Councillor Renard, leader of the council, is nothing if not bold in his assertions, especially when attempting to suggest he is making tough decisions on behalf of Swindon residents, and his latest column (Adver, February 26) demonstrates a truth practised by leaders of all political persuasions, which is that if repeated often enough the words become the truth.

According to Coun Renard one of the ‘tough decisions’ made by his administration was bringing Swindon Commercial Services back inhouse, a claim which really does need to be considered beyond the simple words written.

SCS, based at Waterside Park, was spun off as a council-owned company in 2010, supposedly to allow it to compete freely in the market and provide services to other organisations, producing extra income for the council and improving the efficiency of services – a spurious claim often made to justify the creation of an ‘arms-length’ operation.

The council lent SCS a significant sum of taxpayer money (has it all been repaid?) and also indulged the management by allowing them to buy an out of town company which has not performed quite as expected. Indeed, similar claims were made with regard to the failed digital City Wi-Fi scheme, and that lost £400k.

The decision to make SCS an arms-length operation was not universally supported, but helped by Mr Rikki Hunt, and according to officers it represented an opportunity to save money and provide a potential source of revenue which would not be available if the facility remained an inhouse council-run operation.

I think the outcome, where in the space of three short years SCS went from hero to zero, will have come as no surprise to Swindon residents.

However, I wonder if the townsfolk will have noticed the recent decision of the administration to change the name of Swindon Commercial Services to Public Power Solutions Ltd, and in a change which I am sure will baffle local residents, the word Swindon has been dropped as if it was felt that such an association might limit business opportunities.

So much for having pride in our town.

The jury is still out as to the commercial logic in gifting Broome Manor Golf Club to Twigmarket, when the golf club was a net contributor (£60k per annum) to the council coffers, and I think everyone is anxious to see whether Moirai actually deliver on their plans for the Oasis.

Des Morgan Caraway Drive Swindon