WEEKLY COLUMN BY Stroud District Council leader Catherine Braun

The political balance has changed at Stroud District Council following local elections on 2nd May. 

The Greens are now the largest group with 22 councillors, Labour are not far behind with 20 councillors, and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have returned 7 and 2 councillors respectively. 

Organising an election is a huge undertaking, and the District Council’s Elections Team worked hard to make sure this democratic process ran smoothly.

A big ‘thank you’ to the 300-plus people who helped out, including those who processed applications, staffed polling stations, verified and counted ballot papers.

It was a good trial run for the General Election expected later this year.

I was delighted to be re-elected as a councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, North Nibley and Stinchcombe, and, as Leader of the Green Group, to again be nominated for the role of Council Leader. 

Two-thirds of our district councillors were elected for the first time, and so there will be many new faces at committee and council meetings

All roles will be agreed at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday evening, which will be live streamed on the Council’s You Tube channel. 

I will be keen to work collaboratively with all councillors, to best serve the interests of residents and businesses, and this will start with consultation to review and update the actions in our Council Plan.

Responding to the housing crisis, taking action for health and the environment, and enabling a prosperous local economy will be among the main priorities. 

This week it’s Gloucestershire Biodiversity Week, and there are lots of great activities taking place for all ages. 

For anyone interested in sustainability, nature recovery and community building locally, the GreenSeen noticeboard is an excellent way to see what’s happening all year round and get involved: https://greenseen.info/events/