Mayor's Column

On Holocaust Memorial Day we mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. These anniversaries remind us of the darkest depths of human cruelty, but also of the enduring strength and resilience of the human spirit.

As we remember the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we honour the memory of the millions who perished and the survivors... Read More »

With the break well and truly behind us, it has been a busy week this week.

First, I was delighted to officially open Anjola's in Threadneedle Street on Saturday. This is their second shop (the first being in Gloucester) where their African supermarket sells Afro-Caribbean food, clothing, homewares, cosmetics and more. Stroud has an amazing diversity of shops and Anjola's is a welcome addition to this... Read More »

Our meetings restart next week, so this week my thoughts have been with those who may be struggling post-Christmas. With the current cold snap, checking on neighbours to ensure they're well and offering help if they're struck down with the latest, nasty flu bug that seems to be doing the rounds at the moment.

The weather has certainly made a turn towards the very cold, with some flurries of snow on... Read More »

I hope everyone has had a great Christmas.Things go quiet, meetings wise, over the Christmas and New Year period, but there's no shortage of things to do and plans to consider.Budgets for the next financial year are the top of our agenda at the moment. Each Chairperson of a committee will be considering what is likely to be needed in the next year and how much needs to be set aside to deliver important... Read More »

2024 has certainly been a year of change. We have had elections at a local level and national level, changeable weather that has blighted us all year long, and regime changes and conflicts abroad which (despite the distance) are not at all far from our thoughts.

One thing that remains constant is our community spirit in Stroud; a strong foundation that supports us all. Our community hubs have been busier... Read More »

Let me start with the Goodwill Festival! Thank you to everyone who came, despite the threat of awful weather, and enjoyed a brilliant evening on Friday. The bad weather largely held off and it was a bustling evening across the town. Saturday saw some events postponed or moved, but much of the entertainment was able to go ahead. A huge thanks to the many who made the festivities happen - the volunteers... Read More »

At the time of writing, our Stroud Goodwill Festival is almost upon us and I am hoping that we get our umbrellas out (if needed) and make the event a huge success!

The week started brilliantly with a lovely letter from a gentleman who had visited Stroud for the first time in quite a while. He shared his account of the visit and how impressed he was. He particularly highlighted the fact that Stroud is... Read More »

This week I'm going to talk about many things festive; a nice break from the less exciting (but important) updates about Council business and budgets.

Firstly, I had the honour of speaking at the Christmas Tree Festival launch on Thursday evening at St Laurence's Church (next to The Shambles). The display is amazing! The theme this year is "Our World" and the different interpretations are both fascinating... Read More »

As elected councillors we need to make decisions of behalf of our Ward Members, when a Consultation isn't appropriate. Some times these are big topics to cover (such as a recent consultation from the Cotswolds Natural Landscape) and sometimes smaller (but no less important) local matters such as reviewing Licensing applications.

At our last Consultations and Highways meeting we reviewed the application... Read More »

On Sunday I had the honour of attending the Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service in Park Gardens, where the Mayor is the Sovereign's representative (in the absence of the Lord Lieutenant). We remember those who fought in the two World Wars and conflicts since, where the dominant message is a wish for peace.Park Gardens was well attended and the organisers and those in the parade did an excellent job.On... Read More »