There are eight options, ranging from all 2000 dwellings at Cam or in the Eastington area, to between ten and fifty homes built in each of forty parishes.

There will be drop-in exhibitions for the ‘Stroud Valleys’ area at the Mortimer Rooms in Nailsworth Library  on Tuesday 2 March and the Sub Rooms in Stroud on  Saturday 13 March between 10 am and 1 pm,  and for the Stonehouse Cluster at the Stonehouse Town Council offices on Thursday 4 March.

Personally, I favour a mixture of the proposals. I think half the homes should be located to tap into the second phase of the canal development, balancing the building already envisaged in Brimscombe. The rest should come from a couple of dozen sites around the District, with about thirty homes in each, and perhaps a couple with a hundred or so. Larger developments bring benefits like children’s play areas, or a school or a shop with them. Rodborough, Woodchester and the Stanleys will have to expect their share and could expect to gain affordable housing, so that both old and young can hope to continue to live locally rather than have to move to other parts of  Stroud because there is nowhere available here.

For more information, check out the SDC website.

He had spoken earlier in the evening as one of a panel (along with  Stephanie Flanders from the BBC and John Micklethwait of The Economist), so didn’t go into as much detail on the banking crisis as some in the audience would have liked to hear.

It wasn’t the first time I had heard Vince speak on “The Storm”. At Conference I happened to be in the room - not having left the previous lunchtime fringe meeting - when it became clear that something involving books was about to happen. Not overcome with enthusiasm for the walk back to the conference centre and the next session, I hung around. It turned out to be Vince, Paddy Ashdown and
Shirley Williams talking about their new books. Unfortunately, there had been a complete SNAFU on the publicity side - no advertisement or listing had appeared in any conference document, there had just been a notice on the LibDem Image stall (which I had visited and not noticed). So in a room with seating for 300 and space for many more to stan, there were fifty of us spread around.

It was the most amazing treat. Vince explained that he had written his book in order to understand the credit crunch himself. Paddy started off with moving recollections - described as the best and worst days of his life, one after the other - of a visit to Bosnia in the early 1990s, and later told a familiar story concerning casework on a cold night while he was still a prospective parliamentary candidate. Shirley read an extract from her book and then ran through a few highlights.

Vince warmly recommended Gillian Tett’s book on the credit crunch, which he said had helped him to understand it.

Incidentally, while I have given links to the books on the Amazon website, I must encourage you to buy them (if you wish to) from a local bookshop that really appreciates your custom.

The limit is currently 40 mph, because that is the speed limit on the Common (to preserve the cows!) and apparently the National Trust won’t let it be reduced in the built-up area. Residents have been concerned by this for some time. Part of the village is very narrow and steep; however, the street lighting (such as it is) is not enough for a mandatory 30 mph limit. The school - just to the south of the crossroads - is slightly away from the main residential part of the village, so there is a lot of concern about the safety of children walking to school.  Boy racers see the 40 mph limit as a challenge.

Before the County election I started a petition, but during the campaign was more interested in canvassing, though I had the petition with me. The post-election leaflet had a short version of the petition on it.

There has been considerable enthusiasm in Lower Littleworth and Theescombe, along the lane to the north of the main part of the village, and I think this could be fertile territory for a Quiet Lane, as is coming to fruition in the more rural part of Rodborough.

I was asked to take sheets in to the Post Office and did so about a month ago; I collected the completed sheets yesterday morning and they make a significant addition to the number of signatures - even discounting several people who have now signed three times! I took the petition house to house yesterday afternoon with considerable success. we now have over 100 signatures from a widespread village of less than 400 homes. However, there is more to do and I will be out again today and later this week.

Some weeks ago, it was  discovered that the housing revenue account had been overspent by up to £ 1.2m. At this point Stroud District Council (SDC) commissioned these reports, arranged policy seminars for councillors and set up special cabinet, scrutiny and council meetings for September. Subsequent investigation has brought the figure down to £873,000 - quite bad enough!

Starting to read the Tribal report last night, I was surprised to find it is all about the Future of Stroud’s Council Housing, rather than the whys and wherefores of the overspend. Seems to me that the baby is ready to be chucked out with the bathwater.  According to SDC’s website, there are three reports - I look forward to finding out what the third is about.

Some years ago, SDC tenants voted to remain so and not be handed over to a housing association, or any of the other options presented by the government at the time.

Conservative  - 1196 (35%)

Christine Headley (Liberal Democrat)  1061 (31%)

Labour  - 415 (12%)

Turnout 47%

While I would have preferred to win, this result is not in the least depressing and reflects the work I have put in over the last year. The next campaign starts now!

* ensure school buildings and facilities are fit for purpose

A Liberal Democrat run council will act to remove all temporary school buildings attached to schools, ensure ICT facilities are up to date, and support outdoor areas at school. We will work with government to fast track funding for the county from the ‘Building Schools For Future’ programme.

* stop house building on the flood plain and protect the green belt

Liberal Democrats will work to stop government plans to build  houses on the green belt and on flood plains. We opposed the Tory council bid for ‘growth point status’ that encouraged accelerated house building on green fields.

* adopt new estate roads more swiftly

The county council is too slow to adopt new estate road, with some remaining unadopted five years and more after they were built. Our administration will put in place new policies to tackle these unnecessary delays.

* tackle the £130m backlog of roads maintenance backlog

A Liberal Democrat council will set out a clear plan for quality road repairs around the county.

* enough salt to keep our roads safe and open in winter

No more begging from other councils for salt to keep our roads open in winter. We will make sure we have a full supply of road salt for our needs.

* A fast rail service to London is important for the county economy

We will press the government to secure funding to deliver the dual tracking of the line between  Kemble and Swindon to speed up services to the capital.

* cycling keeps you fit, it’s great for the environment

The county needs a network of cycle hire facilities for local and visitor use - new dedicated cycle paths will be encouraged.

* halt the building of the massive waste incinerator for the county

A Liberal Democrat run council will halt the building of a massive waste incinerator in Gloucestershire.    We will plan for alternative environmentally friendly waste disposal options.

* countywide organisation to co-ordinate recycling improvements and waste collection

A countywide waste partnership is necessary to co-ordinate the waste collection and recycling facilities in Gloucestershire.

* increase recycling target to 70%

We will raise the target for recycling waste to 70% from the Tories’ 43%. Increased recycling will reduce landfill and remove the need for a massive waste incinerator.

* 20 mph safety zones around all schools

We will commit to a countywide plan to deliver 20 mph safety zones and safer routes to school around all schools in the county over the next four years.

* transport for young people

A Liberal Democrat run council will develop a transport system that young people can use during the daytime and evening.

* teachers to support children who stay in hospital and recover from illness at home

Tory council budget cuts to fund teachers who provide education support to sick children will be reversed. Children who stay in hospital or are recovering at home deserve education support.

In more detail -
* A Liberal Democrat run council will secure a high standard of care for elderly and disabled people in the county. We will implement the 21 recommendations of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. We will deliver a three-star service.
* Care charges for elderly people will not rise above inflation. (This is also the sixth in the ‘to fix’ list.)
* Quality care and support will be provided so that people can stay in their own homes.
* A Liberal Democrat run council will provide support for carers. Extra support services will be developed to support elderly people who take on the role of carer.

Yesterday I had an interesting meeting with the council officer responsible for waste collection, and have also been enquiring what neighbouring districts are doing. The answer to the second is ‘disposing of food waste mixed with garden waste, and charging for the garden waste’.

ODD FACT – The In Vessel Composter (IVC) at Sharpness (in the Stroud District)  requires a mixture of food and garden waste. Stroud Conservatives prefer to have food waste sent to Leominster, 50 miles away, for processing because of their blinkered attitude towards the collection of garden waste.

Some garden waste cannot be processed at home. It surely makes more sense to send it to a local IVC than to landfill, as at present.

The planning application also involved Conservation Area Consent, as the store is within the Industrial Heritage Conservation Area. The cycle track - once a three-cornered railway connecting Stroud, Nailsworth and Stonehouse - runs close by and Kimmins Mill (now storing historic industrial artefacts) is within Sainsbury’s boundary.

But Amberley is on the edge of Minchinhampton Common, owned by the National Trust. Electricity comes to the northwest of the village via an overhead line through woodland - and the trees have grown in the past fifty years. If a branch moves too much in bad weather - like the snow early in February - dozens of houses lose power.

Central Networks wishes to put in underground cabling, but the National Trust worries about the location of the three substations necessary.

I have a feeling that this story is going to run and run ….  

The cycle track is well used by cyclists and dog walkers. It makes a pleasant route from Rodborough School to Dudbridge. I doubt any thought was given to the safety of passers by.

People prepared to chop down trees that don’t belong to them, on a public right of way, are unlikely to have public liability insurance or safety equipment.

I believe those responsible should be prosecuted for criminal damage, and am contacting Gloucestershire County Council and Stroud Police to this effect..

The next three months promise to be action-packed, with the county council and European parliamentary elections on Thursday 4 June.

Yesterday evening I attended a Transition Town meeting in Stroud. I’ve not been aware of particular Liberal Democrat interest in the Transition Town initiative, but it is definitely something we should be involved in.

The idea originated with Rob Hopkins; there is more information at <http://transitionculture.org> - yes, no ‘www.’ needed, apparently - and has been taken up by communities all over the country. The structure has been described as ‘chaordic’- a portmanteau word combining ‘chaos’ and ‘order’ originally coined to define the way VISA cards are run. Sounds like community politics!

Yesterday they discussed the local structure, concerned that it was seen locally as exclusively a Green Party initiative,  and agreed that it needed to be visibly accessible to all political and religious viewpoints. Looking at the main website - http://www.transitiontowns.org - I can see that there is potential for a great deal of LibDem involvement.

Mention of Transition Towns on The Archers has raised the profile, though I was surprised at the emphasis on bikes. I believe Borsetshire is a lot less hilly than this part of Gloucestershire! However, there is enthusiasm for cycling within Transition Stroud.

This idea is catching on and we Liberal Democrats need to be seen to be involved.

It would be interesting to know if anyone has positive experience of Quiet Lanes, or whether it’s one of those government initiatives that sounds good but has been loaded with so much bureaucracy that it is better left alone.

Our lane is seriously ancient, having evolved to join the homes built along the spring line, when the valley was undrained marsh.

This stretch of road is theoretically 40mph (I’m surprised that people who take this at face value don’t come to a sticky end on one of the bends) and there’s another marked with ‘national speed limit’ signs. However, this having been pointed out to the County, they have agreed to rationalise the situation and take away the silliest signs, probably limiting the whole length to 30 mph.

The street-lighting situation also seems perverse. There are two within a few yards of this house and about another six outside the present 30mph area. They all seemed like a waste of electricity to me so, when the County initially suggested turning off some street lights from midnight until 5am, I consulted about turning the lot off. The response was mixed and I eventually left well alone, as the County wasn’t going to turn them off under the new regime.

Some time ago, we noticed two metal legs - the sort that keep road names up - just along the lane; we had already noticed a whole road sign just beyond our house, with ‘Montserrat’ spelt wrong. So recently I asked the parish to get the missing one put back and the misspelt one corrected. The District cavilled somewhat at a new sign, until I pointed out that the uprights were ready and waiting (though in fact they are rather bent). I have now explained where to look for it and hope to see the new signs without too much delay.

This should make it a lot easier for visitors to our house and our neighbours, as finding Montserrat has been rather hit or miss up till now, with people under- or over-shooting, or occasionally ringing up from outside our door to say, ‘I’m lost!’