A HUNDRED and twenty-five years ago life was very different for the average person living in Gloucestershire. Most workers earned their living on the land and children only had to go to school up until the age of 12.

Nowadays, most people work in towns and cities, have mortgages, own cars and go on foreign holidays. But the basic ethos of the county council has remained unchanged - to serve its community.

The county council was a mere youngster even in 1903, having itself been formed in 1889. When first set up, it was responsible for, among other things, the running of the police force, overseeing lunatic asylums and controlling contagious diseases among animals.

From county archives we know that one of the major problems that the county council first faced was to win over the people but, within a short space of time, most people had accepted the new administration.

The local media has witnessed every stage of our development and been there to help promote our successes, including our recent 'good' assessment by a national government inspection, and investigate our failings.

Since these early days the council's services have evolved. We now educate more than 85,000 children, protect the most vulnerable members of society and look after 3,175 miles of roads. The money that the county council spent in its first year was £134,000 compared to £486.1 million for the year 2003-04.

The way we communicate with the public has also changed considerably with the advent of computers and our commitment to making it a two-way process. County councillors represent their constituents and take up issues affecting them, which are often also covered in local newspapers.

I would like to add my congratulations to the Gazette and wish it many more years of being the 'voice' of Dursley.