THE damning Ofsted report into the county’s Children’s Services clearly requires a major change in the structure of local government to protect some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Gloucestershire County Council’s record of management and decision making in relation to children’s services and the incinerator planning process fiasco is appalling.

The vulnerable young people who rely on services to support them in times of crisis and the social workers with massive caseloads to manage, deserve better.

Importantly, Ofsted identified ‘system and leadership failure’ within children’s services.

I urge David Drew to embrace the need for unitary authority status and, thus, bring pressure to bear to improve the provision of services in the Stroud district.

David Buckle

Longney