Our Priorities and Pledges

Swindon Borough Council has a clear vision and direction for the future. It outlines what our hard work contributes to as an organisation. Take a look below:

Council Priorities

In July 2023, the Council's Cabinet agreed to prioritise three 10-year missions:

• Reduce Inequality – make Swindon a fairer place, reduce disadvantage and eliminate big disparities in life expectancy, education levels and social justice.

• Build a Better Swindon – create a town ready for the challenges of the coming decades. Where possible, lead town centre improvement and create more affordable housing in partnership with the private sector.

• Achieve Net Zero – fully play our part as a Council and a town in combatting climate change. Work with communities to find new ways of doing things that help, not hinder, the natural environment.

Our Pledges

In addition, the Council are focussed on five shorter-term priorities, identified through feedback from residents. The pledges have a shorter term focus on making change that residents will notice and recognise as well as showing that the Council are on the same page as them in terms of our concerns about the town.

Our five pledges are:

1. Get Swindon Moving
2. Keep council tax low
3. A stronger local economy
4. Get tough with developers
5. Keep residents safe and fight knife crime

These were outlined in the Cabinet Paper ‘Priorities of the new Administration’ (July 2023).

Our Values and Behaviours

The words ‘At Our Best’ are part of the Council’s organisational ethos.

'At Our Best’ means making the best use of our talents, skills and resources, aiming to provide residents with greater opportunities to live safe, fulfilling and independent lives and have a better experience when interacting with the council.

We have 3 commitments to be At our Best, and it is in this context that we define our Values and Behaviours

• A Learning Organisation
• Improving Performance
• Employee Experience

Our Values

At Swindon what we do really matters

​​​​​​We love ‘our’ Swindon. We want the best for it. We turn up each and every day to have impact, a place and people to be proud of.

At Swindon we do things right

We are accountable to our residents and ourselves to make the best decisions we can, to try new things to make Swindon thrive now and in the future.

At Swindon we make it happen together

We work together, with our communities, across the Council and with our partners to get the best we can collectively for Swindon.

Our Behaviours

Behaviours are the things we do and say to bring our values to life and by setting our clear expectations of everyone we can:

• set out high organisational standards of behaviour
• bring consistency to how we work
• build positive, collaborative working relationships
• shape and influence the right culture for the council

1.  Delivering Performance and Results

• Being determined to achieve our outcomes by committing to the highest standards of individual and collective performance.
• Holding purposeful conversations which challenge, recognise contribution, giving and receiving relevant feedback.
• Being responsible for delivering my results. Results that contribute to the wider outcomes for Swindon Borough.

2.  Collaborating and Innovating

• Taking a Swindon wide view. Understanding the impact of the political landscape for our organisation.
• Looking for appropriate opportunities to work internally and externally in partnership to find new and sustainable ways to do things.
• Being bold, willing to learn in order to meet the needs of our residents.
• Being proactive and accountable – making a difference.

3.  Leading Self and Others

• Acting in a fair, ethical and authentic way, demonstrating mutual respect and treating one another as professionals.
• Fostering trust, developing ability and accountability.
• Developing the conditions for ourselves and others to thrive to create a one team spirit that we are proud of.