The Green Party has published its manifesto for the Stroud District Council elections in May, and has announced the names of its candidates.
There will be Greens standing in all 51 council seats in each of the 27 district wards. 53% of the candidates are women; 47% are men.
The party aims to become the majority group and retain its leadership of the council after May 2.
With 14 councillors currently, the Greens have been part of the ruling alliance on the council since 2012 and have led the alliance since 2022.
The manifesto is a vision of positive change for communities, the shared environment, and local economy. It builds on the 13 years that Green councillors have been part of running the Council and working to serve the whole of the Stroud District.
The manifesto contains five key points, which are summarised below. Full details can be seen here:
Stroud District Greens are running a Crowdfunder campaign towards funding of election newsletters to help make their manifesto ambitions become reality. The campaign has already raised more than 80% of its target.
Unlike other parties, the Greens are not claiming to be able to achieve goals not under the district council’s control, such as road improvements, health service improvements and high-speed broadband. All the ambitions in the manifesto are achievable if the council remains Green led.
1. Warm and affordable homes
Stroud District Council has one of the largest council housing stocks in Gloucestershire. Our plans include building more council homes to the highest standards, ensuring that as many new homes as possible are affordable and requiring developers to meet high energy efficiency standards.
2. A clean and green district
Stroud District Council was the first council in Europe to be carbon neutral. We will continue to put social justice, nature, biodiversity and the climate crisis at the heart of everything we do, increasing reuse and recycling, increasing use of renewable energy sources, continuing to reduce flood risk and work for affordable and healthy sustainable transport
3. Thriving market towns and villages
We aim to transform our towns and create thriving destinations, by championing local businesses, promoting local attractions and events and improving public spaces.
4. Public services that work
Despite over a decade of Conservative cuts, the Council has kept a healthy bank balance while running leisure and community services well. We will bring Stratford Park leisure centre under council control so it can be run to the same high standards as The Pulse in Dursley; invest more into community hubs and make sure the least well off pay no Council Tax, put more money into play areas and continue to support the Neighbourhood Warden Scheme to respond quickly to anti-social behaviour and other issues.
5. Restoring trust in politics
Despite frequent political scandals in the other parties nationally, local Greens are showing there is a positive, progressive, and professional way to do politics. We will work collaboratively with other parties on Stroud District Council, as we have done for the past 13 years, make the best decisions for our communities, and include residents in important decision-making.
A list of all Green candidates by ward is below, listed by ward, in alphabetical order of wards. We are standing a candidate for every seat. Where only one name is given, the ward is a one-seat ward. Some of the candidates are shown in the picture, taken for us by local photographer Martin Phelps.
Stroud District Greens candidates for Stroud District Council, May 2024
Amberley & Woodchester: Sarah Canning
Berkeley Vale: Martyn Cutcher, Susie Medley, Bob Hilliard
Bisley: Martin Brown
Cainscross: Gavin McClafferty, Alan Mossman, Kate Crews
Cam East: Steven Naumann, Anna Bonallack
Cam West: Sally Pickering, Ben Bywater
Chalford: Tricia Watson, Helen Fenton, James Boyle
Coaley & Uley: Martin Pearcy
Dursley: Danae Savvidou, James Broady, Tom Meadowcroft
Minchinhampton: Chloe Turner, Gill Thomas
Hardwicke: Adrian Oldman, John Patient, John Robinthwaite
Kingswood: Hannah Lyons Tsai
Nailsworth: Kate Kay, Rod Nelson, Rosie Thresher
Painswick & Upton: Gary Luff, Matthew Sargeant, Pete Kennedy
Stroud Central: Cate James-Hodges
Stroud Farmhill & Paganhill: Val Saunders
Stroud Slade: Natalie Rothwell-Warn
Stroud Trinity: Lucas Schoemaker
Stroud Uplands: Sarah Dixon
Stroud Valley: Martin Baxendale
Thrupp: Beki Aldam
Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe: Jonathan Edmunds
Rodborough: Phil Blomberg, Liz Hillary
Severn: Moya Shannon, Isa Clee
Stanleys (The): Steve Hynd, Marisa Godfrey
Stonehouse: Carol Kambites, Madelaine Maraboli-Roman, Rachel Smith
Wotton: Catherine Braun, Gareth Kitchen, Eleanor Meehan