SBC Cllr Nick Gardiner - Blunsdon Ward

05/06/2026

Come along to my next Blunsdon Councillor Surgery on Saturday 6 June, 11:30am to 12:30pm at the Village Community Café.

This is an informal drop-in session, so no appointment is needed. Please feel free to pop in if you have a local issue you would like to raise, a question about council services, or simply want to have a chat about what is happening in and around Blunsdon.

I will be there to listen, help where I can, and follow up on any issues that need taking forward.

Hope to see you there.

28/05/2026

With warm weather still ahead for a couple days, we’ve picked up the past failings to open the water park at coate water and have had the needed were tests completed today so it will be open to family’s from tomorrow! While this would have been great from last weekend, we only took control of the council Friday afternoon and had officers tasked with prioritising the water park opening from the beginning of the week. We have 24 degrees tomorrow afternoon so if you have little ones, consider a visit to coate water tomorrow! ☀️❤️😁💦

26/05/2026

Matty has the portfolio for Housing and Property across the borough. He will be ensuring that our council tenants get the best service and that our housing stock is well-maintained.

Matty Courtliff is our Cabinet Member for Housing & Property. He is also the Councillor for Wroughton & Wichelstowe. 🏡🏠

“It’s a privilege to have been asked to be the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property.

I believe everyone deserves a safe place to live and my priorities for Housing are to ensure all council housing meets necessary legal standards, to provide suitable housing for our armed forces veterans, and to work with colleagues in education to create an apprenticeship scheme so we can create jobs and ensure the tradespeople of the future are made in Swindon.

I will also use my skills and experience from my career background as a Commercial Surveyor to ensure council owned community areas and car parks are invested in, council owned commercial property is providing as much income as possible, and look for opportunities to invest in assets that provide a sustainable, long-term income to the Borough of Swindon.”

Cllr Matty Courtliff

26/05/2026

Kevin is now going to be leading on waste and recycling across Swindon with a focus on improving Streetscene.

Kevin Parry is the Cabinet Member for Recycling & Streetscene, as well as the Councillor for Covingham & Nythe. ♻️

“I’m delighted and honoured to have been appointed as Cabinet Member for Recycling and Streetscene.

Front line services and streetscene is the front face of the town. Ensuring good waste and recycling collections and recycling plays a key part in reducing our carbon footprint.

Making our town cleaner and tider will bring back a sense of pride in our town and create a place we are all proud to call our home.

I will use my many years of experience on the Council, which includes previously being the Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling to deliver the very best for residents.”

Kevin Parry Covingham & Nythe Ward

24/05/2026

Team Photo from Friday’s annual council meeting… with added help 🙂

24/05/2026

Kate is our cabinet member for Children’s and Education in the new Swindon administration.

Kate Tomlinson is our Cabinet Member for Children & Education, as well as the Councillor for St Andrews East. 👧🏻👦🏾👶🏼

“Ensuring that every child in Swindon has the best possible chance, regardless of their background or circumstances, is an absolute priority.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of our fantastic schools in Swindon over the years, and was pleased to help the crucial fairer funding campaign, as well as work with the DfE on a number of issues from the National Curriculum to improvement grants.

Having young children has also made me realise how crucial the Early Years sector is, as well as the support for new mums through the Health Visitor teams.

Finally, with experience of the Family Court system, I know just how vital it is that SBC provides that safety net to the most vulnerable children in Swindon, and how our roles as corporate parents must always come first.”

Cllr Kate Tomlinson

24/05/2026

And some words from me with this post :-)

Nick Gardiner is our Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport. He is the Councillor for Blunsdon Ward.🚗🚴‍♀️🚌

“I’m proud to take on the role of Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, bringing with me a strong professional interest from several years working in highways technology.

While we do not have an unlimited budget, I want us to make better use of technology and road condition data to prioritise maintenance and improvements in a more permanent and targeted way.

I also want to publish a clear working list of planned projects, so residents can see what is being considered, what is coming forward, and where it sits on the delivery roadmap.

My aim is to provide an honest, practical and well-informed approach to improving Swindon’s roads and transport network.”

SBC Cllr Nick Gardiner - Blunsdon Ward

24/05/2026

And now up, Jake Chandler, our new Deputy Leader of the council.

Jake Chandler is our Deputy and also Councillor for St Andrews East. He is the Cabinet Member for Strategy, Resilience & Green Infrastructure.👇🏼

I am incredibly honoured to serve Swindon as Deputy Leader of Swindon Borough Council and the Cabinet Member for Strategy, Resilience and Green Infrastructure in the Conservative Administration.

As Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member, my role will be to shape the strategic approach and policy direction within the Administration across, and support the Leader in his role at all times.

Within Cabinet, my focus will be across many of the Council's Departments. Aiding strategic changes within our recovery plan for Swindon. I will also be working on the Council preparedness for emergencies and future challenges. I look forward to a constructive relationship with Council Officers, Councillors of all parties, stakeholders and organisations outside of the Council, local businesses, and most importantly, the people of Swindon to deliver on these objectives.

I am very pleased to be the responsible portfolio holder for Green Infrastructure. From our incredible Country Parks, woodland, nature reserves, allotments and other vital green spaces for biodiversity and wildlife. As an administration, we have plans to protect and enhance these spaces, and I cannot wait to get started. I will also take over the Borough's strategic approach to flood defences, that many communities rely on to be properly maintained.

We will also be bolstering our offer of Country Parks by adding new ones over the course of our administration, the first new ones in 20 years!

I intend to use my career experience, and experiences with the Council and voluntary roles to promote the interests our Town and deliver on our positive vision for Swindon. We as an incoming administration recognise the unprecedent challenges facing Swindon Borough Council, and we are determined that Swindon will thrive again, with the right Leadership, the right investment, the right opportunities, and the right attitude.

Cllr Jake Chandler - St Andrews

24/05/2026

We will be releasing a series of posts that introduce your new Swindon Borough administration. I will share these so that residents of Blunsdon can see who is working for them. First up is our new Leader of the council, Gary Sumner.

We are very pleased to introduce our leader, and new leader of Swindon Borough Council, Cllr Gary Sumner.

Gary is an experienced, local businessman and has been the councillor for Ridgeway Ward since 2016. He now represents the new Chiseldon & Ridgeway Ward, where he lives with his family.

Gary has a huge amount of real-life business experience that he will bring to the Council, and following his election as leader on Friday, he welcomed in a new era of cross-party, collaboration on the Council.

He also rightly acknowledged the overwhelming majority of residents who wish to see politicians put party politics aside, and work for the betterment of Swindon.

Addressing Councillors and residents, Gary said, “We’ve got some big challenges ahead, particularly budget challenges, and we have to ensure that we deliver the good services and priorities that local residents expect.”