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.

Audit & Standards Committee - 1st April

Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit (CFEU) Report

The Council is required to proactively tackle fraudulent activity in relation to the abuse of public funds. The report details financial savings generated by the CFEU and objectives to reduce crime and financial loss to the Council.

A new website for the Gloucestershire Multi-Agency Approach to Fraud (MAAF) group, which includes Stroud District Council, is in development and will be publicised soon. It will include local information on fraud and scams and how to report them.

Internal Audit

A Progress Report was agreed, which with the audit areas reflecting the council’s strategic risks.

Video recording

Strategy & Resources Committee - 3rd April

Woodchester Mansion

Agreed to allocate £30k (as approved in the budget) towards a joint project with the Woodchester Mansion Trust and the National Trust for preparation of a National Lottery Heritage Fund application. This would fund the development costs of the next stage of works to secure the future of the mansion and could secure lottery funding in the region of £200 – 250k. Woodchester Mansion is a Grade I listed Victorian Gothic house located near Nympsfield. The building is owned by Stroud District Council and managed by the Woodchester Mansion Trust who have a 99-year lease that started in 1989. The National Trust owns the adjoining Woodchester Park. The Council is working jointly with the National Trust to secure a sustainable future for Woodchester Mansion and the surrounding park, enabling more people to access and enjoy this cultural and natural heritage.

Littlecombe Employment Land, Dursley

Agreed to sell Plot B1 to the Gloucestershire NHS Integrated Care Board, subject to the NHS obtaining planning permission. The NHS would like to use this site to construct accommodation which will be used by people with learning disabilities and autism. This site could provide four independent living units, two emergency accommodation units and 1 staff block. It would have a high staff to patient ratio and could involve up to 40 full time jobs. This would provide valuable accommodation for people in hospital who are ready for discharge but cannot currently leave hospital due to the lack of suitable accommodation in the community.

Redevelopment of Cheapside, near Stroud Station

Approved the Output Specification which sets out the council’s vision and objectives for the project, which include new energy-efficient homes (including affordable homes) on the site, and the proposed Delivery Strategy for the redevelopment. It was agreed that for the Cheapside Redevelopment to be a success and to realise the local vision for the ‘Stroud station quarter’ area there has to be sufficient car parking for both the station and the town.

Member / Officer Reports

• Leadership Gloucestershire
• Regeneration and Investment Board
• Gloucestershire City Region Board
• Canal Update
• Brimscombe Port Redevelopment Plan
• Corporate Asset Management Action Plan: General Fund Action Plan Update
• Economic Development Strategy Update

Video recording

Development Control Committee - 8th April

Land Parcel A & B, Moreton Valence, Gloucester, S.24/2293/VAR

A Section 73 variation application to vary a condition about construction traffic hours, for the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning for a solar farm and battery storage facility. Amendments were agreed to take into account safety factors for school children and other road users, with delegation of details to planning officers.

Land at Elm Farm Buildings, Pinnells End Lane, Coaley, EN23/0381

This matter was referred to the Committee for consideration since it relates to enforcement action which could result in the demolition of a dwelling through serving an enforcement notice against the siting of a mobile home for residential purposes. Committee agreed that formal planning enforcement action should be taken by serving the enforcement notice which requires the cessation of the residential use, and the removal of the mobile home. The period given to comply with the requirements of the notice was extended by the Committee from 9 to 12 months.

Video recording

Full Council - 10th April

Ubico Business Plan 2025/2026

Council approved the business plan for the year ahead following wide consultation with councillors. Stroud District Council has a multi-service contract with Ubico Limited to provide the collection of waste and recycling, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and building cleaning. Ubico is a company wholly owned by local authorities including Stroud District Council. Proposals in the business plan are built around the four key pillars of People, Operational Excellence, Climate and Business Development.

Monitoring officer

Agreed to extend Hayley Sims in the role until a successor is appointed. Hayley has been in post for one year and will be returning to her role as a Head of Law at the One Legal partnership in the summer.

The Monitoring Officer has various statutory duties and responsibilities which include ensuring that the Council acts lawfully and avoids any maladministration. This includes advising on the lawfulness of decision making, applying and maintaining the Council’s Constitution and arrangements for effective governance. The Monitoring Officer also has responsibilities relating to Councillor conduct for the District, Town and Parish Councils, such as dealing with complaints relating to the Code of Conduct.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Belonging Policy

The Council is committed to advance equality for all and to promoting and embedding equalities work across all council policies, programmes and services.

Following consultation, the Council adopted the new Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Policy 2025-2029 and approved the annual Action Plan for 2025/26.

Under the Equality Act 2010 the Council has a statutory duty to prepare and publish an Equality Policy and objectives every four year which should set out how the Council, when carrying out its functions, will have due regard to the public sector equality duty and the need to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the equality legislation
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it; and
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.
  • A protected characteristic under the Act is any of the following: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
  • The general equality duty requires the Council to proactively consider how it can positively contribute to the advancement of equality and good relations. It requires equality considerations to be reflected in the design of policies and the delivery of services, including internal policies, and for these issues to be kept under review to ensure that they are implemented.

The action plan for the year ahead reflects feedback from the public and stakeholders and includes actions to:

• Improve methods of communication to reach different audiences and ensure everyone is informed, specifically those with different accessibility requirements e.g. visual impairments.
• Undertake consultation with hard-to-reach groups regarding programme development at the council’s leisure services in Stroud and Dursley.
• Promote the translation service on the council’s website to better support those where English is a second language.
• Develop guidance on identifying and considering data bias in the use of AI to be included in the emerging Data Strategy and AI Policy.
• Through our Armed Forces Working Group, consider recognising veterans as a protected characteristic group.
• Clearly communicate our stance and how we will respond to offensive or derogatory comments made on our online communication channels.

Video recording

Council announcements

Cllr Richard Maisey

A minutes silence was observed to remember District Councillor Richard Maisey who sadly passed away in April. Cllr Maisey (Labour, Severn Ward) was also an Eastington Parish Councillor. A by-election will be held in June. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/tributes-to-councillor-richard-maisey/

Local Government Reorganisation

The Gloucestershire letter signed by all seven councils and setting out three options for future unitary councils in the county, has been received by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The next deadline in the process is 28 November when councils are required to submit more detailed plans. There is no certainty as yet on the timescales for areas such as Gloucestershire which are outside the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme. Community engagement is likely to start in June and run through until September. It will focus on understanding the hopes and expectations of communities in relation to local government in the broader sense, and not specific to any particular model. Professionals have advised that a citizens assembly would not be the best approach, given the short timescale for engagement, narrow focus for the proposed changes, and the unitarization process which means that ultimately the Local Government Minister will decide.

Local Plan

The Local Plan remains under examination and two of the MPs covering Stroud District, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Simon Opher have secured meetings with the Housing Minister to ask for his support to progress the plan and resolve the issues raised by the inspectors which would have wider implications for the planning process. The Strategic Planning Team are also starting work on proposals for the next local plan and will be bringing an outline timetable, known as the Local Development Scheme or LDS, to committee in the summer.

Green Group

Leadership change – Cllr Chloe Turner was congratulated on her new role as Leader of the Green Group of councillors, having been unanimously elected by the group. Chloe takes over the Group Leadership role from Cllr Catherine Braun, who is now Deputy Group Leader. Catherine remains as Council Leader until the AGM on 22 May.

Other news

Stroudfunding

Stroudfunding is the new crowd funding scheme for community projects in Stroud district, supported by Stroud District Council and managed by Space Hive. The deadline for the second round of crowdfunding projects is 7 May. During the first round, Stroudfunding helped 17 community projects raise over £600,000. Groups that are not ready to start fundraising in May can join the autumn round which opens for registration in June, with fundraising starting in September.

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/final-call-for-the-spring-round-of-stroud-funding-apply-by-7-may/

More accessible website for Stroud DC

Recite Me, a leading web accessibility and language support tool, is now integrated in the Stroud DC website to improve customer experience and ensure that all residents can access vital information and services with ease. Recite Me provides accessibility tools to help individuals with disabilities, learning difficulties, visual impairments, and those who speak English as a second language. The software allows users to customise the website's content to suit their needs, offering options such as text-to-speech, translation into over 100 languages, and adjustable font sizes and colours. Simply click on "Accessibility Tools" near the top of the council website homepage to select the Recite Me options. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/stroud-district-council-enhances-website-accessibility-with-recite-me/

New posters invite train travellers to discover Stroud district

A series of posters has appeared at railway stations, inviting rail travellers to explore the Stroud district. The Council’s Planning Strategy service commissioned local artist Isabella Fay to create the posters which aim to encourage visitors to travel to the district by train and inspire locals to discover new places. During April and May, the campaign showcases highlights of the Stroud district, with each poster featuring a QR code that links to a dedicated page on the Visit Stroud website, providing tourists with detailed information about attractions and events in the area. The posters are up in stations including Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads and Parkway, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucester, Reading and Swindon.

VE Day celebrations in Stroud district

The council is supporting events across the district to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, celebrated on May 8th.https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/how-to-celebrate-ve-day-in-the-stroud-district/

Nailsworth’s iconic fountain restored

The historic drinking fountain in Nailsworth, owned by Stroud District Council, has been restored by specialist contractors using an advanced steam-based stone cleaning system. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/nailsworth-s-iconic-fountain-restored/

Thanks Catherine for stepping in producing this report again because of my forced time out. I've added video links and adjusted the formatting but my reports will never be this detailed! ;)