Greens sit on the Development Control Committee, Housing Committee and the Regeneration and Resources Scrutiny Committee. Green District Councillors represent their communities on a wide range of issues such as planning, housing problems, traffic issues and opposition to inappropriate siting of mobile phone masts.

The Green group is also active in involving the council on wider issues. In the past couple of years have raised debates on the war in Iraq, flouride in drinking water, growing GM crops and have opposed the exclusion of the project in debates on financial matters. See Philip Booths' blog as an example of activities done by your local councillors:

http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/ 

 

AN EXAMPLE OF COUNCIL WORK

MAY 2004 REPORT - CLLR. GWEN BELCHER

This year the District Council has been very busy reorganising itself to give the residents, hopefully, better services, and like all councillors but especially for Group Leaders, meetings have increased enormously. This has meant a busy work load of, reading of reports and Training, Full Council meetings and their briefings Leaders Meetings, specialist working group, forums, policy panels etc. To be able, to make constructive contributions to Council's work I attend Cabinet Meetings and occasionally the Scrutiny Meetings.

Last year, up until the Housing Transfer Vote, I was very involved with the shadow housing board Hill and Vale as a shadow Director. As you know the tenants voted to stay with the council, but the intensive training we were given was very worthwhile, interesting. and complex as is all aspects of social and affordable housing. I have been to many meetings with Tenants, Housing Forums, Tenants Compact meetings and the Tenants Gardening competition - the best fun of all Judging Tenants Gardens!! Always a delightful duty.

The maintenance Focus Group has met so often I have lost count, half the District is to have a new contract in the near future. This is very time consuming for officers, some councillors and some Tenants.

Housing has been my main concern and interest. This has been under various heading, many meetings and a visit to another area to look at how we as a council can help with the growing problem of affordable homes in our District. The opening of a social housing scheme in Stroud of eight flats in the spring was a great reward after seeing the plans at the Social Housing Panel and the building before the conversion took place.

Still with Housing there have been some interesting and productive joint policy panels on Planning and Housing and Climate Change. What can the Council do? A small contribution to this global problem are the Energy Saving grants for repairs and insulation for low income private house owner to make homes warmer and more comfortable.

The Chief Executive and Chief Officers,Terms and Conditions Service Panel has meet three times of which I have attended all meetings. Regulation Committee deal with Homeless appeals and I have sat on the panel four times.

The Council has working groups, two of which I have sat on are the Probity Group, and a Group looking into the purchasing of Fair Trading beverages in Ebley Mill. I have also attended various Training sessions on homelessness, Housing allocation, and the council's next big responsibiliy - The new licensing law, as a member of the Regulation Committee this is a duty Stroud District Council will have in the near future.

There are two tenant's and residents' association in my area who work very hard and I go to their meetings. There are two other groups in The Top of Town trying to improve life in this area. As a town Councillor I am working with the local vicar and a small group of people; their hope is to provide a community facility in this ward.

Another Group lead by the Youth Services, called Top of Town Interest Group, has meet twice and includes Residents, Head teacher of the primary school as well as Police. Neighbourhood Watch, Young People, Myself and another Town Councillor.

As a Stroud Town Councillor, my main interest is the running of our Green open spaces - playing fields, young children's play area along with the old cemetery (a Nature Reserve) and the current cemetery, 5 allotments and other small but very important Green Spaces that are so appreciated by people who live in a built up area. I have also spent many hours on a Home Zone idea after seeing two near accidents involving children in my ward. Although we had wonderful support from the County Council and the District Council it needed 85% of the the residents to agree to the scheme be go ahead. Although there was great interest we didn't make 85% so this will not go ahead at present. However we will hopefully get a 20mph area. I feel belonging to 2 council can sometimes be a valuable link, especially as the Town Council manages some of the District Council's assets. As a Town Councillor I am on the Management Board of The Citizens Advice Bureau, C.A,B. and a member of the League of Friends of Stroud Hospitals.