Leader's blog - 21 December 2022
Published: Monday, 19 December, 2022
"In Gloucestershire, we have three levels of councils: parish (or town), district and county. Each has its own areas of responsibility and it’s important that we all work closely together to deliver good services for residents and businesses.
Over recent months, we have been working to strengthen partnerships and have developed a new Parish and Town Council Charter, which was adopted at the council meeting last week. This Charter recognises that parish and town councils have unparalleled knowledge of their communities, and that more effective joint working can strengthen local decision making and engagement.
Another way we are working to link people to services is by supporting a new network of warm spaces across Stroud district. With community partners and Creative Sustainability CIC, we’ve mapped more than 40 warm spaces, including community hubs, village halls, pubs, churches and libraries, where people can meet up in a safe, welcoming place. For anyone struggling with cost of living pressures, there is lots of support available, including emergency help for food, fuel or financial support here.
There was good news last week about the purchase of a canal-side plot in Stroud at Bath Place, Cheapside. This area has been in need of regeneration for many years, and we will develop new plans for the site, to improve connections between the canal, town centre and train station as well as providing low carbon and affordable homes.
Finally, as Christmas approaches, we’ve issued some information about waste and recycling collections (no changes to the usual days) and some top tips for recycling wrapping paper, Christmas cards, Christmas food and real Christmas trees. These tips include to flatten and fold large pieces of cardboard, and to use the new Waste Wizard search tool, to find out whether something can be recycled, repaired or reused."
The Leader's Blog was written by Cllr Catherine Braun
Leader, Stroud District Council