Column by the leader of Stroud District Council, Doina Cornell.

Supporting our local community remains a top priority for Stroud District Council, and in 2020/21 the SDC Community Investment Grant funded 32 organisations to a total of £300,000. This Thursday the Community Services and Licensing Committee will be asked to consider a review of this grant, renaming it the Community Resilience & Wellbeing Grant and adopting new criteria to better reflect the existing excellent work that is done by local organisations, which has become even more apparent during the current pandemic.

Also on the committee agenda are SDC’s current Carbon Neutral 2030 strategy, a report on the Museum in the Park, and a report from the Gloucestershire Health Overview Scrutiny Committee.

The Council is also just launching a seasonal campaign - Think Local First, to encourage all of us to support local businesses in the run up to Christmas and into the New Year. The campaign aims to remind us all to shop safely in those businesses that remain open, and use local businesses that offer delivery or a local `click and collect’ service.

Stroud & District Chamber of Trade has also developed an online Stroud is Open directory that details local shops that are trading including opening hours, click and collect and delivery services. If you are running a local business check out the website: visitstroud.uk/united-kingdom/stroud

Businesses which have been forced to close can also apply for grant money. The application process for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) is open at stroud.gov.uk/businessrates

A second grant, the Additional Restrictions Grant (Discretionary) is expected later this month, to provide support for businesses who have not been eligible for previous Covid support.