STROUD District Council leader Geoff Wheeler keeps you up to date with what is happening at the council

Monday, September 8 – CAB national conference As a trustee of the CAB, as a number of councillors are, I attended the two-day national conference of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau at the University of Warwick. It was a great opportunity for staff and volunteers.

Tuesday, September 16 – Housing Committee, 7pm, Ebley Mill This meeting included an update on the council’s house-building programme, and the usual budget monitoring to allow the committee to keep oversight of the council’s housing finances. There was also a decision on bringing gas servicing and some other aspects of maintenance of council homes back in house rather than using external contractors and a paper to change the frequency of rent collections from council tenants.

Friday, September 19 – Stroud and District CAB, Ebley Mill I mentioned the CAB conference earlier but today is the annual general meeting of our local CAB. It’s worth reiterating that it is a charity and not a branch of government, as quite a few people assume. We’re delighted to be hosting Gillian Guy, CAB chief executive, as keynote speaker. Over the past year Stroud CAB has taken on the responsibility of providing services to the neighbouring Cotswold district and it also has a new website at stroudcab.org.uk

Tuesday, September 23 – supermarkets Three applications for ‘out-of-town’ supermarkets, in Ryeford, Rodborough and Cainscross are being considered at this specially convened meeting, having been deferred from a meeting in late July. It makes sense to consider all three at the same time, but since that original meeting another proposal has come into play, although this one is in the centre of Stroud. This now becomes a material consideration for the councillors as planning policies state that retail developments in town centres should be a priority. Each of these three major applications comes with a range of complex issues to analyse and ultimately decide upon. Anyone can come along, but with limited seating it’s probably advisable to view it in the comfort of your home on the council’s website at www.stroud.gov.uk/webcast