Clear political divisions emerged at Stroud District Council’s full meeting last week, as the Green administration successfully passed a motion opposing the Labour Government’s proposed rollback of environmental protections.

The motion, proposed by Deputy Council Leader Cllr Catherine Braun, criticised Part III of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, which would allow developers to bypass on-site nature protections by paying a “nature restoration levy” to fund habitat improvements elsewhere. The Bill has drawn widespread condemnation from national environmental bodies – including the Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, and Woodland Trust – and has been branded “the worst attack on England’s ecosystems I’ve seen in my lifetime” by environmental writer George Monbiot.

Despite an official Labour Group position supporting the reforms, numerous Labour councillors broke ranks at Thursday night’s meeting to back the Greens’ motion, highlighting how many Labour councillors remain concerned about the government’s approach.

Cllr Braun said:

“Like Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and others, we’re calling for Part III to be withdrawn. Letting developers pay to destroy irreplaceable habitats like Rodborough Common or the Severn Estuary is a dangerous precedent. It’s naïve—or underhand—to suggest these special places can simply be replaced elsewhere.”

Labour group leader Cllr Katy Hoffman defended the reforms, citing the urgent need for housing and system overhaul. But Green councillors argued that the focus should be on building the social and affordable homes we need and this should start with the 1.4 million houses that already have existing permission.

Green group leader Cllr Chloe Turner added:

“This isn’t just about wildlife — it’s about people. Access to nature is essential for health and wellbeing and must not become a luxury. Every community deserves nature-rich green space on their doorstep — not compensation schemes that excuse destruction.”

Thanks to the Green-led motion, the Council’s Chief Executive will now write to local MPs urging them to oppose Part III of the Bill. Since the meeting, the Government has proposed minor amendments, but leading nature organisations warn they do not go far enough to stop the weakening of environmental protections.

Pictured: Cllr Catherine Braun, who proposed the motion, with Cllr Chloe Turner, Green group leader.

Notes:

The motion’s resolution reads as follows:

Council RESOLVES to: 1. Request the Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, relevant Secretaries of State, as well as local MPs, expressing the concerns in the motion on pages 189-192, and calling for the withdrawal of part 3 of the Planning and infrastructure Bill.

2. Ask our district’s three MPs, Dr Simon Opher MP, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, and Dr Roz Savage MP, to oppose measures in part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

3. Share this resolution with neighbouring councils, local civic groups, nature organisations and the local press, to encourage wider opposition and coordinated advocacy.

4. Adopt Gloucestershire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, to include bringing it to full council, as soon as it is available and in such a way as to become a material consideration in planning decision making.

• The full supporting text is available here:

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Gloucestershire County Council is to ask central government to consider nationalising failing water and wastewater provider Thames Water, thanks to a Green Party motion.

The motion at the full meeting on Wednesday (July 16) called on Government to review the case for nationalisation of Thames Water and the wider UK water industry, including the potential for restructuring the industry into one or more public benefit companies. It also called for the future of Thames Water to be subject to a transparent, democratic process, with scrutiny from politicians from areas supplied by Thames Water; trade unions and workers; citizens’ groups, and environmental organisations. 

The motion, proposed by Cllr Chloe Turner (Green, Minchinhampton) and seconded by Cllr Paul Hodgkinson (Liberal Democrat, Bourton-on-the-Water & Northleach), passed with majority support.

Thames Water serves thousands of customers across eastern Gloucestershire and has been widely criticised for its poor record on leaks and sewage pollution, as well as its huge debts.

Cllr Turner has been working with Compass, a cross-party campaigning organisation for a good society, which campaigns on the public ownership of water. Lena Swedlow, campaigns manager for Compass, said: “It’s wonderful to see Gloucestershire County Council pass this motion, the latest in an ever-growing number of motions supported by Lib Dem, Green, and Labour councillors across the Thames region.

“Local people and local government are constantly ahead of Westminster on this – from grassroots anti-sewage campaigners to county councils, the national movement for clean, affordable water is succeeding. Local leaders know that public ownership of water is the global norm and that industry workers, environmental experts and the general public remain clear in their demands.”

Cllr Turner said: “Water is too important a resource to be in private hands. For Greens, nationalisation is the only credible option to end the unlawful dumping of sewage, stop rewarding shareholders for failure, reinvest all profits back into fixing leaks, and build new infrastructure fit for the future.”

She added: “The government claims nationalisation would cost too much, but this assessment is based on a report commissioned by the water companies, who are hardly unbiased sources. The reality, according to independent experts, is that Thames Water could be nationalised at minimal cost. And nationalisation works: water services in 90% of the world are already in public ownership, which has been shown to bringgreat benefits to customers, staff and the environment.”

Cllr Hodgkinson said: “I’ve seen first-hand the widespread sewage pollution in the Cotswolds. This in itself is totally unacceptable but it’s clear that privatisation of the water industry has been a disaster for clean water, a disaster for Gloucestershire and a disaster for everyone in the Thames Water area.”

Green group leader Cllr Beki Hoyland (Forest of Dean: Blakeney & Bream) said: “We can exist for three minutes without air and for three days without water, it is one of our basic human requirements. Indeed it violates the UK’s health and safety regulations to deny tap water to someone.

“So how can something as basic as clean, drinkable water and the safe management of sewerage infrastructure be used to make huge individual and corporate profit? How can this vital service not have public scrutiny? This motion demonstrates this council’s support for taking water out of the hands of for-profit organisations.”

Cllr Turner is pictured with Cllr Steve Williams (Green) of Waverley Borough Council and Green peer Jenny Jones, Baroness of Moulsecoomb, outside the Royal Courts of Justice demanding a Thames Water “Alternative Board” earlier this year.

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A £3.5 billion government fund that paid for energy efficiency work at public buildings across the country – including three in Stroud District – has been axed as part of Labour’s spending review.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funded the installation of air source heat pumps, when the old gas boilers needed replacing in 2023 at the Council’s Active Lifestyles leisure centre and Museum in the Park in Stratford Park, Stroud and at the Active Lifestyles Pulse centre in Dursley (formerly known as The Pulse).

The cutting-edge green technology extracts heat from the outside air and uses it to heat the building (including recycled heat from the swimming pools and changing rooms at the leisure centres). Additional rooftop solar panels help reduce the electricity usage.

The upgrades, which have made these buildings significantly more energy efficient, enabled Stroud District Council to meet the requirement of the then government to decarbonise all public buildings by 2035.

Thanks to a grant of £4.69million secured by the council from this energy efficiency fund, the council only had to contribute £700,000 towards the work.

Cllr Chloe Turner, Leader of SDC’s Green group, said: “I’m grateful that Stroud District Council officers were able to secure such a huge grant while the money was available, which has enabled us to modernise our heating systems and reduce our environmental impact in our most energy-intensive buildings. But this fund was a vital source of local government funding for climate action across the country, and culling it with no suggestion of replacement is an extremely frustrating decision from a government that likes to call itself ‘the greenest ever’.”

Projects that have already been awarded money will go ahead but there will be no further money available. Cllr Turner commented: “Many councils will have assumed that there would be a furtherfunding round – so this disappointing news has significant implications for low carbon and energy efficiency projects around the country. It will stop councils investing in modern, efficient, environmentally efficient systems for their high-energy buildings and could put net zero targets into question.”

She added: “The government claims it remains committed to building on the existing Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and is ‘looking at ways to incentivise the public sector as a whole to take steps to decarbonise’. But this seems meaningless, when the vital funding has been withdrawn.”

The PSDS was launched in 2020 to support public sector organisations in England to install low carbon heating and energy efficiency measures in their buildings, such as leisure centres and hospitals. These measures helped councils and other organisations to reduce their carbon emissions and their energy bills.

Pictured is Cllr Chloe Turner next to the air source heat pumps at the Active Lifestyles leisure centre in Stratford Park, Stroud, which were largely paid for by the now-axed government fund.

Background notes

The work at the three SDC buildings, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, was delivered by Salix Finance and SDC and carried out by Stonehouse-based Cotswold Energy Group.

The council’s Ebley Mill HQ and Brimscombe Port Mill have both been heated by water source heat pumps since 2022.

An air source heat pump system is estimated to last for at least 20 years and these three installations will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 14,652 tonnes over that time.

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Green councillor Chloe Turner is the new Leader of Stroud District Council, following last night’s annual general meeting.

She takes over from Green councillor Catherine Braun, who now becomes her deputy.

Councillors of all political parties voted overwhelmingly to appoint Cllrs Turner and Braun to their new roles, with just two abstentions.

Cllr Braun had been Group leader for four years and Leader of the Council for almost three years and has stepped into the role of Deputy Leader to find a better balance with her day job. She also continues as a councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, North Nibley and Stinchcombe.

At last night’s meeting, Greens were unanimously confirmed in leadership roles for the following roles:

Chair and Vice Chair of Council – Cllr Kate Kay / Cllr Matthew Sargeant

Chair and Vice Chair of Strategy & Resources Committee – Cllr Chloe Turner / Cllr Catherine Braun

Chair and Vice Chair of Environment Committee – Cllr Martin Pearcy / Cllr Tricia Watson

Chair and Vice Chair of Community Services & Licensing Committee – Cllr Martin Brown / Cllr Beki Aldam

Chair and Vice Chair of Housing Committee – Cllr Gary Luff / Cllr Lucas Schoemaker

Chair and Vice Chair of Development Control Committee – Cllr Martin Baxendale / Cllr Helen Fenton

The Audit and Standards Committee cannot be chaired by a member of the administration group, and so Labour councillors Bob Hughes and John Callinan were confirmed as Chair and Vice Chair respectively.

Cllr Braun thanked council officers, Green colleagues and the leaders of the other political groups for their help during her time as Leader. “We have agreed on most things across all political groups, which reflects our culture of collaborative working. I’m particularly proud of the work we have done together on the council’s priorities in the new Council Plan, which stand us in good stead for the years ahead.”

She said she fully supported Cllr Turner in the new role. “Chloe brings a wide range of leadership and engagement skills to the Council Leader role, as well as extensive experience as both a district and county councillor, so she’s very well placed to lead us through the next chapter of the council’s work and local government reorganisation. Most importantly, Chloe brings a real passion for the people and places of Stroud district.”

Cllr Turner said she had learned a lot from Cllr Braun, calling her “a source of stability and collaboration, with a generous and open style of leadership”.

Previously, Cllr Turner had taken over as Leader of the Green group from Cllr Braun (who becomes her deputy in that role too).

Cllr Kate Kay (Green), unanimously re-elected as Chair of the council, pointed out that, following the selection of a new Leader of the Labour group, the leaders of all the political groups on SDC are now women.

Green: Cllr Chloe Turner;

Labour: Cllr Katy Hofmann;

Liberal Democrat: Cllr Linda Cohen;

Conservative: Cllr Lindsey Green.

Cllr Turner said after the meeting: “I’m excited to be taking on this new challenge, and grateful for the support of fellow members of all parties in taking up this role. I’ve admired Catherine’s leadership enormously, and she leaves this council in excellent shape, with an ambitious Council Plan for better services for our communities and benefits for climate and nature. I’m looking forward to overseeing delivery of our Plan, and continuing to stand up for Stroud District’s communities, local services and our environment in the ongoing path towards local government reorganisation.”

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Cllr Chloe Turner has been unanimously elected by the Green district councillors at Stroud District Council as their Group Leader.

She takes on the Group Leader role from Cllr Catherine Braun, who becomes deputy Group Leader. 

Cllr Braun had been Group leader for four years and has stepped down to find a better balance with her day job.  She continues in her role as district councillor for Wotton-under-Edge.

Cllr Turner will also be the Green Group’s nominee for Council Leader at the District Council’s Annual General Meeting on May 22, with Cllr Braun being the nominee for Deputy Council Leader. 

Cllr Turner is district and county councillor for Minchinhampton.

Cllr Adrian Oldman, coordinator of Stroud District Green Party, said: “We’re delighted that Chloe has agreed to take on both these roles. As an experienced district and county councillor she is well placed to lead Stroud District Council through whatever the future holds with potential reorganisation of local government, keeping the focus on creating fairer, greener communities.

“Chloe is very well-respected locally for her commitment to supporting residents and her advocacy of climate, nature and social justice issues, and we are all excited for this new chapter.”

He added: “We want to say a huge thank you to Catherine. During her time as Leader, our councillor group, the wider Council and all of SDC’s many partners have benefited enormously from her insightful and collaborative leadership, and we’re very grateful that she has agreed to stay on and support in the Deputy Leader roles.” 

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Stroud District Green Party has welcomed the “robust” response of Stroud District Council to the government inspectors who proposed withdrawal of the Local Plan last month.

The letter from SDC addresses in detail every aspect of the issues the inspectors raised about the Plan, says the council is “profoundly disappointed” at the inspectors’ continued advice to withdraw the Plan, and asks them to reconsider.

It emphasises that the conclusions the inspectors reached are flawed in many respects, the inspectors having “fundamentally misunderstood the factual position”. It accuses them of taking into account a legally irrelevant consideration in one example, and of misunderstanding the government’s policy approach.

Cllr Chloe Turner said: “The purpose of a Local Plan is to specify, through gathering all the evidence, undertaking surveys, and assessing transport issues and housing need, where new development should take place. The Local Plan process allows for community engagement, an evidence-based assessment of the options, and consideration of the needs of our local area.

“Without a Local Plan, it would be over to developers to determine what is built and where it goes, with limited power for the Council to challenge proposals for building in unsuitable locations.

“As the chief executive of SDC points out in her incisive and robust letter, many of the inspectors’ objections simply do not stand up to scrutiny. There are areas where the inspectors have clearly not fully understood what is a complex situation, and other areas where they have misinterpreted and misapplied their own policies. This is unacceptable when the issue is so vitally important to our communities. We want to know, in detail, what the inspectors did and didn’t find to be sound about the Plan.”

Cllr Turner thanked the local Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs for their support for the draft Local Plan for Stroud District, especially Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, who spoke at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (March 12).

She said: “Sir Geoffrey pointed out that the housing Government wants to see built in our area cannot take place without the necessary transport infrastructure, and called on the Prime Minister to make infrastructure investment a priority. I hope the Prime Minister and Housing Minister will listen and support our efforts, so that we can finally get the Local Plan over the line.”

The letter from SDC can be seen here:

SDC Response to the Inspectors, 3 March 2025

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/planning-and-building-control/planning-strategy/stroud-district-local-plan-review/local-plan-examination/examination-library

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown’s comment can be heard at 23 mins 40 secs here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00290xc/prime-ministers-questions-12032025)

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The local Green parliamentary candidates have a busy couple of weeks coming up, with hustings events as well as media interviews and campaign work. The latest details are below, but do check back in case things change.

Wednesday June 19

(Other hustings that Chloe is taking part in are unfortunately not public).

Thursday June 20

Come along and chat to Pete in an informal setting. Please encourage friends and supporters to come along.

Friday June 21

Chloe and other Gloucestershire candidates interviewed on BBC Gloucestershire (live on website at 10am, clips on Points West)

Sunday June 23

Monday June 24

This is a ticketed event and all (free) tickets were sold out earlier this week. We’ve been advised that no-one will be allowed in without a ticket, but it might be worth checking the booking link or calling the pub on 01453 755600 to check whether any more have become available.

Wednesday June 26

Thursday June 27

Friday June 28

Chloe Turner and other Gloucestershire candidates live on BBC Radio Gloucestershire

Sunday June 30

Chloe and three other candidates from across the Bristol and Gloucestershire area, live on BBC Radio Bristol

Read our manifesto: https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/

To donate to our General Election crowdfunding campaign: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stroudgreen2024

To offer your help as a volunteer: https://stroud.greenparty.org.uk/get-involved/

The post Meet your Green Candidates appeared first on Stroud District Green Party.

Three Greens – Cllr Pete Kennedy in Stroud, Cllr Chloe Turner in North Cotswolds and Cllr Bob Eastoe in South Cotswolds – will be standing in the General Election on July 4 in constituencies that are wholly or partly within Stroud District.

Pete Kennedy is the parliamentary candidate for Stroud constituency. A qualified lawyer, he works as an adviser to the Green peers in the House of Lords and was elected earlier this month as a district councillor for Painswick & Upton. Pete was also appointed Deputy Leader of Stroud District Council at the council’s AGM on May 23.

Pete joined the Green Party in 2011, drawn to the Party’s policies for a sustainable and fair society.

He has been involved in a number of campaigns: opposing austerity cuts to public services, fighting plans for fracking, and protecting pubs as community assets. Pete is passionate about the positive change that Green policies will have on everyone’s lives. 

Pete has a degree in Economics and Politics, and further qualified as a barrister in 2021.

More details about Pete here:

Cllr Chloe Turner is the parliamentary candidate for the new North Cotswolds constituency.

Cllr Turner (pictured with Pete Kennedy) represents Minchinhampton on both Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

Chloe said: “The widespread disenchantment with the Tory government among many moderate Tory voters means that the Conservatives cannot be complacent about winning the North Cotswolds seat.

“As MP, I will be a voice for nature and a champion for local issues, including tackling the decline in rural public services and the cost-of-living pressures facing so many residents.”

“Importantly, as a Green I do not have to follow a party whip so will be free to represent the concerns of residents. I will be an independent, principled MP who will work collaboratively with others, who will never be afraid to offer constructive scrutiny and to hold those in government to account.

“This year, there is a real opportunity for genuine change in the Cotswolds, for the first time in decades. It’s an exciting chance to restore trust in politics and I’m ready to be at the heart of it.”

A qualified chartered accountant by background, though politics is now her full-time work, Chloe is involved in numerous local groups and campaigns.

More details about Chloe here:

And Bob Eastoe is standing for South Cotswolds, which includes a small part of Stroud District: Kingswood, near Wotton-under-Edge, and surrounding villages.

Bob has recently retired as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of a major manufacturer.

He now wants to use his time and expertise supporting those less fortunate than himself and serving his community.

Bob is a volunteer driver for Cotswold Friends and is a town councillor in Moreton-on-Marsh.

If elected, among other things he would work to ensure that development takes into account the importance of South Cotswolds as being in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and must not degrade its surroundings.

More details about Bob here:

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The Green Party is confident of winning more seats in Parliament and is ready to fight for seats here in Stroud and North Cotswolds, where we have strong, committed candidates in Pete Kennedy and Chloe Turner.

Pete Kennedy, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Stroud, said: “There has been a huge political shift across Stroud in recent years, and I’m campaigning to be Stroud’s Green voice in Parliament.

“Just three weeks ago, the Green Party won the most votes in the Stroud District Council election and became the largest party on the Council. People have seen that they don’t just have to choose between Labour or Conservative – and that voting Green will make a difference.”

Chloe Turner, Green Party parliamentary candidate for North Cotswolds, said: “We are offering voters hope and practical solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, supporting people into warm, affordable homes, protecting our NHS and cleaning up our toxic rivers.

“We are ready to hold the next government to account in Parliament, whichever party is in charge.”

For the first time this General Election, Stroud District will be represented by three MPs, with a small part of the south of the district – Kingswood, near Wotton under Edge, and surrounding villages – included within the new South Cotswolds constituency. The Green Party candidate for South Cotswolds is Bob Eastoe.

Chloe and Pete are pictured.

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The government has still not made a decision on Stroud District Council’s application (known as a Strategic Outline Business Case) to reopen the station, which was submitted in September 2022.

The Department for Transport had promised a decision by the end of last year, and local campaigners have been very frustrated about the subsequent lack of action.

Cllr Braun, Leader of Stroud District Council, said: “We are pleased that the minister finally made good on his promises to visit Stonehouse to talk to campaigners and it was helpful to discuss the business case for the Stonehouse Bristol Road station with him, and the wider context of strategic planning for the district. Now all we need is a yes or no decision on whether the Conservative government is willing to fund the next stage of the work to develop this vital transport link.”

Cllr Turner, who chairs the stakeholder group, said: “After many years of campaigning by Stonehouse Town Council and others, we gained £50,000 from the Restoring our Railways fund to pay for the initial application. The Strategic Outline Business Case was duly submitted and since then there has been silence, despite a Green peer asking questions about this in Parliament. 

“There are a series of tests to pass in the reopening of a station, and we want to know – on behalf of everyone in Stroud District – if the government can now support us in moving to the next stage of review, or if not, what further information they need from us and our partners in the rail industry. We also want assurances that a decision is going to be made before the General Election; and we want a realistic timetable for the station being reopened.”

Cllr Kambites, who is Mayor of Stonehouse and who has been involved with the campaign for more than 10 years, said: “We asked for this visit for two reasons: to put our case to the minister, and to ask whether the government has made a decision and, if not, when they will make it. I also want to explore alternative ways forward if the Restoring Your Railways scheme won’t fund the reopening of the station.”

She added: “We were very disappointed that the minister still hadn’t decided whether we could proceed to the next stage. The re-opening of Bristol Road station would have so many advantages for Stonehouse and the Stroud valleys. We really can’t put it off any longer. Not only would it support the local economy, but it would also improve the quality of life of local people and, perhaps most importantly, would reduce the negative environmental effects of travelling to Bristol and the south-west.”

Pictured, from left to right: Carol Kambites, Catherine Braun, Chloe Turner.

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