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Sue’s News

Monthly Newsletter from your Gloucestershire County Councillor, Sue Williams

Published: 1 October 2024

County Councillor Report

September 2024

Cllr Stephen Davies elected as County Council Leader

At the full council meeting on the 9th September Cllr Davies was elected as leader. Previously Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years Cllr Davies has set out his priorities for the remainder of the council term.  These are:

  • Continue to improve the county’s roads – building on the progress that has been achieved in recent years, including making sure information and engagement with residents continue to get better
  • Stand up for communities – making sure where new housing is being proposed that the impact on roads, schools and other key services is well understood and the necessary financial investment is committed to address it
  • Make sure the council continues to operate in a financially responsible way – prioritising investment into those areas that will have the greatest impact on the lives of Gloucestershire residents
  • Take action to improve our SEND response in the face of rising demand – work harder and smarter to support young people with SEND and their families to access the support and services they need
  • Support the adults that need our help the most – make it easier for adults and those supporting them to access the care or support they need and to help people to begin to think about the years ahead and what their needs may be
  • Deliver continuous improvement – making sure council services continue to evolve a mindset where they are always looking for ways to deliver a better, more efficient services that achieve better outcomes for Gloucestershire residents

In announcing his cabinet, Cllr Davies has prioritised stability and the retention of knowledge and expertise, with the only new appointment being Cllr Paul McLain to his previous brief.

  • Cllr Stephan Fifield, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transformation and Change
  • Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Resources
  • Cllr Paul McLain, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years
  • Cllr David Gray, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning
  • Cllr Dom Morris, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood
  • Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care
  • Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Cabinet Member for Public Health
  • Cllr Philip Robinson, Cabinet Member for Education and Bus Transport
  • Cllr Dave Norman, Cabinet Member for Fire, Community Safety and Libraries

 

Gloucestershire County Council take another forward step to reshape support for families

Gloucestershire County Council has appointed a new provider for its children and family centres in Gloucester and the Forest of Dean, as part of £35 million plans to reshape services available to support families across the county.

The county council has appointed Gloucestershire Gateway Trust to run seven children and family centres in Gloucester and two centres in the Forest of Dean. These include the welcome return of the Beacon Children and Family Centre in Kingsway. The new four-year contract will begin on 1 April 2025. The award is part of a wider £35 million investment into the council’s network of children and family centres in communities across the county, which will play a key role in the introduction of the family hub model to Gloucestershire, to ensure families have access to the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

Support for those affected by Historic Forced Adoption

Between 1949 and 1976 an estimated 185,000 babies in England and Wales were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption due to pressure from their families and society.

Evidence from across the UK suggests that many of the adoptions during this time were ‘closed’, meaning that children were given new names, identities, and birth certificates, were not informed that they were an adoptee and had no ongoing contact with their families.

The impact of this on women and children should not be underestimated, having lifelong and significantly distressing effects. The county council has commissioned Adoption West, a Regional Adoption Agency who amongst other adoption related activity provide support to adults who were adopted and families affected by forced adoption practices.

Following the Motion 939 presented to the full council, GCC are working in partnership with Adoption West who can support adopted adults, birth parents and birth relatives affected by historic adoptions in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The Adoption West Birth Links Service works with adopted adults and birth parents to provide:

  • Support to apply to the Registrar General for the information needed to obtain a certified copy of their birth certificate
  • Access to birth record services
  • Up to six sessions of emotional support for birth family and adopted adults
  • Advice about intermediary services
  • Birth parent support groups

To access support please visit the Adoption West website:

Adopted Adults – Adoption West or telephone 03303 550 333.

Gloucestershire County Council remain on track for their goal of planting one million trees by 2030

Gloucestershire County Council has moved another step closer towards its goal of planting one million trees by 2030, increasing the current county total planted under its scheme to just shy of 400,000.

The most recent season’s figures include over 100,000 trees planted across 250 different projects right across Gloucestershire. These trees were planted by the county council with the support of partners and volunteers. Among the projects were partnerships with parish and town councils, district councils, private estates and many individual landowners.

The million trees project is part of the county council’s wider commitment to tackling climate change and delivering a Greener Gloucestershire.

The county council helps to ensure the survival of new and existing trees by providing advice to landowners on how best to care for trees particularly when they’re first planted or when the weather is drier.

There are also innovative projects that support biodiversity even further – for example, on land adjacent to Bournside School in Cheltenham where a disused railway has been converted into a wildlife corridor. This was done by retaining existing hedgerow, mature trees and planting 2,500 new trees during the 2022-23 planting season. Now in its second year the flora and fauna are thriving.

The county council is currently planning projects for the 2024-25 planting season, which starts in November and runs through to March, and is inviting anyone who would like to take part to get in touch. Whether its envisioning woodlands that provide habitat and tranquillity, orchards bursting with fruit or lush hedgerows that create natural boundaries and wildlife corridors like Bournside we can offer support. If you have a possible planting project, you can submit declarations of interest on GCC site.

 

CQC inspection of Adult Social Care now concluded

 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of Gloucestershire Adult Social Care concluded on Thursday 5th September.

The Council anticipate that their detailed report will be received in around 8 weeks’ time and will share a further update in due course.

 

 

Gloucestershire “Hand it Back” Campaign

In August, GCC launched a campaign asking residents of the county to return any mobility equipment they are no longer using. GCC provide the Gloucestershire Equipment Loan Service (formerly known as GIS Healthcare), which lends free equipment to people for as long as they need it.

Around £500,000 worth of equipment is returned each month; however, there could be even more equipment in people’s homes that isn’t being used as no longer required.

Residents can return equipment at multiple locations around the county, or they can arrange a free collection from their home. If you, or you know someone who could have unused equipment, please let them know how they can return it to us, so that it can be used by others in the community.
For more information, visit GCC site for more details or contact me direct.

Skill ZONE have been short listed for two national awards

The SkillZONE team has made remarkable strides in delivering innovative road safety education across all age groups in Gloucestershire. As a result of their collective efforts, they’ve been nominated for the UK Fleet Champions Road Safety in The Community Award and the Public Sector Driver Safety Award.

The UK Fleet Champions Awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of fleet organisations striving to prevent road deaths and injuries and reduce pollution caused by their vehicles.

The initiative is a collaborative effort between Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Team and SkillZONE to enhance road safety education and life-saving skills throughout Gloucestershire.

They are nominated in the following categories:

Road Safety in the Community
SkillZONE’s interactive simulations, including realistic street scenarios with traffic lights, pavements, buses, cars, and bicycles, offer a unique and engaging learning environment. By making road safety education compulsory for all visitors, the initiative ensures that thousands of individuals annually receive vital life-saving messages and practical skills.

Public Sector Driver Safety
SkillZONE highlights that there is a need for more awareness among high-risk groups, including young people, about road safety issues. This is particularly impactful, considering that young drivers are statistically more prone to road accidents. By targeting this demographic with tailored interventions and practical skills training, SkillZONE aim to mitigate risks and promote safer behaviours on the road.

The winners of this year’s UK Fleet Champions Awards will be announced at a ceremony at New Dock Hall at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Thursday, 3rd October 2024.

 

Street Tag has come to Gloucestershire

Active Gloucestershire has launched a new game of Street Tag running from 1st October to 27th November 2024.

Street Tag is an innovative, app-based physical activity program designed to motivate families to lead more active lives and explore and connect with their communities. By transforming the world around, them into a virtual playground, users earn points by walking, running, cycling, scooting or rolling in their wheelchairs to collect tags strategically placed throughout their local community.

Street Tag points help players compete on the Leaderboard, climb up the rankings, and win prizes during each active season.

Participation is completely FREE.   Go to GCC site for more details

Please contact me if you wish to discuss any issues or raise concerns.

Susan.williams@gloucestershire.gov.uk

01452  770928 or 07766318854

Photo of Cllr Sue Williams

Cllr Sue Williams, Gloucestershire County Council

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