Blog
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Challenging the Government’s hot air over climate change
Today we hold our final district council meeting before the local elections, and I’m supporting a motion backing the Climate and Ecology Emergency Bill, which asks our MP to support the bill through parliament. The measures proposed in this bill, if passed into law, would give us a real chance of averting catastrophic climate change […]
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Help us keep up the good work and vote Labour on May 6.
Where we live is unique. From the beauty of the Cotswolds to the River Severn, our market towns with their industrial heritage and cutting-edge industry, and our radical politics and rural communities, we’re a diverse district when it comes to politics and our values, but one thing we share: we care for the places where […]
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Labour Councillors letter to Stroud News and Journal criticizing PPE contract hand outs
Dear Editor As local councillors, we hear heart-breaking cases every day from local people who have lost their jobs or their homes or are struggling to make ends meet due to the impact of the pandemic. We are heading into one of the greatest economic crises ever to hit our country. Public sector workers are […]
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“We condemn all racism in our district”
A statement read by myself at the June Strategy and Resources Committee. On the 9th June Stroud District Council issued a statement signed by all four party leaders. In it we – Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat and Conservative – we said that the council, and I quote: “condemns all forms of racism across the world […]
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An Open Letter to the Director of Public Health from Local District Councillors
Dear Ms Scott, We would like to thank you, and the public health team, for all your valuable work leading on the emergency response to coronavirus in Gloucestershire. We know how important it is we work together during this unprecedented emergency, and we will continue to do all we can to support you and your […]
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Getting ready for the pandemic: Amplify Stroud interview
Amplify Stroud interviewed me on 30 March 2020 as the pandemic just started to hit us, about preparations the District Council was making. “The priority is to keep essential services running …. everyone is coming together now to work collectively on what is needed…. We all need to work together … Key is that our […]
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Labour needs radical ideas to solve the housing crisis
Here is the article I wrote for Labour List in April 2018 https://labourlist.org/2018/04/labour-needs-radical-ideas-to-solve-the-housing-crisis-so-lets-scrap-right-to-buy/ We have a housing crisis in this country that can only be solved by local government building more. Labour’s 2017 manifesto promised to build 100,000 council homes to ‘rent or buy’. It called for a ‘pause’ to the right to buy, and […]
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Declaring a climate emergency: My speech to council
Here is my speech to council supporting the following: To ask Stroud District Council to endorse the ‘Climate Emergency’ announced by the administration on 16 November 2018 and pledge to do everything within the Council’s power to make Stroud District carbon neutral by 2030. In 1976 aged nine years old I sailed across the Atlantic […]
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Councillors against austerity
This letter was written by Labour, Green and Lib Dem councillors who form the administration of Stroud District Council in Gloucestershire. Our council is about to face the harshest cuts in the county. This is the text of our letter, with details of how we will be affected. Please do share with us how your […]
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A Councillor’s Life: Trees, Bins, Visions
‘How much time do you spent on your council work?’ people often ask me. ‘Oh not so long, a few hours here or there,’ I generally say. But is this really true? As it is European Local Democracy week I decided to write a blog about today – probably pretty typical for a district councillor. […]
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