With negotiations successful between Swindon Council, London County Council and the Borough of Tottenham, Murray John and his officers proceeded with a series of diversifications that eventually expanded the town's industrial base and helped the local economy, while increasing the stock of available council housing. The companies of Plessey and Vickers assisted by agreeing to employ over 1,500 of those moving to Swindon; the Council funded the creation of industrial estates and housing developments. In the period 1951–1981, Swindon's population grew by 70 percent, "some 58 per cent higher than the national average over the same period". In the 1980s, Swindon became the fastest growing town in Europe.