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Be a councillor

Be a Councillor

Be a Councillor’ Event – Wednesday 6th September 2023

Have you ever thought about standing for election as a Councillor?

If you have a keen interest in your local community, have innovative ideas, a commitment to local people and are passionate about making a difference in the Stroud District area, then please join us to learn more about what being a Councillor entails. The ‘Be a Councillor’ event is being held in the evening on Wednesday 6 th September at Ebley Mill, Stroud District Council. The event will be an excellent chance for any prospective District, Parish or Town Councillors to find out what it really means to be a Councillor.

There will be presentations from Officers and current Councillors addressing how the Council works, the process of standing for election and the support that is available to Councillors. They will also outline a Councillor’s duties, the variety of opportunities that are available to them and give advice on how to how to successfully juggle this role with their daily life.

There will also be an opportunity to speak to current Councillors and ask any questions you may have about the role.

Wednesday 6 th September 2023 – Council Chamber, Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Ebley Wharf, Stroud, GL5 4UB. Tea and Coffee will be provided.

  • The event for prospective Parish/Town Councillors will start at 6.00pm
  • The event for prospective District Councillors will start at 7.00pm

If you think being a Stroud District councillor is for you please email democratic.services@stroud.gov.uk to register your interest.

If you would like more information on becoming a councillor please follow the link: https://www.stroud.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/becoming-a-councillor

Emergency Alert

Emergency Alerts!

The Emergency Alerts service

The UK government’s new Emergency Alerts system is now live.

  • The system will enable people to be contacted via their mobile phone when lives are in danger.
  • It will be used to warn you in the event of emergencies, such as severe flooding.
  • If you receive an alert, read the alert carefully and follow the instructions.

On Sunday 23 April 2023 at 3pm, there will be a national test of the Emergency Alerts service.

Emergency Alerts are sent to all compatible mobile phones within an area of risk. They don’t track your location, need your phone number, or collect personal data. Only the government and the emergency services will be able to send them. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels.

If you get an Emergency Alert on your phone:

  • You’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound.
  • A message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and how best to respond.

You’ll be able to check an alert is genuine at gov.uk/alerts
You can opt out of receiving emergency alerts; for more information on how to opt out please go to gov.uk/alerts

Gloucestershire Heritage Hub Logo

Upcoming events @ the Heritage Hub

The Heritage Hub

The Gloucestershire Heritage Hub is home to the Gloucestershire ArchivesGloucestershire Family History SocietyGloucestershire Police Archives and a number of other heritage charities, including Gloucester History Festival.

Online Visitors

Even online, it a great source of information and even has it’s own YouTube channel

Upcoming events


Wednesday 25 January

13:00 – 14:00

Opening the door on house history, this online presentation will look at all aspects of house history in Gloucestershire from materials in the County Archives.

Castle or cottage; villa or farmhouse; town or country – whatever its size, age or location, your house will have a history.  Whether you will be able to find out much about it is another question – for as with all historical research a great deal will depend upon what has survived.  


Saturday 4 February

13:00 – 16:00 

Following the theme of house history, this Saturday event will include a programme of talks dedicated to house history research.  Talks from Gloucestershire Archives and Gloucestershire Family History Society. Free to attend, booking is advised. 

Warm Spaces

Warm Spaces

Cost of Living Emergency: “Warm Spaces” provision

Stroud District Council has set up a warm spaces resources page which includes an interactive map.

GL11 Community Hub

See the entries under Cam and Dursley for what is offered by our local support group #WarmGL11, coordinated by GL11 Community Hub. Local churches, the NHS, voluntary organisations and representatives from some parish councils are taking part. The resources page also has lots of guidance for organisations setting up warm hubs and their volunteers.

Along with a few others from Stinchcombe, I recently experienced the warm welcome at St George’s on a Thursday morning!

Donations

There is a cost associated with providing these much needed services. Stinchcombe Parish Council has not made a donation because it was decided that it should be a personal decision for individual parishioners.  If you are in a position to offer financial support and would like to do so, you can donate via the funding platform

Donations can be general, specific to GL11, one-off or recurring.

Kath

20 is Plenty

New Year, New Road Safety Policy

Gloucestershire’s Current Road Safety Policy

Some of you might have joined in the consultation on Gloucestershire’s Road Safety Policy a few months ago.  The Parish Council and Stinchcombe Speed Watch both participated and a few of our comments are reflected in the final version of the policy. https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2116396/road-safety-policy.pdf

I wish to make it clear that this article presents my own views and not necessarily those of the Parish Council or Stinchcombe Speed Watch.

Why did Gloucestershire need a new policy?

We are the 6th worst local authority in England for people being killed or seriously injured on the road.   Between 2009‐2011 and 2017‐2019, the number increased by 27%.  Compare this with the best performing authorities, which saw reductions of more than 50% over the same period.

A fundamental change

Gloucestershire is following the most successful authorities by adopting a Safe System approach. The underlying principles are:

  • Humans make mistakes
  • Humans are vulnerable to injury
  • No death or serious injury is acceptable
  • Responsibility is shared

The key aspiration is Vision Zero https://visionzerouk.wordpress.com/   – the near elimination of all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.   The interim target is a 50% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Gloucestershire’s roads by 2032.

Doesn’t sound that radical

It didn’t to me either but look at the comparison between Vision Zero and the traditional approach to road safety.

TRADITIONALVISION ZERO
Traffic deaths are inevitableTraffic deaths are preventable
Aim for perfect human behavioursIntegrate human failing into the approach
Prevent collisionsPrevent fatal and severe collisions
Individual responsibilitySystems approach
Saving lives is expensiveSaving lives is not expensive

The Strategy 2022 – 2032

Gloucestershire County Council sets out its strategy around nine themes:

1. Reduce fatalities, serious injuries, number, and severity of collisions, with a key focus on using data to prioritise our approach

2. Expand data and evidence base, including research, and monitoring of existing approaches

3. Develop toolkits and programmes to give communities the tools they need to promote and improve Road Safety in their area

4. Increase levels of safety for walking

5. Increase levels of safety for cycling

6. Improve collaboration between partners and stakeholders

7. Embed the Safe System approach

8. Promote the Vision Zero aspiration to Gloucestershire’s public

9. Lead by example

What’s our next-door neighbour doing?

High level strategies can sound all “motherhood and apple pie” so it’s interesting to do some benchmarking against our neighbouring county, Oxfordshire.  Road safety is a big subject, so forgive me if I home in on an aspect I consider relevant to Stinchcombe – the wider use of 20 mph limits. 

The information about Oxfordshire mostly came from their presentation at the 20’s Plenty Conference last October. https://www.20splenty.org/oxford20conf

On the face of things, the two counties are similar:

  • both have adopted a Safe System/Vision Zero approach
  • both have set an interim target for reducing by 50% the number of people killed or seriously injured on their roads (2032 in Gloucestershire and 2030 in Oxfordshire)
  • both are broadly in favour of 20 mph limits where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix.

At a more detailed level, there are important differences as summarised in the table.

 GloucestershireOxfordshire
How will 20 mph limits be rolled out?No targets published. Onus on communities to make the case for a 20 mph limit.Three year roll out plan: 2022/3 80 Towns and Parishes 2023/4 87 Towns and Parishes 2024/5 40 Towns and Parishes  
What are the criteria for 20 mph limitsApplications to be prioritised against a list of eight criteria and must also be supported by an evidence base.    Can be requested in any 30 mph built-up area or 30 mph area with heavy foot or cycle traffic. No evidence of a speeding problem is required.  
How is an application for a 20 mph limit made?Not at all clear.  The recently relaunched Community Approach to Road Safety (CARS) Toolkit does not make a single mention of 20 mph limits.  Online application process for town and parish councils to complete.
Who pays for the implementation of    20 mph limits?Communities are expected to find the funding except where collision data and fatality/serious injury statistics show there is a road safety concern. In such cases Gloucestershire County Council will fully or partly fund from its road safety budget.  Oxfordshire County Council will pay for the new signs and any road lining works.  

Final thoughts

It’s great that Gloucestershire has adopted Vision Zero and has set itself ambitious targets for reducing fatalities and serious injuries.  I wish they had made provision for an efficient and widespread roll out of 20 mph limits, like Oxfordshire (and Cornwall and Wales and many other places).  Can the same levels of reduction in fatalities and serious injuries be achieved with this more hands-off approach?

If there is community support, I would like to see 20 mph limits here in Stinchcombe.  The 30 mph sections of Echo Lane and Wick Lane and all of “Church Lane” would be my top priorities.  It is disappointing that the application procedure has not been defined and that more County-level funding is not available.   That wouldn’t stop me trying if I were convinced that a majority of villagers supported 20 mph limits in these locations.  Please let me know what you think.

Kath

Signpost

Public Rights of Way reminder

Please Remember other users

We are fortunate to have a network of public footpaths through fields and playing fields in the parish.  At the request of local landowners, the Parish Council reminds everyone to stick to the public rights of way.  The presence of a public footpath does not give the public any right to use other parts of the field.  That applies to dogs as well!

Heel!

Heel

Unless your dog reliably walks to heel it probably needs to be on a lead to satisfy the legal requirement for “close control”.  Letting your dog run free is not permitted except where the landowner has given permission, or you are the landowner. 

Not only unpleasant

The widely held belief that it’s OK to leave dog mess uncleared providing it’s not actually on the path is ill-founded. It can transmit parvovirus, intestinal parasites and harmful bacteria to people and other animals. Furthermore, two livestock diseases have been linked to the presence of contaminated dog waste. Neosporosis can cause abortions in cattle. Sarcocystosis can cause neurological disease and death in sheep. There have been suspected cases of both these diseases here in Stinchcombe.

A reminder for landowners

Stiles, gates and other structures across public footpaths belong to the landowner. You have a legal duty to maintain them in a safe condition. A range is available from the County Council at subsidised prices and you may be able to get help with installation. Look out for an article by our new Footpath Warden, Andrew Davidson, in the Spring.

Kath Hudson

Matter Post

Your dryer fluff is useful stuff!

Love Your Lint: Your dryer fluff is useful stuff!

The effects of microplastic pollution are all over the news, recent studies even found microplastic in breastmilk. One of the main culprits of this type of pollution is our clothing; today 60% of all textiles are made from plastic fibres, which get washed into our waterways via our washing machines. As this isn’t very visible people may not realise its harm – but one look at your tumble dryer filter and it becomes immediately clear how much of these microfibres are coming off our clothes.

Matter did a trial run of its Love Your Lint campaign last year in partnership with eco-cleaning brand Smol and received 623 parcels of lint weighing over 23kg in total. The total lint they collected was the equivalent of 179 T-shirts! Together with partners such as Brunel University Londo, and Smol, Matter has been able to put this lint to good use. They have used the lint to assess the potential for cellulose extraction, the suitability of compressed microfibre as a replacement for insulation panels and test various recycling applications for sustainable packaging.​

This year, Matter wants to scale up the campaign and is calling for the general public to save up their fluff and send it to Matter HQ where it will be used for new and innovative microfibre research projects. 

Founder and CEO, Adam Root tells us, “Our ambition is to create a world with no waste, where today’s waste products are tomorrow’s raw materials. The lint you send us will be part of a microfibre research project we are doing to investigate how we can create a circular economy from waste materials.”

To get involved, simply put your lint in an envelope or small box (ideally recycled and not in a plastic bag) and send it to the Matter HQ: 

Matter, Unit 5, Avon Trading Estate, St Philips, Bristol, BS2 0XA.

Best Wishes, Jayne Kirkham

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