Wotton-under-Edge, North Nibley & Stinchcombe

Along with residents' casework and in addition to council and training meetings at Ebley Mill, Cllrs Kitchen, Braun & Cohen attended the regular council meetings at North Nibley, Stinchcombe & Wotton-under-Edge.

Council meetings 

Link to meeting agenda and documents in the committee title.

Development Control Committee - 4th March

• Aston Down, Cowcombe Lane, Chalford, Gloucestershire, S.20/0716/FUL

A hybrid planning application for extension to the existing business park for a mixture of commercial and employment use.

Refused in line with the officer’s recommendation, since it would be a major development within the Cotswold National Landscape and exceptional circumstances had not been demonstrated.

Video recording

Environment Committee - 6th March

Bulky Waste Concessionary Scheme
As part of the council’s waste management offer, all residents can request a bulky waste collections, which must be booked in advance at a cost of £25 for the first three items and £5 per additional item. In 2023/24, the Council’s environmental services partner Ubico, serviced 4,400 bulky collections.

The Committee agreed to a trial a new collection of bulky waste to reduce the amount of flytipping on SDC housing estates/neighbourhoods. The trial will start in one or two locations. A simple booking system, separate to the general bulky waste booking system, will be set up for these trial areas.

Officers will consider the approach of other councils, which offer concessionary collection rates for residents in receipt of Housing Benefit or Council Tax support. In Stroud District there are 9.7% of households in receipt of Council Tax Support and 4.4% in receipt of Housing Benefit.

The trial will last four months, with findings and recommendations presented in September.

Additional member / officer reports were noted on:

• Strategic Planning Advisory Board
  
• Stroud Town Council Regeneration Working Group 
  
• Performance Monitoring Quarter 3 
  
• Climate Leadership Gloucestershire
  
• Biodiversity Net Gain Information Sheet 
  
• Joint Berkeley/Oldbury Site Stakeholder Group 
  
• Stroud Valleys Canal Company 
  
• Natural Flood Management 
  
• Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board 
  
• Cotswold National Landscape 

Video recording

Community Services and Licensing Committee – 13th March

Community Wellbeing Grant 2025 Review 
Committee agreed changes to the Community Wellbeing Grant process to improve delivery against Council Plan targets and alignment with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCSE) principles of good partnership working. There are three main changes:

• Targeting the grant to Community Hubs, other VCSE partners who deliver specialist wellbeing work in the district and to Cultural Hubs to focus on tackling Health Inequalities.
  
• A one or two year term for new grant agreements.
  
• Other funding options to be signposted including Small Grants of less than £1,000, Stroud Funding (crowd funding platform) or funding related to other Council or partner workstreams.

Leisure Service Performance Update
SDC took over management of the Stroud leisure centre at Stratford Park last year (now Active Lifestyles Stroud) which now joins the existing and recently re-branded Actively Lifestyles Dursley centre in the SDC Leisure Service. Work is underway to prepare for the Lido opening in May and to completely refresh the fitness gyms at both centres. A new Leisure Customer Experience Manager will be recruited to take the lead on developing community partners and engagement.

Community Officer Update
There are some changes to the Community Officer role (previously known as Neighbourhood Wardens) to reflect local needs and take in a broader range of work. The six Community Officers for Stroud District will now focus on four areas:

• Prevention: Focus on area-based working, attending community events, youth engagement, building community partnerships, community safety (ASB prevention and support), community based projects and sharing information.
  
• Reactive: Addressing ASB through evidence gathering on fly tipping, organising team and community clean-up days and engagement with property owners, Town and Parish Councils and community groups, adapting to the community needs based on data and local intelligence, conducting joint patrols with other agencies, and safeguarding.
  
• One Council: Acting as council champions, disseminating messages through community involvement, and relaying concerns to relevant council officers. Collaborating closely with all council services on joint ventures such as community safety awareness campaigns, planning notices. Supporting the new Careline model, signposting residents in need of help, promoting the service through regular clinics in Community Hubs, supporting elections in various roles and being part of the emergency support team.
  
• Competency Model: Developing a competency model and training plan for existing and new officers, focusing on areas such as community building, ASB prevention, and safeguarding to ensure continuity and professionalism.

Cultural Strategy Update
A new Community Cultural Panel has been set up to oversee the delivery of key recommendations in the council’s new Cultural Strategy and the Action Plan programme.

A Cultural Symposium is scheduled for 11 April 2025. Its aim is to create new ways of thinking and conversations about the cultural future of the Stroud district.

Police and Crime Panel 
Approved the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept, which is included within Council Tax. Noted that there will be staff cuts, including PCSOs, given the pressure on the service in the next year.

Other member/Officer Reports were noted as follows:

• Museum in the Park (Cowle Trust) 
  
• Citizens Advice work in Stroud district
  
• Kingshill House, Dursley  
  
• Salix Project Update on installation of air source heat pumps at the leisure centres and museum.

Video recording

Extraordinary Full Council - 20th March

An extra council meeting was called to agree the proposed joint response and ‘interim plan’ from all the Gloucestershire councils to Government about Local Government Reorganisation. Members unanimously agreed the draft letter, which has now been sent to the Government Minister.

The council agreed to Note the work under way in Gloucestershire to develop proposals for Local Government Reorganisation. Three options are currently being considered:

• A unitary council for the whole county, population 659k
  
• Two unitary councils: in the west, the districts of Gloucester, Forest of Dean, and Stroud (population 349k) and in the east, the districts of Cheltenham, Cotswolds, and Tewkesbury (population 310k).
  
• A city-based unitary council based around a ‘Greater Gloucester’ area along with one or two unitaries for the rest of the county area

The Government initially stated that new unitary councils should have a minimum population of 500k. However, more recent statements have indicated that lower population figures of 300k+ may be acceptable. The next deadline is for submission of final proposals by 28 November 2025.

The Council also agreed to assess final proposals for Local Government Reorganisation on whether they demonstrate accordance with the following principles (in addition to the criteria set out by Government):

• Support for the development of inclusive economic prosperity, which meets the needs of all, particularly the most vulnerable members of society.
  
• An equitable and financially viable council structure which does not exacerbate wealth or service need imbalances.
  
• Ability to maintain the delivery of key services at a local level to our residents and businesses with a focus on long term effectiveness rather than short term efficiency. Savings to be achieved by economies of scale not service reductions.
  
• Strengthening of participative democracy including adequate elected representation.
  
• Alignment with other public service providers and structures which support our parish and town councils and the voluntary and community sector.
  
• A structure which facilitates continued joint and ambitious working for our local environment, nature recovery and climate action.
  
• A structure which builds on local identity incorporating best practice from the current councils and ensuring valued local assets are retained for community use.
  
• A structure which facilitates the delivery of the SDC Council Plan priorities: environment, climate and nature; communities and well-being, local economy, housing and working for our communities.
  

Background papers on the single unitary option, and two unitary option can be found in the papers presented to other councils here. SDC has made a commitment to wider community and stakeholder engagement for the next phase of the work (press release).

Video recording

Housing Committee - 25th March

Numerous papers were presented and agreed by the Committee:

• Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Update Report 
  
• Budget Monitoring Report 2024/25 Quarter 3 
  
• Adoption of the Council's Housing and Homelessness Strategy 
  
• Adoption of a Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy 2025-30 
  
• Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy – this includes a revised and updated procedure for issuing civil penalties.
  
• Review of Council Empty Homes Policy – minor changes approved.

New Homes & Regeneration Programme
Four family homes for Temporary Accommodation will be delivered with Government’ funding using Modern Methods of Construction, which involves some offsite construction with the most likely site Orchard Road in Ebley. There are 97 new council homes for delivery in the approved programme.

Progress with the three Swedish Timber sites is advancing with full design teams appointed. Mount Pleasant, Wotton-under-Edge is the most advanced of the three sites. Surveys and investigations are still underway at The Knoll in Uley and The Avenue in Stinchcombe. Discussions have continued with those tenants and private owners affected by these proposals, who are happy to engage.

Other Member / Officer Reports were noted as follows:

• Performance Monitoring 
  
• Tenant Representatives
  
• Service Standards 
  
• Variation of Tenancy Conditions Rights and Responsibilities 
  
• Resident Engagement Officer Report Q1 

Video recording

Other news

The Pre-Election Period is now underway (25 March – 1 May) ahead of elections to Gloucestershire County Council on 1 May.

Stroud Funding - next wave of community projects

The first round of Stroud District Council’s community crowdfunding scheme has been a success with all seventeen groups achieving their funding goals. Applications of interest are now invited for round two.

Groups have until 7 May to prepare their projects before starting crowdfunding in mid- May. Those not ready to start in May can join the next round in June, which will commence in September.

Join the Great British Spring Clean: make a pledge and borrow litter picking equipment

People in the Stroud district are invited to participate in the Great British Spring Clean from 21 March to 6 April. You can pledge to pick up a bag of litter, borrow litter-picking equipment from the council or join a community litter pick organised by Stroud District Council’s Litter Champion, Cllr Gill Thomas. Make a pledge as an individual, group or school by visiting the page on the Keep Britian Tidy website

You’ll receive free digital resources including draft social media posts and advice on how to keep safe during your litter pick. Don’t forget to tag Stroud District Council on Facebook and Instagram and we’ll share your photos! Stroud District Council will supply Keep Britain Tidy litter picking bags, lend litter-picking equipment to anyone who needs it and will collect bags of rubbish gathered by volunteers during the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. To borrow litter picking equipment or arrange a collection please email community.services@stroud.gov.uk or call 01453 766321.

Redevelopment proposals for Cheapside, Stroud

Stroud District Council’s vision for new Stroud town centre homes is starting to take shape. This would creating new energy-efficient homes on brownfield land with development on two sites near Stroud railway station and much-needed improvements to the railway station.

This will be a partnership project with Network Rail and others to create new homes, better access to the station, the canal and the town centre, and to improve the public spaces in and around the station, creating a better experience for people arriving in the town. Press release and project page

Historic anti-slavery arch conserved for future generations

Britain’s oldest anti-slavery memorial, built in 1834 to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, has been repaired and restored. Some £42,000-worth stone repairs and cleaning to the Grade II* Listed monument were carried out by a specialist contractor for Stroud District Council which owns the arch. The arch, originally constructed at the entrance of anti-slavery campaigner Henry Wyatt’s Farmhill Park estate (now the Paganhill estate), holds significant historical value.

£5.2million to improve council housing energy efficiency

The least energy efficient council homes in the Stroud district are set to receive significant improvements. SDC has been awarded £5.2million to deliver warmer, healthier and energy efficient homes. This will help to tackle fuel poverty and improve tenants’ health and wellbeing and help fight climate change. Stroud District Council was the lead partner in a consortium of Gloucestershire social housing providers which was awarded £15.7 million to provide warmer, more energy efficient homes, reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.

Tenant safety recognised with Stroud District Council award nomination

Stroud District Council has been nominated for a key industry award thanks to its work to protect the safety of its tenants. The council has been nominated for Safety & Compliance Training & Development Award at the upcoming Association of Safety and Compliance Professionals (ASCP) Awards. Over the past two years more than 40 training courses have been completed, resulting in officers becoming qualified in essential housing issues such as fire doors, asbestos, legionella, damp and mould and playground inspections.

Paw Prints RSPCA awards

Stroud District Council’s work with animals has been recognised with four prestigious RSPCA Paw Prints awards. The council’s Animal Welfare service retained its platinum Stray Dog Services and silver Animal Licensing awards. The service ensures that all stray dogs are safely collected and cared for until they are reunited with their owners, maintaining high standards in animal welfare through robust enforcement and compliance in licensable activities. SDC’s Housing Service upgraded last year’s bronze award to gold, recognising its pet-friendly housing policies and support for responsible pet ownership among tenants. And the Community Services team celebrated a bronze award for integrating animal welfare into emergency and contingency planning.

Museum in the Park’s 10,000-year-old elk bones spark new research

The identification of 10,000-year-old elk bones in the collection of the Museum in the Park, Stroud, is opening new avenues for research into the prehistoric landscape of the Cotswolds. These bones, part of the museum's collection for nearly a century, have been confirmed to date back to around 8700 BC, thanks to a research project by prehistoric archaeologist Pete J.B. Moore, funded by the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. The bones, which include a jawbone and a metacarpus from a mature elk, were discovered in 1854 at Dunkirk Mills, near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. They were found in peat deposits, which once formed marshy wetlands adjacent to the Nailsworth Stream.

Entrance to the museum, and membership is free of charge.

Prepared by Cllr Catherine Braun this month based on councillor activity in March in collaboration with Cllr Linda Cohen & Cllr Gareth Kitchen.

Thanks Catherine for stepping in producing this report because of my forced time out. My reports will never be this detailed! ;)