Leader's blog - 19 April 2023
Published: Wednesday, 19 April, 2023
“April is stress awareness month and brings attention to the negative impact of stress. Pressure at work, school or home, illness, or difficult or sudden life events can all cause stress leading to people feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. Some of the strategies for reducing and managing stress include reaching out to family and friends, setting priorities, ensuring you get enough sleep, relaxation or physical exercise etc. Further advice can be found here. Many of us are experiencing financial stress due to the cost of living crisis and sources of help and support can be found on SDC’s dedicated web page.
Voters in Painswick and Upton will be the first in the district to need to show voter ID to cast their vote for the forthcoming by-election on Wednesday 17 May. Although district council elections in the Stroud district won’t take place until May 2024 it is worth getting prepared now, because from 4 May 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections and from October 2023 it will also apply to UK General elections. For more information about the forms of permitted photo ID and how to apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, if you don’t have eligible photo ID see our website.
There will be a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service at 3pm on Sunday 23 April which will show a message on the home screen of mobile phones, along with a sound and vibration for up to ten seconds. It’s important that as many people know about this as possible to avoid the alarm causing panic, so please make a note of the time and date, and pass the message on to friends and family. It is also essential for survivors of domestic abuse to know as the alert could reveal a secret or secondary phone. The charity Refuge has produced a video explaining how to disable the alert on a hidden phone which has been shared on Stroud District Council social media channels which you can watch here."
This week's blog was written by Cllr Natalie Bennett, Deputy Leader of Stroud District Council.