AS WE come to the end of the year and the festive season I’m looking forward to spending it with family and friends as many of us are. We spare a thought for armed services personnel posted overseas who are a long way from home at Christmas and those who have lost loved ones. It’s also a time when we look back on the past 12 months and look forward to the year ahead. With 2014 marking the centenary of the start of the First World War, Remembrance Sunday was particularly poignant.

The year also marked the centenary of the first social housing in the district which was fittingly marked with families moving into the first new council homes in over 30 years in Minchinhampton just this month. It was an encouraging achievement for the council under a committee system which has seen all parties contribute actively to important decision making which impacts on everyone in the area. The recently submitted revised draft local plan, which proposes housing numbers and employment plans for future generations, was also finalised jointly and will be decided upon next year by the government. This will be a critical blueprint for the district’s future.

Next year will also see a general election held in May. All commentators and analysts predict a tough future for local government finances thereafter, but it’s not all doom and gloom. On a much more positive note 2015 will see significant developments in the north and south of the district. In Stroud, the learning pavilion, part of the walled garden project at the Museum in the Park, will be completed by spring, providing a valuable cultural and educational resource for the whole of the district, and Dursley Swimming Pool will see work start on its £1.4 million transformation into a leisure centre. The aforementioned council house building programme will gather momentum, providing affordable homes across the district and we’ll also start to see progress on the projects of GFirst LEP, the county’s local economic strategic partnership. Councils across the country face challenges, but remember that we are here to help, so do get in touch if you need help or advice.

Have a great Christmas and best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year.

Stroud District Council leader Geoff Wheeler