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

Thursday, June 18 – Operation Beetle I’ve mentioned in the past the work of the local resilience forum. It isn’t really a name many of us will be familiar with but it plays a vital role in protecting our safety. The LRF is made up of the emergency services, councils, the NHS and other agencies such as Public Health England and the Environment Agency. They work closely together, behind the scenes, to ensure that the public is kept safe, should a major emergency occur, such as a chemical fire on an industrial estate, a rail accident, major flooding and health issues such as a pandemic flu outbreak. Today they came together to test their emergency plans on what might happen in the extremely unlikely event of a release of radiation from the decommissioned nuclear plant at Berkeley. The day included a strong social media focus too, with a specialist company brought in to simulate a huge number of queries, panic and misinformation for the teams to deal with so that they could ensure that the public received the correct advice to keep them safe and to avoid panic. I understand that it was a very successful exercise and that the plans stood up well. You can find out more about the LRF at www.glosprepared.co.uk

Thursday, June 18 – Environment Committee, 7pm, Ebley Mill The committee approved a planning statement which will help make the best use of the former Standish Hospital site, near Stonehouse. It has been derelict for many years and its listed buildings have fallen into a severe state of disrepair. The council’s preference and that of the Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the land, is for a buyer to refurbish, restore and convert the listed buildings for use. The preferred options are for use as a private residence, hotel, care home, residential college, health facility or public house, or something along those lines. This rural site covers approximately 13 hectares and our aim is to ensure that it is appropriately preserved .With widespread agreement that the grounds and the buildings are in dire need of attention the planning statement will hopefully ensure that restoration can be achieved sympathetically.

Mondays and Thursdays – Rounders, 6pm On a lighter note, the council is once again running free rounders sessions on Monday evenings at Stratford Park Leisure Centre, as part of its health and wellbeing programme. Following the successful trial last year in Stroud, we’re now also offering it on Thursdays at Dursley Recreation Ground. The aim is to get people active in a relaxed and fun way and it is proving popular. Many of us will remember the occasional rounders game from our school days. These free events take place at 6pm and anyone interested in trying it out can just turn up and play. Call 01453 754508 for more information.