JONATHAN EDMUNDS
Jonathan Edmunds has been a district councillor for Randwick, Whiteshill & Ruscombe since 2014.
He works as an energy expert at Ecotricity, where he helps customers with their energy consumption and bill issues. He previously worked in sports development with schools and deprived communities and has professional qualifications in catering, hospitality and sports development.
He has lived in Stroud since 2002, having previously lived in the US, Canada and other parts of the UK. “Stroud is a beautiful district with caring communities that in general are inclusive, welcome diversity and tolerance, and strive for social justice,” he says.
Jonathan’s achievements as a councillor include working on a motion that SDC should welcome and prepare for its share of refugees, and supporting Whiteshill residents in their protest against a Katie Hopkins event in 2024.
He has been involved with the council’s activities around youth strategy and older people’s health, which included nominating the district as ‘dementia friendly’.
He helped develop the council’s 2030 Carbon Neutral strategy, was involved with the successful proposal to bring Stratford Park Leisure Centre back under council management and campaigned against the Gloucester incinerator.
In his role on the Housing Committee, Jonathan has helped with the project to make the council’s housing stock more energy efficient through renewable energy. And he is working on making local taxis less polluting, and encouraging a move to electric cars and vehicles.
He particularly enjoys helping constituents with their problems, which have included homelessness, fuel poverty and difficulty paying council tax. “I like listening to people’s concerns and working with them to find solutions,” he says.
Jonathan’s aspirations for Stroud include a greener and more vibrant town centre that has more tree coverage, more pedestrian/cycle only access and better flood protection features.
In his ward, Jonathan’s priorities are protecting playing fields, community assets (such as the local pubs) and play areas – and establishing new ones where possible.
He hopes to reactivate and strengthen the local Climate Action Network in his ward, to help the community adjust to the climate crisis. And he plans to work with local residents and landowners to encourage biodiversity and protect wildlife.
Jonathan would also like to help SDC to achieve its carbon neutral targets and create a properly funded youth strategy to protect the mental health of children and young people.
On a broader level, he would like people to develop solutions together to achieve a peaceful, sustainable planet with a stable climate, less greed and more respect for nature and biodiversity. With this in mind, he is keen to help set up a local Citizens Assembly so that residents can be directly involved in bringing about change.
In his spare time Jonathan enjoys outdoor activities such as climbing, hiking, canoeing, cycling and gardening. He is a youth coach at Randwick Football Club and likes watching Forest Green Rovers and Gloucestershire Cricket Club.
He is a supporter of environmental groups Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Stop Ecocide International.