Angela Rayner makes town centre promise on visit to Swindon

Angela Rayner says a Labour government would bring in measures to stop Swindon shops and historic sites sitting abandoned and empty.

The deputy leader was in town on the day her party launched its campaign to return to power at the next general election.

After Sir Keir Starmer outlined six key pledges to 'change Britain', his sidekick Ms Rayner promised future support for town centre businesses - and said the process of bringing historic sites like Swindon's Corn Exchange and Mechanics' Institute would be less complex under Labour's watch.

Standing next to the Corn Exchange - also known as the Locarno - Ms Rayner said: “We'd like to make sure that actually where you've got community heritage and where developers are not working with the community that there should be ways and mechanisms for the community to compulsory purchase.

“Or to be able to get round to make sure that they have an opportunity to try and find the funds to bring those community heritage sites back into ownership.”

She linked this to a decline on high streets.

Ms Rayner added: “What we can't have is the decline we've seen, whether that's on our high street or whether that's heritage sites so if they're not willing to do it Labour are looking at powers to how we can compulsorily ensure that that site becomes back up and running and that the community can own that site again and really value these community assets.”

One point among Labour’s plan to ‘breathe life into Britain’s high streets’, is to give communities a ‘right to buy’ community assets.

The Locarno in Old Town dates back to 1854 and is privately owned by businessman Gael Mackenzie.

Similarly, the Mechanics' Institute has been empty for 30 years. Owned by Matthew Singh’s company Forefront Estates since 2003, it sits behind hoardings and in a poor condition.

Reducing anti-social behaviour is one of the six pledges made by Sir Keir, and would be achieved by increased police patrols and 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs.

Ms Rayner added that as well as more policing, Labour would bring in measures to help town centre businesses.

She said: “Making sure that high streets are supported so we can get rid of business rates and bringing a new rate system that is fair for those businesses that are on the high street I think would be really important for Swindon as well.”

When asked when people might expect to see a difference in the town centre, Ms Rayner said that "some things would be quicker than others", but did not give a firm timescale.

She said: “We will put our plans in place as quickly as we possibly can.

“Some things would be quicker than others. Some of the issues around bringing new powers to help with antisocial behaviour they're pretty quick, we could do them pretty quickly.”

“Some things will take longer.”

On Thursday, the Labour leader unveiled a pledge card with six “first steps” his party would take if it were to win power as he spoke at a campaign event in Essex.

The steps include measures to invest in the NHS, education and policing, to set up a new national energy company and an elite border force, and to promote economic stability.

On which of the six steps is most relevant to Swindon, Ms Rayner said: “I think quite a lot of them are.

"Delivering economic stability is the number one key. If we can grow the economy, we can look at the NHS targets, we can put more investment into our public services. That's going to help places like Swindon.”

Labour has been criticised for removing some of its original promises, but Sir Keir hit back at suggestions the pledges were a scaled-back version of his party’s original ambitions.