After complaints from residents of Dudbridge Hill about the graffiti underneath the bridge that carries Dudbridge Hill over the cycle track. I took this up with Stroud District Council. It is actually owned by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), but SDC managed to access some one-off funding, arrange access, and get the job done. There was […]

Today I handed in the signatures required to begin the process for by-elections in the Stroud District Council Amberley and Woodchester Ward, and the Gloucestershire County Council Rodborough Division. Both are caused by the death of the sitting councillor at the end of October. Amberley and Woodchester makes up a quarter of the division and […]

I can hardly believe that the changes in housing benefit were successfully railroaded past the LibDems in Cabinet. What was Danny Alexander thinking of? Even if the Tories didn’t realise that their proposals would lead to people currently caught in the safety-net of housing benefit to be evicted by private-sector landlords, and thus to more […]

We had a good public meeting yesterday at Kings Stanley Village Hall on the question of the future of the Kings Head pub just the other side of the road. During the general election campaign, it was pointed out to me that the pub had recently closed. After the election, and fearing a planning application […]

Out delivering leaflets recently, I was asked about charity bags and  given 18 which had been delivered in the last few months to take away. Charity collectors need a licence from the local authority, though the biggest charities are licensed nationally by the Home Office. People wonder which are the best charities to give to. […]

A week after the General Election, we found we had Liberal Democrats in government! As well as Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister), Danny Alexander (Scotland), Vince Cable (Business), Chris Huhne (Climate Change/Energy) and David Laws (no. 2 in the Treasury) in the Cabinet,  there are appointment in six other departments – including Andrew Stunell, Liberal […]

Last night I went to the Cheltenham Literature Festival to hear Vince Cable speak. I had expected the talk to be about his book on the credit crunch, “The Storm” , but it turned out to be more about his memoir, “Free Radical”, to be published on 1 November. This sounds like a must-read. He […]

Green  –  716 (21%) 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!

A further instalment  from Gloucestershire LibDems’ county council manifesto. * 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 […]

Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats have published their manifesto for the county council elections, featuring ‘six to fix’. Top of the list is to ‘end the poor one-star service and deliver first class personal care for the elderly and disabled. In more detail – * A Liberal Democrat run council will secure a high standard of care […]