THE new Labour leader David Nash has warned that Swindon residents could pay a high price for electing a Tory council.

He said that Conservative plans to limit future council tax rises could lead to all but the town's core services disappearing.

And he claimed to strong Tory denials that their agenda of spending cuts would hit the poorest hardest. In his first full interview since being elected leader of the Labour group this week, the Central councillor set out his fears for the future of Swindon under the ruling Conservatives.

"The Tories would limit the increase of council tax but watch out for all those other things around the edges which will slowly disappear," he said.

Focusing on what he saw as the most vulnerable services, he said:

Voluntary and community groups would be hit

Allotments could be sold off

Concessionary fares for children could be scrapped.

Public toilets could be closed

Charges for residents' parking and town centre parking could go up

The costs of getting in to leisure centres could rise, and the leisure centres could be privatised

And litter could increase around the town as street cleaning budgets were cut

"The little things you have to pay for will go up in price," said Coun Nash.

"The impact will be that if you have got money and can afford it you can do what you want, but if you don't then tough.

"A lot of Swindon would be closed to people who can't afford it. It would amount to a No Entry sign, preventing huge swathes of the town's population from enjoying their leisure time fully."

To back up his claims, Coun Nash pointed to the Conservatives' attempts to target community grants for cuts earlier in the year.

While Labour and the Lib Dems joined together to throw out the proposals in that instance, the Tories' overall majority will allow them to push through whatever budget they want next year.

Coun Nash said Labour would continue to argue for higher council tax to spread the costs of services across the borough.

"At the moment I can't see any other alternative, short of changing national legislation, than raising council tax," he said.

The Conservatives dismissed Coun Nash's claims about Tory spending plans. "They would say that, wouldn't they," said deputy council leader Ian Dobie (Con, Haydon Wick).

"I don't accept that Swindon will become a harder place to live for low earners. I can't say we would necessarily be cutting from the edges but we might provide some services in a different way.

"The growth of Swindon will not be without change, and change is a painful process. You can't please all the people all the time.

"We want to direct money where it's needed without wasting it on things we don't need to do."

Andy Tate