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Swindon Wide
Running Swindon on parallel lines
ALL MAKES Jasper Fford has written a series of novels which feature Swindon, but

describing the town in an oddly parallel way. Martha Parry, coordinator
of the New Mechanics’ Institution Trust, says recent events in the town
FIXED PRICE SERVICING suggest Fford’s ‘alternative Swindon’ is no weirder than the real thing.
Sometimes you really wonder who the way Swindon Council deals
FROM £99 is writing the script when the reality with community organisations, in
June and July it organised three
is ‘stranger than fiction’ - in Swin-
events which I dutifully, and hope-
don’s case, stranger than surreal
fiction. fully, went along to as invited:
Today I was invited to a national One was the Swindon Strategic
reception with several newly ap- Partnership Conference, where we
pointed government ministers deal- were informed that all is indeed
ing with community issues, and well in this best of all possible
■ MOT TESTING offered a free place at a confer- Swindon worlds .
ence entitled The Future of Civil
The shortage of attendees from
AND REPAIRS Society. community organisations was re-
Meanwhile, I continue to be ‘per-
grettable, but the ‘professionals’
son-most-ignored’ by Swindon had a good time patting each other
■ EXHAUST TYRES Council, which claims to be finally on the back.
Next was a Visioning the Third
succeeding in the ‘hardest chal-
lenge’ yet - that of engaging in Sector conference, which was sup-
AND BATTERIES dialogue with its citizens. posed to help us visualise how
This follows the council’s recent ‘third sector’ (community/voluntary)
rejection of the Mechanics’ Trust’s organisations might contribute to
■ VALET work at The Community Cross- the good of the town in the future.
roads (the old railway museum in
I suggested that the Mechanics’
SERVICE Faringdon Road) which has been Trust had been trying to make the
well-covered in The Link over the
community visible using the Com-
last four years. munity Crossroads for years, and
Ignoring the Trust’s imaginative that the council might now re-con-
■ CAR HIRE results, and despite having seen sider its ‘decision’ to kick us out.
their own idea of installing an infor- Councillors were reported to
mation and advice centre in the have been livid that the subject
building refused by funders, coun- should have been raised.
cillors now want to take it over for Finally, there was the Stronger
Free collection the council’s own Youth Service, Communities Forum, which meets
offering no justification, and with- three times a year at the council’s
& delivery out any consultation with youth or invitation. The meeting was closed
anyone else. to further questions after I insisted
Free loan The Trust, and the several vol- on asking about the relevance of
untary youth organisations which their presentation about commu-
cars (subject MEAD WAY we have been hosting in the build- nity facilities to the decision to evict
to availability) ing since they lost council funding, us from Crossroads.
FISH consider that we have been doing I was told the council ‘had de-
Lift to and BROS pretty successful youth work al- cided’ what to do with the building.
from work ASHWORTH ROAD PADDINGTON DRIVE DRIVE ready, using a building which the But wasn’t the meeting a commu-
WEST council left empty for 3 years. nity forum about building stronger
Sainsburys
SWINDON The Trust showed the council communities? Democracy, any-
Wash and GREAT WESTERN WAY PENZANCE how the vacant building could serve one?
vac with all as a focal point for community ac- For all the proclamations of for-
servicing TEWKESBURY WAY WOOTTON BASSETT ROAD tivity. We were demonstrating suc- ward progress by Swindon Coun-
cess with few resources. So then
cil, they have still to accept that
they thought they would just have there are alternative viewpoints,
it back, thank you very much. different approaches and more
FISH BROTHERS Is it supposed to feel like ‘them than one possible solution, par-
against us’ with your local council? ticularly when trying to engage
TO BOOK OR FIND OUT MORE PLEASE Or is it just in Swindon? community organisations.
CONTACT RONI, CHRISTINE OR ANDY ON
Of course, we will challenge this They have yet to fully under-
01793 645510 decision to the last turn of the key stand what ‘partnership’ means.
in the locks; and we do expect the So off I go to meet with Ed
Government Office of the South Milliband and several ministerial
FISH BROTHERS West to listen to our formal com- colleagues to talk about civil soci-
plaint about the decision-making ety in the future.
NISSAN 10% process to which we have been The good news is that the coun-
subjected. cil’s planning committee on 10 July
ALL MAKES OFF We’ve been making our case for threw out an application by the
the Mechanics’ for years and years. owner Mr Singh to demolish half of
SERVICING OFFER Yet it still feels bizarre that none of the Mechanics’ Institution building
the decision makers at the council - the premises where citizenship
■ NAME ____________________________ appear to have bothered to read and ‘mutual improvement’ thrived
our thoughtful reports about the right here in Swindon for well over
WITH THIS VOUCHER
■ REG NO __________________________ way forward for the Crossroads 100 years.
and the Mechanics. • Community activists wanted! See
Valid until 31 August 2007
To illustrate the contradictions in page 42

21 August 07 28 19/7/07, 3:13 pm