You may have seen in the national and local media that Swindon is to be a pioneer in having a Wi-Fi mesh covering the whole of the local authority area.

The advantages for local businesses and residents are huge as even the time-limited free access available each day will still provide unprecedented access to information, learning and communication. The opportunities it will open up are vast.

Alongside this, I also see the Wi-Fi mesh as part of the Connecting People, Connecting Places programme, which is about bringing all branches of government closer to the people.

For many years the need to save money has meant that the council, the police and other public sector agencies have had fewer buildings, further from where people actually live. No wonder satisfaction with government is so low when it is literally, so remote.

The Wi-Fi mesh will make it easier for staff to come to the community – using temporary drop-in centres in local shops, community centres, libraries and schools. It will become less and less important where a member of staff is based as using the phone or email will be easier for them to respond to people. The mesh will also make it easier for residents to contact their local public services, with cheaper phone calls using voice over internet protocols and good access to email and websites.

Of course, none of this will ever replace face to face meetings, and these will always remain a core part of what we do. But the more services we can deliver electronically, the more money we will have to put into front line services themselves.

Our Wi-Fi mesh will help us achieve that.

Cllr Roderick Bluh, Leader of Swindon Borough Council

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