Natalie Rothwell-warn
Natalie was elected to Stroud District Council in May 2024 and represents Stroud Slade ward.
She has found the district councillor role “very rewarding”, especially being part of the liaison between council officers, councillors and residents to sort out problems. “Good engagement between these groups is crucial for work to be done effectively and efficiently,” she says. “No-one should feel like they are an inconvenience or that they are not important, and when communication is clear and transparent, trust begins to build and residents get a sense of reassurance that when there is a problem, they will be listened to, respected and valued.
“Added to this, there is a great deal of work that goes on in the background at District Council – legislatively and with regard to creating meaningful policies and ensuring these are honoured.”
Natalie has particularly enjoyed helping to improve relations between the tenants and residents of Nouncell’s Cross and SDC officers. “The tenants had been poorly communicated with about a planned regeneration project,” she explains. “Communication has now begun to improve thanks to meetings where we have discussed the issues and worked to resolve them. Now, an officer from SDC is in regular contact with tenants about the regeneration project and to make sure repairs are carried out when needed.”
Having been through a steep learning curve since being elected last May, Natalie now feels ready to take the next step up to county level. “Despite finding it slightly scary knocking on people’s doors last year, the experience was on the whole very enjoyable and I found residents were keen to ask questions and chat. I’m looking forward to that aspect of this year’s election campaign.”
Natalie decided to stand for the county council so that she can be part of positive change. “Instead of watching politics go in a direction I am not happy with, I’d like to try and change its direction and make people feel like they have a voice in matters that directly affect them. With the government’s plans to turn Gloucestershire into a unitary Council, this is more important than ever.”
She goes on: “I imagine the challenges at county level will be greater, with the issues I get involved in perhaps more frustrating, more bureaucratic and harder to resolve. But I want to work hard to help make Gloucestershire a county that genuinely has residents’ best interests and welfare at heart, that really wants its people to live happy, healthy and peaceful lives.”
Natalie’s current work as an education researcher is also very relevant to the role of councillor as education is a core area of County Council work. “Increasingly there are issues within education that are not being fully recognised or addressed, which deeply affect our children, young people, teachers and parents particularly. I hope that I may be able to tackle some of these issues.”
Natalie joined the Green Party about six years ago, wanting to get involved with politics but feeling disillusioned with the two major parties. “The Greens seemed to be the only party that really represented the people,” she says. “Greens also work very hard to be cooperative and collaborative, believing that’s the best way to get things done, regardless of the size or scale of an issue. That’s one of the reasons I’d love to be elected to GCC as I like being part of that kind of positive working environment.”
Natalie worked as a primary school teacher for 20 years, specialising in Environmental Science and French. She left teaching in 2011, disillusioned with the way the education sector had become so focused on academic results, at the expense of children’s wellbeing and personal development.
She then ran a garden centre for two years, gaining a diploma from the Royal Horticultural Society and then embarking on a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Sustainable Development in Practice. Her idea at the time was that this course of study would further her new career in horticulture, but instead it reinvigorated her interest in education.
“I got really involved in thinking about how the education system in England could become socially sustainable,” says Natalie, who chose this topic as the basis of her research when she went on to study for a doctorate in education (EdD). She continues to work on both professionally and politically in that area.
Natalie believes her career background has given her skills that will be useful as a county councillor: the ability to do presentations, work collaboratively with others, carry out research and analyse data, and help enact policies.
She also has experience in academic writing and is currently co-writing a book about the need for changes in the English education system.
In her spare time, Natalie sings in a local choir, practices yoga and enjoys gardening. She also likes walking, dancing and watching rugby. She has three grown-up children.