Swindon misses out on £20m levelling up cash from government

Labour's general election candidates for Swindon say they are "bitterly disappointed" the town will not get any money from a £1bn fund.

The government has announced a list of 55 towns across the UK to get £20m over the next 10 years.

Heidi Alexander, the Labour candidate for South Swindon, said: "Swindon is crying out for investment."

The town's Conservative MPs said the area had already received millions of pounds.

In an announcement on 30 September, the government said 55 towns will benefit from a £1.1bn levelling up investment, as part of a long-term plan for towns "that have been overlooked and taken for granted".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Will Stone, Labour's candidate for North Swindon, said: "It deeply saddens me that, once again, Swindon has been left out.

"Anyone who takes the time to visit our town centre will see the lack of investment after 13 years of Conservative government.

"This is not the first time Swindon has missed out on vital funding."

The town's Conservative MPs, Justin Tomlinson in North Swindon and Robert Buckland for South Swindon, said that Swindon had received millions in pounds already from the government.

In a joint statement, they said: "It is staggering that they have failed to realise that Swindon was one of the first towns to receive levelling up money worth £19m through the Towns Fund, covering renewal of the Health Hydro and the underpasses linking the railway village with the outlet centre area.

"This is in addition to securing the biggest ever investment to the Great Western Hospital."

As MPs, they said they had also secured £6m extra funding for Swindon's schools, as well as securing brand new school buildings for the Great Western Academy and the Deanery, as well as many new primary schools.

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