Cllr Gareth Kitchen - Green Party

1st April 2026

Along with residents' casework and in addition to council and training meetings at Ebley Mill, Cllrs Kitchen, Braun & Cohen attended the regular council meetings at North Nibley, Stinchcombe & Wotton-under-Edge.

Council meetings 

Link to meeting agenda and documents in the committee title.

Development Control Committee – 10th March 2026

• Former rabbit farm at Stancombe, Bisley with Lypiatt Parish. S.25/1691/FUL
  • Application to erect a replacement building with two live/work units. Conversion of the original building had been approved in 2015, but the original building was partially demolished and then collapsed in a storm. Officers recommended refusal on the grounds that this would be a new building, in the open countryside, rather than conversion of an existing building.
    • Permitted
• Enforcement case – Land adjacent to PROW MMH41 Amberley N23/0377
  • Two yurt structures on this site in the Cotswold Natural Landscape in open countryside, used for a family home. Members considered the expediency of taking action against unauthorised development. It was agreed to defer serving the enforcement notice until the outcome of a planning appeal against a prior application refusal is known.
    • Deferred
  • Land off School Lane, Whitminster, S.25/0970/REM
    • Withdrawn
• Video recording (96 views)

Housing Committee – 17th March 2026

• New Downsizing Policy for council tenants: A new downsizing incentive scheme will support tenants seeking to downsize from family-sized council homes (2 bedrooms and above) to smaller accommodation that better meet their household's need. The aim is to make more effective use of council houses to meet the demand on the housing register, reduce long term reliance on temporary accommodation for homeless families. Tenants can apply to move under this initiative and will be entitled to receive a grant of between £1,500 to £2,500, with the grant amount depending on how many fewer bedrooms there are in their new property.
• New Mutual Exchange Policy for council homes: SDC is keen to promote mutual exchange as a way of encouraging and promoting tenant mobility. This policy provides a framework which enables tenants to move, with the consent of SDC, without going through the standard housing allocation process and to ensure households can move to properties that better meet their needs.
• New Vulnerability and Inclusive Services Policy: The new policy sets out the steps and measures that SDC will take to identify, support, and protect vulnerable tenants and residents throughout their interactions with SDC as their landlord. This relates to people who may be considered vulnerable due to their personal, economic, or social circumstances.
• Counter Fraud & Enforcement Unit (CFEU) report: The Council is committed to an effective counter fraud and anti-corruption culture, by promoting high ethical standards and encouraging the prevention and detection of fraudulent activities. Housing and tenancy fraud remains one of the top four areas of fraud and abuse within the public sector. In 2024/25, two properties were recovered, one had been abandoned and one tenant was served with a notice to quit. From April-December 2025, two further properties were recovered, one had been sublet and one was deemed to be ineligible for succession and the housing application was withdrawn. The total loss avoidance over these periods was £168k. The CFEU is to review the housing waiting list, including verification of applications within Emergency Band, Gold Band and Silver Band. There are approximately 16,000 active household applications on the register for Gloucestershire of which 3,080 relate to Stroud DC.
• New Homes & Regeneration Programme:
  • Four sites are under construction.
    
    • In Wotton, Gloucester Street/Bradley Street (8 units) – completion now anticipated in April 2026
    • Cambridge Avenue, Dursley (13 units)
    • Glebelands, Cam (23 units)
    • Queens Drive, Cashes Green, Stroud (7 units)
  • Swedish homes
    • The Avenue, Stinchcombe (16 units) – planning submission anticipated April 2026
    • Mount Pleasant, Wotton (8 units) – awaiting planning determination
    • The Knoll, Uley (18 units) – drainage and highways issues being addressed
  • Section 106 acquisitions:
    • 33 new homes have been approved to buy new homes from developers including 16 in Kingswood and 13 in Dursley.
      
• Depooling of rent and service charges: From April 2025 rent and service charges were separated, which led to an increase in overall service charges, though these are eligible for universal credit and housing benefit, so tenants in receipt of those benefits did not experience any personal increase in costs. Some complaints and adjustments. Arrears have increased, difficult to attribute to depooling or cost of living more generally.
• The Tenant Support Fund: This is a discretionary £200k fund with £105k awarded in grants from April-December 2025. The fund has been used for different purposes, including to clear debts, to purchase goods and to support training for tenants seeking employment.
  
• Independent Living scheme action plan: These are a group of unfurnished, self-contained homes specifically designed for older people (55+) and include Dryleaze in Wotton. The aim is to provide independent, secure accommodation with the optional addition of social facilities and functions. A new action plan supports the Independent Living Strategy and will involve improving recycling areas by adding clear signage to minimise cross-contamination of waste.
• Empty Council Homes: There are currently 98 empty homes of which 36 are ready to let, the remainder are in line for or having some degree of refurbishment.
• Video recording (30 views)

Community Services & Licensing Committee – 19th March 2026

• Stratford Park Lido Lots of public interest in this agenda item and the recommendation for SDC to temporarily close the Lido for the 2026 summer season due to the extensive repairs and refurbishment that is needed. It is estimated that up to £5m would be needed to undertake the refurbishment works on the Lido. The committee approved the recommendation and a proposed reallocation of the £900k budget for Lido capital works. The Council is committed to work collaboratively to enable community-led fundraising to secure the additional funding needed to cover the cost of repairs. These recommendations will next be considered by Strategy & Resources Committee (on 16 April) and Council (on 30 April). Since the meeting, the council is reviewing the evidence about the Lido condition to reconsider the possibility of opening it this year. A new, independent, health and safety assessment will be undertaken, as well as a new full condition survey of the site.  A risk assessment has since been shared and an action plan for community engagement will be published. People can sign up on the council website to be part of the fundraising campaign here.
• Leisure Capital Investment Options Appraisal: In addition to the Lido repairs, two other items were considered for Stratford Park leisure. It was agreed to commit £650k to fund gym equipment replacement and refurbishment works at the Active Lifestyles Stroud leisure centre, following community consultation. It was also agreed to continue to maintain Stratford Park within existing budgets.
• Member / officer reports were shared on the Museum in the Park, the Police & Crime Panel, Citizens Advice, Health and Wellbeing Champion updates.
• Video recording (605 views)

Audit & Standards Committee – 24th March 2026

• External Audit Plan – Agreed with external auditors Bishop Fleming.
• Treasury Management Activity – Quarter 3 report accepted.
  
• Strategic Risk Register – members discussed high scoring risks and requested updates for the next meeting.
• Corporate Complaints Performance Data (link) – Quarter 3 report noted. The complaints volume remains steady across the year. The majority of complaints relate to council housing. Not an official URL but you can check out the data (at least for now) here. https://flo.uri.sh/story/3110069/embed?auto=1#slide-0
• Video recording (43 views)

Other news 

• Stratford Park Lido Statement from Cllr Chloe Turner, Council Leader, following the CS&L Committee meeting (above). https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/statement-from-council-leader-on-stratford-park-lido/
• Canal Project Water flows into the first section of the canal's missing mile that was filled by the M5 construction in the late 1960s. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/water-flows-in-to-first-section-of-canal-s-missing-mile/
• Garden waste service extended Every household in the Stroud district can now use the council’s expanded garden waste collection service including remote and rural areas that were previously unreachable. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/garden-waste-service-expands-to-reach-every-household-in-the-stroud-district/
• Prosecution for breach of environmental law A Stroud‑based company has been fined more than £4,000 after admitting to illegally emitting dark smoke from an industrial site in Sharpness. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/stroud-business-fined-for-emitting-illegal-black-smoke/
• Scam warning Residents urged to stay alert after a local person recently lost more than £3,000 in a Direct Debit scam. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/council-urges-residents-to-be-alert-to-direct-debit-refund-scam/
• Easter Holiday family activities and events across the district – not only for children! https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news/easter-holiday-family-activities-and-events-across-the-stroud-district/

Prepared by Cllr Gareth Kitchen (Green) & Cllr Catherine Braun (Green) based on councillor activity in March with updates from Cllr Linda Cohen (Lib Dem). #sdc