The news that the massive reorganisation of local councils, being forced through by the government, will not, as claimed, save any money, is shocking confirmation that the entire project is a half-baked and bungled waste of taxpayers’ money, say Stroud Greens.

The government based its estimates of cost savings on a 2020 report commissioned by the County Council Network (CCN) that said £2.9bn could be saved over five years. But the CCN has since revised its analysis and now says the reorganisation could make no savings and will actually cost money in some cases. And the government has admitted it didn’t do any independent analysis of the costs.

The supposed savings were key to the Labour government’s insistence that councils should reorganise, with district councils (the tier of local government closest to communities) like Stroud District Council being abolished and decision-making moving up a tier to so-called unitary authorities.

But now the CCN has reported it would be more efficient to retain the current two-tier system for smaller council areas.

Councils were not consulted and given no alternative but to draw up plans to reorganise. Stroud Greens warned when the changes were first proposed that they would take decision-making power away from local communities, reduce democratic representation and erode trust in politics, with this centralisation of decision making dressed up as ‘devolution’. 

The party organised a public meeting back in March with a cross-party panel to discuss the proposals (pictured).

Adrian Oldman, coordinator of Stroud District Green Party, said this week: “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the news that this badly thought-through scheme is starting to unravel.

“Enormous amounts of everyone’s time have been taken up with working out a way to make the best of this undemocratic, half-baked project that has been imposed on councils without consultation or warning.

“The Greens always considered it to be a bad idea: removing a lower tier of local government and pushing decision making up a tier (in this case moving decision making from Stroud to Gloucester or to a regional mayor) under the guise of ‘devolution’.

“But there was always a faint light at the end of the tunnel: the promised cost savings for taxpayers. Now we know that those savings aren’t even expected to be achieved, it feels like the entire project will let taxpayers down. It will destroy grass-roots local democracy, hugely reducing access to elected representatives and presenting residents with the bill for the privilege.”

Cllr Oldman urged residents to write to Labour MP Simon Opher to ask him to put pressure on the government to halt their reorganisation plans, as now their main argument for it, saving money, has been totally debunked.

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A cross-party group of local councillors have today written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging that he recognise the state of Palestine immediately – in view of the horrific and ever worsening conditions being endured by the people of Gaza – instead of delaying until September.

They also ask that he makes the promised recognition unconditional, not dependent on any action that Israel may or may not take in the meantime.

As things stand, the government will recognise Palestine next month, but only if Israel fails to end the genocide, stop annexations in the West Bank and allow aid into Gaza.

The letter is signed by 34 of the 51 SDC councillors. It also calls for a full arms embargo and widespread sanctions on Israel, a ban on the import of settlement goods and money towards collecting evidence for prosecution of war crimes.

Cllr Kate Kay (Green) said: “The Green Group and fellow elected politicians in this district have come together to register their horror and despair at the intolerable treatment of the Palestinian people. It has to stop and we urge the UK government to act decisively, and now, to do our part in stopping it.”

Cllr Katy Hofmann (Labour) added: “All members of the Stroud District Council Labour Group share the same desire to see an urgent end to the atrocities in Palestine. We demand an immediate ceasefire, lasting peace and supply of aid, with full recognition of the state of Palestine as soon as is possible.”

Cllr Linda Cohen (Liberal Democrat) said: “There is no justification for these atrocities. We are already too late in taking action, not another minute must be lost. The lives of Palestinian children are as valuable as our own. The Government must take the lead and act today.”  

The picture shows the Ecotricity building in Stroud, outside which local Greens recently gathered in solidarity with owner Dale Vince’s decision to display the Palestinian flag.

The full text of the letter to Keir Starmer can be read below.

Dear Prime Minister

Unconditional recognition of a Palestinian State

As elected councillors in Stroud district, we individually and personally welcome the Government’s recent commitment to recognise Palestinian statehood, but believe this should take place immediately and unconditionally, particularly given Britain’s historically significant role as the former mandatory power in Palestine.

We are extremely concerned that the UK’s position suggests that Palestinian statehood can be used as a bargaining chip, only to be awarded if the Israeli government fails to end the genocide in Gaza and agrees to a range of other conditions, such as allowing the supply of aid and ending annexations in the West Bank. 

Although these conditions would be essential steps towards a ceasefire, we believe they must not be an alternative to recognising Palestinian statehood.

Immediate recognition would send a message that our country supports the rights of Palestine and sends a message to its people, that they are not alone and they can maintain hope for a route to lasting peace.

If Israel were to comply with the conditions, this would once again postpone our country’s long-overdue recognition of the state of Palestine, as part of the two-state solution, as the only option to secure peace in the region.

We urge you to make the recognition of the state of Palestine immediate and unconditional, and additionally to commit the UK to action which could further help to bring about the ceasefire. This should include a full arms embargo, widespread sanctions, a ban on the import of settlement goods and funding evidence collection for prosecution of war crimes.

We join with you in recognising the appalling and intolerable situation for the Palestinian people and urge you to commit to this immediate action to demonstrate the UK’s opposition to genocide in Gaza and our collective commitment to see a two-state solution for lasting peace.

Your sincerely,

Cllr Beki Aldam (Green)

Cllr Martin Baxendale (Green)

Cllr James Boyle (Green)

Cllr Catherine Braun (Green)

Cllr Martin Brown (Green)

Cllr John Callihan (Labour)

Cllr Sarah Canning (Green)

Cllr Linda Cohen (Lib Dem)

Cllr Fraser Dahdouh (Labour)

Cllr Jonathan Edmunds (Green)

Cllr Helen Fenton (Green)

Cllr Marisa Godfrey (Green)

Cllr Katy Hofmann (Labour)

Cllr Steve Hyndside (Green)

Cllr Cate James-Hodges (Green)

Cllr Carol Kambites (Green)

Cllr Kate Kay (Green)

Cllr Pete Kennedy (Green)

Cllr Gareth Kitchen (Green)

Cllr Gary Luff (Green)

Cllr Dave Mathews (Labour)

Cllr Cath Moore (Labour)

Cllr Natalie Rothwell-Warn (Green)

Cllr John Parker (Labour)

Cllr Martin Pearcy (Green)

Cllr Steve Robinson (Labour)

Cllr Matt Sargeant (Green)

Cllr Lucas Schoemaker (Green)

Cllr Moya Shannon (Green)

Cllr Holly Simkiss (Lib Dem)

Cllr Gill Thomas (Green)

Cllr Chloe Turner (Green)

Cllr Paul Turner (Independent)

Cllr Tricia Watson (Green)

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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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Background: Stroud District Council (SDC), after receiving several complaints about energy company Ecotricity displaying a Palestinian flag on its Stroud HQ building, has asked the company to apply for planning permission.

Stroud District Green Party was subsequently asked by a journalist if this action by minority Green-led SDC conflicted with the local Green Party’s earlier statement in support of the Palestinians.

The following is our response:

“Councils – as the local planning authorities – are required to abide by national government planning legislation around which flags are allowed to be displayed.

The Council had received public complaints about the Ecotricity flag, so SDC officers were obliged to take advice on the matter. This confirmed that the Palestinian flag is not listed among those with automatic or deemed consent, because Palestine is not a state recognised by the UK Government (unlike in 147 of 193 UN Member States). As a result, the Council has had to invite Ecotricity to submit a planning application for the flag on its building.

Unfortunately, this disappointing outcome is not a matter where political leadership can intervene: councillors, even those who are part of a council’s administration, have no influence over this aspect of planning policy – rightly so, as politics should be kept out of such planning decisions.

Regardless of the action SDC is required to take as Local Planning Authority under national legislation, the Green group of councillors and the rest of Stroud District Green Party support Ecotricity in the decision to display the Palestinian flag on their building. The Ecotricity flag is a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and a protest against the violations of international law and the catastrophic violence being inflicted on them by the Israeli government. We join with Ecotricity in calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and we share their support for all civilians caught up in the conflict. We will be writing to Dale Vince to express this support.

The Greens believe that this situation highlights the pressing need for the UK government to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

Recognising Palestine is a vital step towards justice, equality and a sustainable peace. It demonstrates a commitment to international law and a balanced approach to the region.”

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Dear Minister

On June 24, you announced that the Government intends to abolish the committee system within local government, and force those councils currently operating this model (including Stroud District Council) to transition to the ‘leader and cabinet’ model.

Councils like Stroud District that use the committee system model (and those keen to change to it from the cabinet model) favour it because it is more collaborative, transparent and democratic. The committee system has been used at Stroud District Council for over a decade, supported by Labour, Lib Dem and Green councillors over those years. By giving SDC councillors across all political groups a say in decision-making, the system fosters cross-party collaboration, something we know our communities support and have benefited from as a result.

Your proposals, introduced without consultation, mean that decisions affecting communities in our district – and all those impacted by this announcement – will no longer be taken by cross-party committees of elected councillors debating in a public forum. Instead, the leader and just a handful of councillors will make key decisions on behalf of residents, often behind closed doors.

This is the latest in a series of decisions and proposals from this Labour Government that have been made without consultation, and that strip away the ability of local government to ensure public services deliver for the communities they are intended to serve. This has been a theme of central government decision-making since and including the English Devolution White Paper published last December. Every one of these undermines local democracy, through reducing the power and funding of councils, and taking democratic decisions away from the most local level.

Other examples include the proposal to remove the powers of planning committees to decide many local planning applications, the withdrawal of funding for neighbourhood planning, and the decision to move responsibilities away from the district and county council level to new strategic authorities covering a much wider area, including powers for housing, planning, transport, and skills. These strategic authorities across England are each to be led by one mayor, elected under the first past the post voting system, who will control vast amounts of public money and be subject to less scrutiny and weaker governance structures than current local authorities. 

The impact of all these decisions is to allow the central government agenda to be delivered more quickly, with less local oversight, challenge and scrutiny. This is clearly demonstrated through this announcement, as no evidence has been offered to support the abolition of the committee system, and no consultation has been conducted with those affected. In no way can these moves be seen to be about empowering local communities and pushing power out of Whitehall and into the hands of local leaders, which you claim is your aim.

Most importantly, these unwelcome changes will not solve the big problems that local authorities and residents face: tackling social and health inequalities, delivering social housing, building and maintaining public trust, the challenges in special educational provision and social care, and in responding and adapting to a rapidly changing climate. Furthermore, none of your changes meet the urgent need for proper investment in our communities which, as Greens, we feel could easily be funded through taxing wealth fairly.

If this proposed change goes ahead, the Government will further damage democracy and public trust at the local level, reducing transparency, accountability and opportunities for resident engagement in places like Stroud district.

We call on you to reverse this unwelcome, under-informed and dictatorial meddling and let local councils get on with the job. We currently have the freedom to choose what’s right for our communities, which we have been elected to do, and Stroud has benefited from the collaborative and transparent approach to local democracy it has created as a result.

This letter is being copied to Dr Simon Opher, MP for Stroud, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for North Cotswolds and Dr Roz Savage, MP for South Cotswolds.

Signed: The Stroud District Council Green group

Cllr Beki Aldam, Cllr Martin Baxendale, Cllr James Boyle, Cllr Catherine Braun, Cllr Martin Brown, Cllr Sarah Canning, Cllr Jonathan Edmunds, Cllr Helen Fenton, Cllr Marisa Godfrey, Cllr Steve Hyndside, Cllr Cate James-Hodges, Cllr Carol Kambites, Cllr Kate Kay, Cllr Pete Kennedy, Cllr Gareth Kitchen, Cllr Gary Luff, Cllr Martin Pearcy, Cllr Natalie Rothwell-Warn, Cllr Matthew Sargeant, Cllr Lucas Schoemaker, Cllr Moya Shannon, Cllr Gill Thomas, Cllr Chloe Turner, Cllr Tricia Watson

(Pictured: the SDC Green/Labour/Lib Dem cooperative alliance members celebrating 10 years of the alliance in 2022. The sort of collaborative, cross-party working demonstrated by the committee system has played an important role in Stroud District for many years.)

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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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The Severn ward by-election yesterday (June 11) saw Moya Shannon becoming the 24^th Green Party councillor on Stroud District Council.

Moya won with 439 votes, ahead of the nearest rival, the Conservative candidate, who got 425 votes. The other candidates were from Reform (421), Labour (177), the Liberal Democrats (112) and UKIP (5).

Moya will take the seat previously occupied by Labour councillor Richard Maisey, whose death in April sadly triggered the by-election.

Moya said: “I am very grateful to the voters of this ward for putting their faith in me and the Green Party to represent them and I look forward to working for the best interests of the many voices in our community.

“I come to this job with my own particular set of values and goals. The healthy and sustainable use of our local environment and the agricultural, business, wildlife, and living spaces within it, are all very important to me, as are local transport solutions and community energy production. I hope to support people and make a positive difference in these important aspects of our lives.”

She added: “Having lived in this ward and raised my family here I have a deep connection to the place and the people, and it is both for the place and for the people that I intend to work. 

“Many people have approached me with their ideas and with issues that need resolving and I aim to listen to and work on the concerns that have been brought up during this campaign. I will expect to hear many more and I will do whatever I can within my role to address these for all the people of the Severn ward.”

Cllr Chloe Turner, leader of the SDC Green group, said: “We’re delighted with this result, which reflects the strength of Moya as a local candidate and champion for her community, and wider support for our Green administration at Stroud District Council.

“We were always in a strong position, given feedback from residents showing that there was a local appetite for the Green ethos of fairer, greener politics. Richard Maisey was a very popular councillor and the people of Severn clearly wanted a community focused, green-thinking and warm person to replace him.

“I look forward to working with Moya as part of the newly enlarged Green group; she will be an asset to our friendly, dedicated and collaborative team.”

The official results can be seen here:

Read more about Moya here:

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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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The Green Party candidate for the Stroud District Council by-election in Severn ward on June 11 is Moya Shannon.

Moya previously stood in the ward during last year’s SDC elections and gained more than half of the number of votes gained by either of the winning candidates. She believes that at her second attempt, with the Greens riding high after the recent County Council elections, she stands a very good chance of winning.

Moya has lived in Stroud district since 1990, mainly in Eastington, where her three children attended local schools.

She worked as an administrator for her family’s long-established oak frame carpentry company. She was previously a teacher, and worked at two local secondary schools over a period of 27 years.

A lover of local heritage and historic buildings, she is involved with helping to raise money for the Eastington Church Roof Appeal. When her children were young, she was actively involved in the playgroup and Parent Teacher Association in Eastington.

If elected, Moya will campaign for small community-based electricity generation schemes and more solar on domestic, commercial and industrial roof spaces, to avoid the need for large-scale solar farms.

She will also campaign for better local transport links and cycle routes. She says: “I will also work to ensure that local developers are held to account, because building houses should be about building homes and not just about making profits. Housing needs to be affordable, sustainable, meet the needs of local people and provide a healthy environment to live in.”

She believes that local farmers need more support in order to provide food security, help them produce food in a more sustainable way and mitigate against the effects of climate change.

She adds: “Severn ward is such a beautiful area and I feel very privileged to live here. I believe strongly that we need to protect the natural environment and way of life and that will be a priority for me if I am elected.”

The by-election was called as the result of the untimely death in April of Cllr Richard Maisey, who had held the seat for Labour since May 2024. Moya says: “Richard was a popular and effective ward councillor and I hope I can prove to be an equally good councillor and be an effective voice for our community.”

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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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