THE recovery of Swindon Council is well under way, according to its chief executive Simon Birch.

Mr Birch, who took temporary control of the authority during a difficult time following the resignation of Paul Doherty last year before being appointed on a permanent basis in March, said 30 of the council's 80-point improvement plan points have been ticked off.

Soon he will hand over the next stage of the council's recovery to councillors.

To date Mr Birch has penned all parts of the improvement plan with help from troubleshooter Tony Allen, who was brought in to help the council rise from its lowly position as one of the 13 worst in the country.