The leader of the Conservative Group of Councillors on Stroud District Council has said that he believes it was “unreasonable” to ask Councillors to wear a mask while seated, during last night’s full council meeting, in contravention of the Council’s rules for the meeting.

Stroud District has recorded the second-highest increase in rates of coronavirus in the whole of the UK. This resulted in some elected councillors choosing not to attend the meeting for fear of transmission of the disease, resulting in only 27 of 51 councillors attending the meeting.

Stroud District Green Party Leaders wrote (1) to Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Stephen Davies, expressing their disappointment and accusing him of contributing to a “climate of fear” during the recent surge in infections.

Cllr Catherine Braun, Leader of the Green Group on Stroud District Council commented: “The Conservative’s position is intolerable. All councillors are expected to follow the rules (2) that have been put in place for everyone’s safety, and which were notified to members well in advance of the meeting. We have written to Councillor Davies to try and rectify this situation immediately and to ensure that we are all doing everything in our powers to reduce transmission rates and to save lives.”

Commenting, Deputy Leader of the Green Group, Cllr Steve Hynd, added, “As politicians, we have a responsibility to model the type of behaviour that we want to see. I’m deeply saddened, and angry, that the leader of the opposition would encourage members to break the rules that were agreed for this meeting to keep us all safe. My father died of coronavirus, and last week we saw close to 1000 other deaths. In Stroud, we have a spiralling rate of coronavirus that runs the risk of costing many more lives locally. We should all be doing everything in our power at the moment to save lives. Every death is a personal tragedy.”

END

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Cllr Steve Hynd on 07903 569 531 or email Stevehynd24@gmail.com

Notes to editor:

1) The full text of the letter to Cllr Davies reads as follows:

Dear Stephen,

We are writing to express our disappointment that you consider it to be “unreasonable” to ask Stroud District Council members to wear a mask while seated during full council. Especially on the back of the news that Stroud has seen the second-biggest rise across the UK over the last week, with case rates jumping from 142.3 per 100,000 people to 607.1 – a rise of 464.8.

As you know, the Council meeting was almost unable to go ahead, due to nearly half of Councillors not attending. Some members were self-isolating having tested positive for coronavirus or having been in close proximity with someone who had tested positive. Others, including some Green Party councillors, did not attend last night though because of fear of potential transmission of coronavirus in the council chamber. 

We thank the officers for doing everything in their powers to make the meeting as safe as possible, but regret that your decision to undermine the agreed rules for the meeting contributed to the risks to health, and a climate of fear that prevented councillors from attending and fulfilling their democratic duty.

We know that by wearing masks and covering our nose and mouth, we will reduce the spread of droplets and aerosols carrying the virus by limiting the amount of the virus being released when we talk and breathe, helping to protect others. NHS and other front line workers who have been wearing medical grade masks and PPE constantly in their fight against the Covid pandemic will rightly question why you feel it is so “unreasonable” to wear a cotton mask for a few hours in a Council meeting.

In light of this, we urge you to reconsider the Conservative Group’s approach to wearing masks during council meetings.

We look forward to your response as a matter of urgency.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Braun, Green Group Leader

Steve Hynd, Deputy Green Group Leader

2) It was agreed over a week before the Council meeting that masks would be worn except for when speaking.

3) Cllr Davies emailed senior officers and members of Stroud District Council at 15: 53 on the 21st of October 2021, just three hours before the full council meeting was due to take place to say: “All. Just to confirm the Conservative Group only agreed to wear masks when moving around and request they are worn when seated. There is a strong feeling this is an unreasonable request by some particularly in light of the length of the agenda. This can not be mandated. Stephen….”

Pictured are Cllr Catherine Braun and Cllr Steve Hynd, leader and deputy leader of the Green group on Stroud District Council.

The post Conservative Group Leader says wearing masks in council meeting is ‘unreasonable’ – in district with the country’s second-highest increase in COVID rate appeared first on Stroud District Green Party.

Stroud District Green Party has welcomed Stroud District Council’s budget proposals (published on Wednesday 3 Feb), which strengthen the council’s capacity to deliver on its commitment to make the district carbon neutral by 2030.

Nailsworth Green Councillor and Horsley Climate Action Network member Norman Kay said: “Achieving carbon neutrality will need an enormous effort by every resident and every business in the district. This is not something the council can do alone, though it will be a key enabler – we need more resources, and this budget is an important step towards putting our plans into practice”.

The budget also includes support for local communities and businesses to help them through the Covid crisis – and funding to make cold and draughty houses warmer and cheaper to heat. Cllr Catherine Braun, deputy leader of the Greens on Stroud District Council, said: “Covid has highlighted the inequalities in our society, with some communities being much worse affected than others. It is important that the council is planning how to build back better out of the crisis.”

Green councillor Jonathan Edmunds, vice-chair of the Community Services and Licensing Committee, said: “It is really important that these budget proposals have come out of Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats working together in a cooperative alliance while also enabling Tory and independent councillors to contribute ideas through the committee system. Greens recognise that working together, although difficult at times, produces better results in the long run. We owe this to the council-tax payers. Sadly, our electoral system does not encourage this type of collaboration.”

The District Council budget proposals can be seen here. The budget will be decided at the full council meeting on February 25.

The post Greens welcome District Council’s budget proposals on climate change & Covid appeared first on Stroud District Green Party.

“Supermarket staff are the forgotten key workers,” she said. “Their daily contact with the public makes them vulnerable to infection, especially as many shoppers are not wearing masks properly and not observing social distancing. We are even hearing of people shopping in large groups, treating a trip to the supermarket as an opportunity to socialise.

“There is recognition of the risks faced by healthcare workers but the wellbeing and mental health of shop staff gets little consideration. These are people who are putting their lives on the line so that people can eat.”

Molly added: “Being unable to work from home means shop staff, social workers, teachers, police officers, bus drivers, delivery drivers – and many others – are vulnerable to catching the virus. We hope this petition will force the government’s hand on prioritising vaccination for all frontline workers, who are so critical in our fight against this virus.”

The post Frontline workers (including shop staff) should get priority vaccinations, says Green Party appeared first on Stroud District Green Party.

Professor Molly Scott Cato, a Green candidate for Gloucestershire County Council, said: The Green Party has always upheld freedom of speech and the right to protest, but a balance has to be struck and we must ensure that debate is based on facts and not on misinformation spread by those who wish to create divisions in society. I, for one, am looking forward to enough of us getting vaccinated so that I can visit my elderly parents again.”

Local Green Party activist and healthcare worker Kate Crews added: “We hope we are turning the corner and will defeat Covid in 2021 as vaccinations are rolled out. We can all play our part in reducing the spread of the virus by seeking out and following sources of information that we can trust. So it is important that if people have questions about the virus or vaccines, they go to the NHS or their local surgery for answers.”

She went on: “We have nothing but praise and admiration for the phenomenal efforts and dedication of healthcare and other frontline workers, including teachers, who are exposed to the virus on a daily basis. Stroud District residents of all political persuasions should come together to support them and help to beat Covid by enabling the vaccination programme to go ahead as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, the Green Party is warning that this third lockdown will be “incredibly tough” for many people. Martin Whiteside, leader of the Greens on Stroud District Council, said: “Isolation, financial crises, hunger, domestic violence, mental health and children struggling with online learning are realities for many people. Local businesses also need more support. I will be working with Council leaders of all parties to ramp up our efforts as a Council. Greens are also urging government to provide a Universal Basic Income to enable people to get through this crisis in a fairer way. Meanwhile we can all do our bit by looking out for our neighbours, family and friends and by staying safe ourselves.”

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