YOUR SWINDON YOUR VERDICT: SCHOOLS should be the top priority for Swindon Council, according to the Your Swindon Your Verdict survey.

Social services and cleaning up the streets were also popular choices for the council to concentrate its spending on while more arts provision was rated low by Swindon residents.

Council leader Coun Mike Bawden, pictured, said the focus on education and social services confirmed what residents were telling the council directly.

"Our two top priorities are education and social services," he said. "That is the reason we have got involved with Kent County Council on social services and that is why we entered into an arrangement with Tribal to ensure education was given to a standard that all residents are happy with."

But the Labour opposition hit back at the Tories, saying the cuts would damage services.

"The Government has asked all local councils to find efficiency savings and to spend the money saved to improve services," said Coun Barrie Thompson, deputy Labour leader.

"That is not what this administration is doing they are using the savings to give lower council tax not to give better services.

"I am absolutely certain that if the administration goes ahead with these cuts services to the people of Swindon will be far worse." Twenty eight per cent of people wanted the council to focus its spending on schools, 23 per cent on social services and 20 per cent on cleaning up the streets.

Repairing roads and pavements got 16 per cent support while more art provision got just four per cent.

Other priorities recom-mended included recycling, care and help for elderly people and redevelop-ment of the town.