord Mayor.

After a couple of failed bids in the early years of the century, Swindon Borough Council said it wasn't looking to put together bid this year - but it did say it would back a citizens bid suggested by another former member of the Conservative cabinet Dale Heenan.

Coun Heenan suggested that individuals, schools and community groups could get involved, producing the pictures and writing about the features of Swindon which should go in a bid.

But his erstwhile colleague, Coun Holland, just appointed as deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Swindon and Wiltshire said we need to revamp and regenerate the town centre before thinking about being acknowledged as a city.

He said: "As a local politician I often say how I am proud to be Swindon born and bred and call Swindon home. We don’t have the gleaming spires of Oxford or the Roman architecture of Bath. But what we do have, and this will always be what makes me proud, are people who want to get on with life, provide for their families, keep their homes up and contribute to their communities.

"It’s the people who make this town. We have a vast array of volunteers who do everything from theatre to sports clubs. Daily acts of kindness helping people in need which build up a foundation of a friendly community. Most recently we have had the enormous outpouring of volunteering during the pandemic and particularly at the vaccination centre at Steam."

Coun Holland listed some of the advantages of the town and wider borough - the Ridgeway, two iron-age hill forts, Steam, the outlet village and "a fantastic economy".

But he said some parts of the town haven't kept pace, particularly the town centre

"I have often said that the pace of town centre regeneration has not kept up with the growth of Swindon as a whole.

" Like others I remember the “good old days” of McIlroys. I remember our family getting a piano and sheet music from Duck, Son and Pinker and toys from Beatties. But the world has changed since then. The rise of online shopping is one of many reasons which have contributed to changes in the town centre. It’s not the only reason, but it is important.

"I have to be realistic and acknowledge that we have not yet achieved the change in the town centre that we wanted. Progress is being made and it’s important to acknowledge that. A new and improved bus station is an improvement. The new Zurich building is an improvement. But it’s not just about buildings, it’s about attitude and projecting passion for the town and crucially listening to residents. The city bid has mainly highlighted that people are crying out for change, this is where the focus needs to be. A city bid, even if successful, is just a change of name. A town centre by any other name, would still need improvement."

The former cabinet member for finance at Euclid Street said a better time to bid for civic honours would be when the council's ambitious regeneration plans have come more into effect. He concluded: "If 10 years from now the Cultural Quarter has been delivered and if the progress we wanted has been made, then yes, let’s go for it then. To proceed with a city bid now, knowing we have not made the progress we wanted, I think does not do justice to what most residents want. What we can do, is use this opportunity to think more widely about how we want to build civic pride.

" We have great people in this town, we need to find more effective ways of coming together to celebrate their great achievements. So, while I support anything that will help improve civic pride, at this time, I do not feel that a city bid is the best way forward."

Coun Heenan has not responded to a request for comment on Coun Holland's post.

Any bid should be submitted to government by December 8 this year