Leader's blog - 2 November 2022
Published: Tuesday, 1 November, 2022
"The Cost of Living is clearly a major concern for so many residents and earlier this month the council unanimously approved declaring a Cost of Living Emergency, in addition to committing £100,000 of SDC funds and £252,000 of Gloucestershire County Council funds to tackling the issues which affect you. Declaring an Emergency means we have now asked our Chief Executive Kathy O’Leary to write to the Prime Minister and the two MPs who represent our residents, calling for immediate financial support for those in need, and a clear plan from the Government to deal with the crisis.
Work on this deeply concerning issue is ongoing across Stroud District Council services, and our response includes financial help for community hubs and supporting warm spaces.
It’s important for residents to know what support is available and our dedicated page is regularly updated including a useful website to help people who have money worries.
With November 5 almost upon us, please remember that not everyone enjoys fireworks and that includes our pets. Our Animal Welfare Service has some good advice for pet owners to protect their pets during what can be a stressful time for them here. Tips on how you can make fireworks less frightening for your pet include keeping them secured inside your home. Even dogs in fenced in yards find ways to escape the sound of fireworks. Also give them a safe place to hide by setting up a comfortable room or crate in your home just for them.
November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, with a vision is to see a society free from Islamophobia in all of its forms. This is something that the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Working Group is addressing, and the council adopted the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims’ definition of Islamophobia this year."
This blog was written by Deputy Leader, Cllr Natalie Bennett.