http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com en-gb Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:50:46 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/565 The Labour Party have selected their candidate to replace Mr Wills at the next general election. Victor Agrawal has lived in Stanwell, London all his life and currently works at Heathrow Airport. He has pledged that if elected he will move to Swindon. The Conservative candidate is Cllr Justin Tomlinson, he lives in Taw Hill and has been Councillor in Swindon for the last 10 years. I look forward to a positive campaign by Justin, and wonder how Victor can possibly understand the local issues Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:41:48 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/564 I reported in our November article that there were plans to patch the Drive to improve it's appearance and that this was delayed. When the improvement plans for the road were mentioned, it became apparent that improvement was patching. The contractor and Officers were challenged, I met them on the road and went through the issues again and they agreed that the patching would not deliver a long term fix for local residents. Phil, Glenn and I have been firm in saying that only proper resurfacing Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:38:35 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/563 The Council stockpiled over 4000 tonnes of grit going into the winter, and Swindon was one of the best prepared for the cold snap when it arrived. Altogether about 50% of Swindon's grit was used up, this is quite remarkable considering the national headlines about shortages in other authorities. Things are never perfect, but the difference in performance in dealing with the snow between Feb 2009 and last month is marked. Many residents have praised the efforts of the Council and the StreetSmart Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:37:52 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/562 October Informal Public Meeting3:00pm-7:00pm, Thursday 29th October - Messenger Pub, Covingham Square Swindon Borough Council Library Services, Highways, Planning, Youth Services, Education and more... Wiltshire Police Thamesdown Transport Highways Agency Thames WaterEnvironment Agency Cllr Dale Heenan said, This informal meeting aims to bring various Council departments to a place where local residents can talk direct to Council Officers about local issues and services. The idea is to Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:31:22 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/561 Cllr Glenn Smith I have had a call from a resident who was interested to know why the foot bridge over the River Cole was to be removed. This is going to happen as part of the new footpath and cycle path that will link Covingham to Coleview in front of the new Wimpey development up to the Community Centre. The bridge will be removed as it needs substantial maintenance and the costs are prohibative. Therefore it was desided that as there are already two bridges there it would be Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:48:26 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/560 Cllr Glenn Smith The Swindon & District Citizens Advice Bureau have written to be regarding a fantastic service they are introducing called Over 55s. As it's name suggests it if for people over 55 years with a huge range of topics from money worries, debt, housing, unemployment to name a few. This is also a free confidential service. If you are interested, please contact them directly, 01793 491889 Mon 2pm-4pmTue 10am-1pmWed 2pm-4pmThr 10am-1pmFri 10am-1pm They also have Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:05:12 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/559 As the Lead member for Culture, Regeneration & Economic Development, Phil has been helping to oversee the Council's response to the recession. As part of his role, Phil has been working up a plan that has been agreed by Cabinet to reduce the cost of parking to £2 after 10am for parking up to 4 hours in the major Town Centre car parks, including Brunel North, Brunel West and Fleming Way (by Debenhams). These changes should take effect on 21st September, and will last until after Christmas Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:11:27 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/558 Swindon Council operates a 'Scores on Doors' initiative, where food businesses are awarded stars showing how well they comply with food safety legislation. All this information is available to view online at:http://www.swindon.gov.uk/environment/environment-food/scoresondoors.htmCllr Phil Young ''This is an excellent resource as you can search any of the Swindon restaurants at the click of a button. Many restaurants, quite rightly, take a lot of pride in the ratings they achieve and tho Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:11:17 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/557 An Independent Renumeration Panel reviews and propose the level of allowances and expenses which Councillors on Swindon Borough Council should receive. The Chairman of this Independent Panel has written to Swindon Councillors for their comments on a review that is currently being undertaken. Cllr Dale Heenan "During the last full review 4 years ago, I told the Renumeration Panel that Travel expenses should be scrapped for travelling to the Civic Offices and attending meetings. I have never clai Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:46:34 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/556 Your local Councillors, Dale Heenan, Glenn Smith and Phil Young have received letters from the Highways Agency. They are copies of letters which the Agency is sending to local residents who live within 50m of the proposed Sound Barriers site along the edge of the A419 in Covingham. Cllr Dale Heenan "Hearing that the Sound Barrier will now be built is good news, but the Government and Highways Agency have cruelly misled local residents. They acknowledge that they have gone back on their pr Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:52:57 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/555 It comes as no surprise that Michael Wills MP has rolled out his loyal lieutenants in defending his position on expenses. They claim that despite all my efforts I have only exposed Michael Wills MP excessive £100 a day taxi bills. This is incorrect, firstly I have highlighted his £23,000 per year he claims on his rarely if ever used second home in Castle Eaton. Secondly, despite being the Minister for Democracy, it took a formal complaint to the elections returning officer before Michael Will Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:10:45 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/554 A £25M PLAN to house a collection of priceless books at a South Marston industrial estate has been given the thumbs up. The proposals to build a storage facility for more than four million books from Oxford University s world-famous Bodleian Library was warmly welcomed by councillors at last night s planning committee meeting. Work on the facility, which will be housed at the Keypoint Industrial Development, in South Marston, is now expected to begin in the autumn. Development is due to fi Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:29:11 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/553 The Labour Government and Regional Assembly are telling Swindon to build 36,000 houses over the next 20 years and 12,000 of them should be the East of the A419. Following news that the East of England plans were overturned in a Court, the Regional Assembly have decided to place the South West version on hold. Cllr Dale Heenan, In light of the Regional Assemblies action, and there obvious concerns about the recent decision by the Courts, I believe it is entirely sensible for the Council to delay Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:10:21 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/552 Cllr Dale Heenan, "Poll day for the European Elections is nearly over, but the work of a local Councillor never is. I have received confirmation that a new "all plastics" recycling scheme will launch on the 1st of July.Full details will be covered in the next issue of Swindon News and my July Stratton Outlook article, but the Council will be able to recycle any clear or white plastic bag which can be used. This will include bleach bottles, motor oil containers, the plastic trays you get from the Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:52:10 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/551 Due to the expected demand for information about the Eastern Development Area, there is a date and venue change for the Consultation meeting being held in Covingham.Monday 8th June, 4pm to 6pm, Dorcan Recreation CentreThe Eastern Development Area is to the East of the A419 and has the potential to see 12000 new homes built. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:32:51 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/550 Cllr Dale Heenan "Last week I was reappointed as Chairman of the Planning Committee, and my 3rd year will be dominated by the Eastern Development Area. The villages like South Marston will have their own concerns, but Coleview, Covingham and Nythe will also feel the impact of the 12,000 houses which the Government and Regional Assembly insist the area to the East should have.I have asked Planning Officers to setup an extra consultation meeting about the EDA on Wednesday 10th June. The meeting wi Wed, 27 May 2009 12:16:09 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/548 A number of councils across the UK are now displaying adverts on their websites. An example of this is the Nottingham city council website and Lincolnshire County Council. This could be a way of generating additional income for the council, to help continue to provide residents with value for money services. With the Council website recieving over 800,000 page views a month, I wouldn't be surprised if using something simple like Google Ads could help contribute to generating £35000 to £50000 Tue, 19 May 2009 07:18:42 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/547 The expenses of MP's continue to be headline news for all the wrong reasons, so I can't really not write something here. Residents will be aware from reading the Stratton Outlook and this website about how I've been trying to hold our Labour MP to account for many months and sometime before this all hit the national press.To give the MP his credit he does publish an outline of his expense claims. This is certainly welcome, but his recently published 08/09 claims show areas that demonstrate a c Tue, 19 May 2009 07:09:08 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/546 BOOK lovers in Covingham are proving that not all library stories have an unhappy ending as they celebrate a £16,000 refurbishment. A celebration of the new-look library will be held today at 3pm, hosted by Friends of Covingham Library. The library now has new shelves, coffee machines and, of course, armfuls of new books. Development money secured by the borough council meant a facelift was possible for the beloved community facility. Library manager Shirley Colebeck Fri, 01 May 2009 09:14:13 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/545 Following tonight's Full Council meeting, Swindon Borough Council is to launch a review to abolish expense claims for travel within the borough. Councillor Rod Bluh, Leader of the Council has agreed to ask the Independent Panel to abolish expense claims for traveling to meetings within the town.Cllr Dale Heenan, "This decision is very welcome and something I have vocally advocated for 4 years. I personally don't believe councillors should be allowed to claim mileage costs for simply turning up Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:44:02 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/544 Cllr Dale Heenan : "I have asked Swindon Borough Council to investigate whether they are willing to support an idea promoted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on his Channel 4 series River Cottage, and an officer is now looking into it.I think Landshare is a fantastic idea, with the potential to help bring neighbours together, reduce food miles for local grown produce and it's a great way for children to re-learn the skills of growing their own food. People register for Landshare through the Cha Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:07:29 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/543 Swindon Libraries would like to invite you to celebrate the refurbishment of Covingham Library, which has been funded by Section 106 contributions. When: Friday, 1 May 2009 Time: 3pm Where: Covingham Library, St Paul's Drive There will be tea, coffee and cakes, hosted by the Friends of Covingham Library. This group are pro-active in promoting the library and organising events, and will also be publicising their events calendar.Cllr Dale Heenan "This work underline Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:55:29 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/542 The Number 10 website has an ePetition function, and while I don't usually sign any petitions on there, I have signed this one and I urge all residents to do so. We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to resignAll too frequently the government ignores all of the views of local residents, and it's about time that something brolke through the Brown bunker. In just a couple of days days over 7500 people have signed up, perhaps a million people voting for this will finally hammer home the m Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:06:40 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/541 Cllr Dale Heenan, "I have been very vocal in my views that the time taken to sort out the Drive is unacceptable. After a long running campaign to convince Council Officers of the need to resurface the Drive in Nythe. I am very pleased to say that Officers have agreed something must happen''"The road has been included in the draft Major Maintenance Business Case, with £6,500 specifically ringfenced for the Drive. At present, they anticipate the main microasphalt programme to be August/September, Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:47:28 +0000 http://www.covinghamandnytheintouch.com/news/540 I have signed up for the 'Midnight Ridgeway Walk' - a 20 mile hike through the night to help raise money for an excellent local charity. It starts at Avebury and finishes at Bishopstone!Over the years I've taken part in various events for local and national charities - the British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie Cancer Care and CALM, the Swindon based Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Movement. These events have ranged from Half Marathons, a 1.5mile distance swim and last summer 100 pool lengths for Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:22:51 +0000