Your Council

Stratton St Margaret Parish Councillors:

Left to right:

Back Row: Cllr Mike Spry, Cllr Joe Tray, Cllr Anne Chalk, Cllr John C Foley, Cllr Carol Ennis, Cllr Brenda Archer, Cllr Rosa Tran, Cllr Andree Murphy, Cllr Pat Spry, Cllr Peter Owen, Cllr Peter Watts, Cllr Alison Bridges, Paul Russell (Clerk to the Council) and Nigel Chalk.

Front Row: Cllr Eileen Foley, Cllr David Roberts (Vice Chair), Cllr Teresa Page (Chair 2011/12) and Cllr John Foley (Chair 2012)

About the Parish

Stratton St Margaret Parish Council has been in existence in its present form since 1974 following the Local Government reorganisation in 1972. However, there has been a parish council serving Stratton St Margaret since 1891.

Stratton St Margaret Parish Council has a population of around 22,000 and 9,900 dwellings. It is one of the largest Parish Councils in England. The parish is separated into four Parish Wards, St Philips, St Margaret, Coleview, Lower Coleview and Nythe, each with their own specific profiles with a fifth ward (Merton) coming into existence in 2014 following the recent Borough Ward Boundary Review.

The Parish of Stratton St Margaret was once a rural parish but with the expansion of Swindon is now an urban parish. However it still retains a community spirit as many residents have lived within Stratton for most of their lives.

One of the Parish Council’s main priorities is to provide high quality, well maintained open spaces including safe, interesting and innovative play areas. Equipment is checked on a daily basis (Monday - Friday) and the Parish has a rolling maintenance and improvement programme to ensure that the play areas and all its assets remain in good condition and fit for purpose.

Among the other services the Parish Council provides are Stratton Leisure Centre, Meadowcroft Community Centre, St Margaret Cemetery, Green Road Cemetery, two allotment sites and the various open spaces. The Council employs around 55 full and part time staff who help deliver the various services on behalf of local residents.

Time never stands still and in 2012 the Parish will be the subject of a community governance review which will review its current boundaries. This is an important event and will shape the Council and its boundaries for the next ten to fifteen years.

There is a statue in the British Museum of St Margaret and the Dragon. Legend has it that St Margaret was swallowed by a dragon but miraculously escaped. It seems that Stratton St Margaret has a history of survival!