Cllrs Davies and Jones took the new Chief Executive of Stroud District Council, Kathy O’Leary on a tour of Severn Ward in February.
We toured Eastington, Frampton on Severn, Arlingham, Fretherne with Saul and Whitminster. We were able to point out various places of interest including the Snakey Park complex and the site of the proposed ECLT development. We continued down through Frampton to the church, the site of the former Cadbury Bros factory, then on to Arlingham Passage, through Saul to where the Stroudwater Navigation used to join with the River Severn and on to Saul Junction to see the Canals junction there. We then came back through Whitminster, (where Whitminster House by the church dates back to the Doomsday Book in parts), and crossed the Stroudwater Canal at Walk Bridge.
We finished our tour at Starbucks, meeting there with the Eastington Parish Council Chair and Planning advisor, after showing Kathy the Great Oldbury site. Kathy then went on to attend the Eastington Parish Council meeting in the village hall where she spoke about her new role and what she hoped to achieve, and was able to answer questions from members of the public.
The Forest Green Rovers ‘Ecotricity’ Stadium application is due now to go to the Development Control Committee next month. Prior to that, all SDC Members will be invited to meet the Chairman of FGR for a question and answer session. At the time of writing, no date has been fixed for this, but please contact either of your Ward Councillors if you have any issues you would like raised.
Everyone should have received their Council Tax demand notices by now, for the first time there is no booklet enclosed with it detailing SDC services and how the Council Tax is worked out. Instead, details can be found at www.stroud.gov.uk This is a County-wide initiative, which SDC is taking part in this year.
An Interim Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer has been appointed at Ebley Mill, his name is Patrick Arran.
As usual, if anyone has any concerns or issues relating to Stroud District Council, please contact either,
Cllr Stephen Davies, cllr.stephen.davies@stroud.gov.uk 07802 595307
Cllr John Jones, cllr.john.jones@stroud.gov.uk 07808 922918.
A Parishioner’s view
Ten of the leaders of voluntary groups were able to meet Kathy O’Leary prior to the Parish Council.
This was a welcome opportunity to put across the very positive things which we achieve as a community, to balance the necessary negativity about the environmental disasters at Great Oldbury.
TEAS, PROWD, ECLT, Walkie-Talkies, OHMG, KER, Cotswold Canal Trust, ECO, ECN and the NDP committee all had a chance for a chat with the very relaxed and personable Mrs O’Leary.
All were impressed by her handling of the Q&A afterwards. Having a strong Planning background, she will be a welcome change at the top of Stroud DC.
We had provided a pictorial map of the highlights of the parish to assist her and our councillors on their drive about. It was the first time in her various tours of parishes that she had had such a map, which scored us some points. Having put some faces to the achievements in the pictures and the site visits, Mrs O’Leary has an aide memoire in her favourite style – she was a Geography graduate originally!
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