It has been a busy month for Swindon, and I would like to share some of the work I’ve been doing to build a brighter future for our town.
A Best-Start Nursery will be coming to Swindon
I am happy to announce that the government have provided funding for St Leonard’s Primary Academy in Blunsdon to open a Best-Start school-based nursery. This was provided through the government’s School-Based Nursery programme, from which 330 other schools across the country will benefit.
St Leonard’s will be able to offer more nursery places from September, meaning that families in the area will benefit from affordable childcare that is closer to home. I know that providing quality early years education is vital to give children the best possible start in life and am working to ensure that this Best start approach is rolled out across the Constituency.
The Best Start Nursery combined with expanded childcare entitlements that can save working families around £7,500 a year, is an enormous win for our community towards tackling the cost of living and supporting families in these uncertain times. Small practical steps like these make a difference and I’m proud to be supporting them whilst also driving for more.
More Growth in Swindon’s Drone Industry
Building on my drone hub and the incredible growth we’ve seen in this sector it’s been great to see that two more drone companies will be setting up in Swindon.
iCOMAT, a world-leading defence and advanced compositive producer which is expanding to Swindon. They are renowned for making high-rate curved fibre composites that will be crucial to supporting a sovereign UK based drone supply chain, something that’s becoming more and more important in a multipolar world.
On top of this, MyDefence, will be setting up their new UK Headquarters in Swindon. They are a Danish company that produces counter-UAV technology and are choosing to establish the centre of their UK operations in Swindon rather than many other companies who’s first thought in 2024 might’ve been London. This change of mindset in just 18 months is a huge boost to the reputation of the town, it highlights Swindon is becoming an attraction, not an add on to another town but a manufacturing and business hub in its own right.
Both companies will play a huge role in Swindon becoming the UK’s drone manufacturing hub of the UK, creating more jobs and opportunities for those across our community and bringing in more revenues for the Council.