Leader's blog - 28 December 2022
Published: Tuesday, 3 January, 2023
“I hope you’ve had a relaxing and peaceful time over the Christmas period. As the festivities draw to a close, Longfield Hospice in Minchinhampton is once again organising Christmas tree recycling, and there’s still time to book a collection for your tree, with bookings open until 3 January via the Longfield website. All money raised from donations will help to fund the hospice’s vital work supporting patients, families and carers across Gloucestershire.
The district council offices are closed this week, reopening after the bank holiday on 3 January. To notify the council of any out-of-hours emergencies during this time, please contact: 01453 222 104 (this number can also be found online at the SDC website).
Looking back over the past year, it’s nice to reflect on some of the achievements. A significant one, for me, is the progress that we have made in helping to increase the number of affordable homes. Usually around 120 new affordable homes for rent and shared ownership -are built by housing association partners every year, but the recent annual stats (for 2021/22) show that a phenomenal 245 homes were completed! There was also positive news for council tenants, with 36 new energy-efficient council homes built in Minchinhampton, Eastington and Nailsworth.
In 2022 we also made progress with our 2030 climate and nature actions, which included acquiring a new electric road sweeper and securing funding for council house energy efficiency improvements. Meeting climate targets and following Building with Nature standards will be essential to our future projects.
Partnership working, with Community Hubs, Citizens Advice and others, has enabled us to support residents through what has been a challenging year. I’m delighted that we’re also pioneering work to celebrate equality and diversity by setting up a new Community Representation Taskforce, to make Stroud district an even more welcoming and inclusive place.”
This week's blog was written by Cllr Catherine Braun
Leader, Stroud District Council