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

Thursday, August 6 – The Big Community Switch Going back to the start of the month, Gloucestershire County Council kicked-off the next round of its Big Community Switch campaign, which encourages Gloucestershire’s residents to use their combined buying power to drive down their gas and electricity bills.

The aim is simple: a large number of people wanting to change their supplier together will allow them to get a better deal than just one person shopping around on their own. Since April 2013, when the initiative was launched, nearly 500 households have switched and benefitted from an average annual saving of just under £200 on their bills. In our district alone there are 52,000 households, so a huge number of people could benefit. If you’re interested you need to sign-up by Tuesday October 12. You can do so online at tinyurl.com/buhvvla or by calling 01452 425757 during office hours. Don’t forget to let others know too.

Thursday, August 27 – Filming for awards Today a film crew for the Living Waterways Awards will be visiting Stroud and filming along the regenerated stretch of the Cotswold Canals. The £20 million project, funded mainly by the Heritage Lottery Fund, SDC and the Cotswold Canals Trust has been shortlisted for the awards which are run by the Canal and River Trust. They take place on October 8. The canal restoration has won several awards in the recent past, however you could say that this is "the big one" with it being one of three contenders in the Restoration and Historic Environment category. With the Heritage Lottery Fund due to assess the funding bid for the next stage of the canal restoration in November - to link it up to the national canal network - winning would be a tremendous boost for that bid. Fingers crossed. You can find out more about the awards at canalrivertrust.org.uk

Wednesday, September 9 – Local Plan deadline The final stage of the public consultation ends today on the draft Stroud District Local Plan. It will play a huge part in determining the success of the district’s economy by deciding where homes and business activity should be sited over the next 15 years. If you’re thinking of making a contribution on the latest changes to the plan, there’s just a fortnight to go. Documents can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/nuyjh8f , at Ebley Mill, local libraries and town/parish council offices. Comments can be made by filling in a comments form and emailing it to local.plan@stroud.gov.uk or send them to The Planning Strategy Team, Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Stroud, GL5 4UB. Comments from the consultation will be sent to the inspector and we would hope to have his final report in November for consideration and approval by the council at meeting shortly afterwards.