Stroud District Council Leader's Diary

A letter appeared in The Observer newspaper with the names of more than 150 council leaders, including mine, from all political parties from across the country, to express concern over at further cuts to local government budgets.

More cuts are likely in the forthcoming spending review from government. Local authorities have been asked to do more, for example with new health responsibilities, with significantly lower funds.

Led by the Local Government Association, we want to ensure that we are able to operate in a sustainable way so that we can continue to provide the services our communities need.

By the end of this parliament councils will have lost over a third of the money they receive from government whilst Whitehall departments, in comparison, will have lost just 12%.

Monday, June 17 – Police and Crime Commissioner

The council’s chief executive and I met with Martin Surl, Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. From his fund, the commissioner has put forward £10,000 from his community budget as a contribution towards building a new a youth centre in Dursley.

There should also be quite a few more opportunities for us to work together on joint initiatives, for example with helping our increasing elderly population to feel safe and part of their communities. There’s much more information in the commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan which you can find at gloucestershire-pcc.gov.uk

Thursday, June 20 – Housing Committee meeting, Ebley Mill

The first sitting of another committee, lasting three hours. Over the next four years there will indeed be a substantial amount of investment in housing in the district with our £68 million programme to build and improve council homes.

For the first time in decades the council will actually be building new council homes. Whilst this is obviously welcome as major step forward in increasing the number of affordable homes in the district, it will inevitably spark controversy when development opportunities are identified, as was the case at this meeting where there was a large public turnout regarding a proposed development in Wotton-under-Edge.

Tuesday, July 2 – Thursday July 4 – LGA conference, Manchester

I alluded to the Local Government Association earlier. This is the main annual event for local authority decision makers.

Vince Cable, Eric Pickles, Jeremy Hunt and Andy Burnham will be among the speakers as 1,300 delegates come to discuss the existing pressures and future challenges for local public services.

Over three long days it will be a good opportunity to share experiences and get to grips with latest developments and policies.

The main focus will be on promoting economic growth, jobs and prosperity; delivering public service reform and ultimately more effective services for local people; and ensuring that financing for local government is sustainable and fair (see first item!). Expect to see coverage on national news channels.

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