Swindon Borough Council will concentrate its resources on a two-week blitz of the town centre later this summer to tackle tired public spaces. The council announced The Big Town Centre Clean-Up on 8 July, scheduling it for the final two weeks of August.
Council Leader Councillor Gary Sumner said anyone who regularly visits the town centre will recognise that some areas are looking tired and in need of attention. The work will see crews removing graffiti from council-owned buildings, cleaning bins and jet washing key locations, refurbishing benches, replacing damaged paving, and clearing weeds and overgrown vegetation. A community action day will also be organised, giving local groups, businesses and volunteers a chance to play an active role.
The clean-up forms part of the wider Heart of Swindon regeneration programme, a long-term plan to create a vibrant and welcoming town centre. Recent smaller-scale projects have included festoon lighting, tree planting and new planters in Havelock Street, while the £33m Fleming Way Bus Interchange opened in summer 2025. The council has also been working through a £1.6m Heritage Action Zone to restore neglected public buildings. Financial pressures limit the maintenance the council can provide across the borough, prompting the decision to focus on visible improvements in the heart of Swindon.
During the clean-up period the council’s fly-tipping enforcement team will increase activity in known hotspots, and the fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping will rise from £400 to £1,000. Owners of prominent commercial properties displaying neglect such as graffiti, overgrown vegetation, broken windows or unsecured openings will be contacted and asked to address issues by the end of August, with formal enforcement action considered where appropriate. Councillor Kevin Parry, Cabinet Member for Recycling and Streetscene, noted the council cannot do this alone and is asking both commercial and residential property owners to play their part.
Councillor Matthew Vallender, Cabinet Member for Culture, Planning and Regeneration, acknowledged the clean-up will not solve every challenge but will make an immediate and noticeable difference while longer-term regeneration plans continue to be developed. The council will share details of the community action day and further opportunities for public involvement closer to the start date.
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