Swindon Ranked Amongst Worst Councils In The Country

Audit Commission inspectors have slammed Labour-led Swindon Borough Council and ranked it amongst the worst councils in the country.

The nationwide Comprehensive Performance Assessment places Swindon in the basement division as one of thirteen “poor” performing councils.  The CPA appraises how well the council is run and how well frontline services perform.  In both categories Swindon scored a meagre 1 out of 4.

Recent inspections have found failing education services and failing social care services in Swindon - little wonder the Labour-run council is now officially branded a failure.  The result certainly comes as no surprise to disgruntled residents who for years have seen council services deteriorate alarmingly while council tax levels have soared.

The “poor” rating is clearly a damning verdict on years of Labour waste and mismanagement in Swindon.  Last year Labour pushed through a disgraceful 15.5% council tax hike, yet the CPA result suggests that services just got worse.

This year, the Labour government wants council tax to rise by 21% in Swindon, but in Labour’s rotten borough there is no prospect of service improvements without a change in control of the council. 

Cllr Justin Tomlinson said:

“The CPA result shows that Labour’s tired and discredited old ways of tax and spend do not work.  In Swindon, Labour have inflicted the double misery of ever increasing taxes and ever worsening services.  No wonder the council is rated as poor.”

In addition, the national CPA results show that Conservatives are by far the best at running local councils.  The Conservatives have the most “excellent” councils and Labour has the most “poor” councils.  Conservative councils also charge the lowest council tax.  The Liberal Democrats are such an insignificant force that they run too few councils to make any meaningful comparisons. 

Cllr Justin Tomlinson said:

“As well as charging the lowest council tax, Conservative councils also deliver the best quality services.  In short, Conservative councils deliver the best services for the lowest cost.  In contrast, as in Swindon, Labour’s rotten boroughs deliver the worst services at the highest cost.”

“The message from the CPA is clear: only the Conservatives can deliver major service improvements and a fair and affordable level of taxation.”