Author: Admin

Press Statement: 10 March 2026

Gloucestershire County Council is set to begin introducing community-backed 20mph speed limits and other road safety measures as part of a major new road safety programme.

At its cabinet meeting on 18 March, councillors will be asked to approve the Safer Roads and Community 20s programme. This sets out how lower speed limits will be introduced in towns, villages and neighbourhoods where there is local support, alongside targeted reductions on higher-risk rural roads.

The programme aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries, make streets safer for residents and support healthier, more active communities.

Lower speeds are proven to reduce both the likelihood and severity of collisions. In residential areas they also make it easier and safer for people to walk, wheel and cycle, helping children get to school safely, older residents stay active, and communities feel more connected.

The county council has already secured almost £2.8 million of funding to begin delivery, with the first schemes expected in 2026/27. A phased four-year approach will prioritise areas with the greatest road safety need.

Cllr Lisa Spivey, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Keeping people safe on our roads is one of our biggest priorities. This programme will allow us to introduce 20mph limits in communities that want them and where they will make the biggest difference to safety. 

“This is a practical, evidence-led approach that focuses on reducing serious injuries and deaths while working closely with local communities.”

More than 150 parish councils and unparished areas in Gloucester and Cheltenham have already expressed interest in joining the programme. 

Each community will be engaged directly, with information shared about local traffic speeds and collision data before any formal consultation takes place. 

Alongside community 20mph limits, the council will continue delivering safety schemes at locations where collision records show people are most at risk. These may include speed reductions or physical changes to road layouts. 

Although casualty numbers have fallen since the council set a target to halve deaths and serious injuries from 2022 to 2032, 1,125 people were involved in road traffic collisions in Gloucestershire last year, highlighting the need for continued action.

Cabinet approval will allow officers to finalise the first year’s programme and begin detailed engagement with communities. 

• To see a video about the scheme, go to: Cllr Lisa Spivey provides an update on 20mph speed limits across the county 🚗

Extra information:

1. The Safer Roads and Community 20s programme sets out how Gloucestershire County Council will introduce 20mph speed limits in residential areas where there is clear local support, alongside targeted reductions on higher-risk rural roads.
2. Gloucestershire County Council has secured almost £2.8 million of funding to begin delivery of the programme, with the first schemes expected to be implemented from 2026/27.
3. More than 150 parish councils, along with the unparished areas of Gloucester and Cheltenham, have expressed interest in participating in the programme.
4. Each area will go through a structured engagement process, including sharing local traffic speed data and collision information with communities before formal consultation begins.
5. The programme will be delivered over four years, prioritising areas with the greatest road safety and public health need.
6. Alongside Community 20s schemes, the council will continue delivering targeted safety improvements at locations with a history of serious collisions. These may include speed reductions, changes to road layouts or other engineering measures.
7. Gloucestershire County Council has set a target to halve the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads by 2032.
8. In the most recent reporting year, 1,125 people were involved in road traffic collisions on Gloucestershire’s roads.

Initial programme phasing

Phase 1 – 2026/27

Pre-planned schemes on individual A and B roads and early community 20mph schemes including Tuffley, Dursley and Cheltenham Central.

Phase 2 – 2027/28

Initial engagement beginning with:

• Cirencester and surrounding areas
• Cheltenham (parished and unparished areas)
• Stroud and Cainscross
• Tewkesbury, Ashchurch and Wheatpieces
• Cinderford, Ruspidge, Soudley and Littledean

Phase 3 – 2027/28–2028/29

Engagement beginning in Gloucester and further towns and parishes.

---

Note. Twigworth Parish Council have already expressed interest in joining the programme. 

---

At the recent Parish Council meeting, Claire Savory, Chief Executive Officer of The GLA Trust, gave a short introduction and presentation about the Trust and the proposed new school at Twigworth Green.

The GLA Trust is a local multi-academy trust committed to Championing Children and has already successfully opened Longford Park Primary Academy in the area. They are very interested in applying to open the proposed new free school at Twigworth Green.

Before progressing further, the Trust has emphasised that it is important to understand the needs, priorities, and aspirations of the local community.

Although it is still early days — particularly in light of the latest statement from the GCC Education Department regarding the Twigworth Green school timeline — The GLA Trust are nevertheless keen to engage with the local community about this proposed school.

For reference, a discussion document shared with the Parish Council is attached.

Road Closure – TTRO 813, Down Hatherley Lane/Frog Furlong Lane, Down Hatherley

Please be advised of the following temporary road closures;

Down Hatherley Lane/Frog Furlong Lane, Down Hatherley

The roads above will be subject to a road closure from 05/05/2026 to 07/05/2026 (Nights only 1900 – 0700, only one road to be closed at any one time) to allow for Cable recovery works on behalf of Openreach. Emergency and Pedestrian access to be maintained.  

If you require any further information regarding these closures, please contact Gloucestershire Highways on 08000 514514.

Road Closure – TTRO 812, A38 Tewkesbury Road, Twigworth

Please be advised of the following temporary road closure;

A38 Tewkesbury Road, Twigworth

The road above will be subject to a road closure from 05/05/2026 to 08/05/2026 (Nights only 1900 – 0700) to allow for Cable recovery works on behalf of Openreach. Emergency and Pedestrian access to be maintained.  

If you require any further information regarding these closures, please contact Gloucestershire Highways on 08000 514514.

UPDATE: 28 February 2026

Further to our reports on here 4 and 25 February 2026, we have been contacting Vistry to receive an update on the on-going situation with the local sewerage network and in particular the Longford Pumping Station, which has been going on since end of January.

---

Each tanker is capable of holding 15,000 litres of sewerage and these are visiting Twigworth Green and Longford up to twice daily!

---

Following the response we received from a Vistry spokesperson on 24 February 2026, Twigworth Parish Councillors requested Vistry to further advise on the following:

1. At what point do you foresee STW resolving the issues at Longford, seeing as it is putting a strain and cost on yourselves?
2. Can you please advise who you are in contact with at STW over this, so we can raise the issue too, as you will appreciate that the coming and going of tankers puts a strain on the community.

Vistry Spokesperson responded on 27 February 2026:

“To date, we have had no meaningful response from Severn Trent Water (STW) through either our contacts or through their Customer Services team. We approached the Customer Servies team (0800 number) on the back of previous advice and to ensure that an incident was formally logged on their system. We are currently looking to escalate this matter within STW.

As per the note above, we have logged the incident with STW Customer Services team through their 0800 telephone number. We have been given an incident reference number but to date have not received any meaningful updates. We are also seeking updates through the Operational Deliver Manager (Waste) who sits within the Developer Services Team.

I’m sure you are already aware, but Severn Trent Water are also tankering from the Longford development. We are continuing to monitor our tankering and will look to reduce this as soon as the conditions allow in accordance with advice from our specialist contractor.”

---

Twigworth Parish Council will continue to closely monitor the on-going situation and will endeavour to keep residents informed of any updates we receive.

---

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on :

Thursday 5th March 2026

Down Hatherley Village Hall

19:00 hrs – 21:00 hrs

Press Release 25 February 2026

Tewkesbury Borough Council has approved a budget for 2026/27, which sees its council tax rate remaining as one of the lowest in the country.      

On Tuesday, 24 February, the council agreed a balanced budget of £13,939,914. This includes an increase in council tax for a band D property of £5 per year, from £149.36 to £154.36.      

Councillor Stewart Dove, Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management, said: “I am very pleased that this budget has been approved by the council with cross-party support. This means that across the 2026/2027 financial year, our average householder will pay the council less than £3 per week to have bins emptied, food premises inspected, continue with our work to protect the environment, and all our other vital services delivered.     

“Less than 6.6 per cent of the total council tax that householders pay goes towards covering the cost of services provided by the borough council – as the whole bill also supports the work of the county council, local parish and town councils, and Gloucestershire Constabulary -however we always seek to provide excellent value for money and deliver on our council ambitions.       

“I’m especially pleased that we have been able to set a balanced budget despite further reductions in the level of funding that we receive from central government. As a rural borough council, there is no doubt that we are amongst the big losers from the government’s redistribution of local council funding over the next three years. 

“We have worked extremely hard to ensure we have not had to reduce or stop any of our services to residents for the year ahead. We will seek to ensure that this approach continues as we look at the financial challenges facing us in future years.    

“Despite these tricky budgetary constraints, it is pleasing to note that our sound financial planning has allowed for some further investment in a number of our key services such as Revenues and Benefits, Environmental Health and Planning, as well as our flood response.”      

The budget is based on continuing current council services and the Council Plan. As the authority continues to work with neighbouring councils in light of the upcoming Local Government Reorganisation, the budget will be reviewed, ensuring resources and funding meet its needs and prepare for the formation of a new unitary authority.      

To view the full budget visit tewkesbury.gov.uk.  

---

UPDATE: 24 February 2026

Further to our report on here 4 February 2026, we have been contacting Vistry to receive an update on the on-going situation with the local sewerage network and in particular the Longford Pumping Station, which has been going on since end of January.

---

Response from a Vistry spokesperson – 24 February 2026

“Since the initial update, Vistry have continued to tanker Foul Water (FW) effluent under the guidance of our specialist consultant/contractor, Adler and Allan (A&A). We have focussed on the two areas previously identified to have evidence of FW at the surface. 

We have also continued to chase responses from Severn Trent Water (STW) to our questions relating to the performance of the Longford Pumping Station. Unfortunately, to date, I have not had any meaningful response from STW. Whilst there has been no formal communication with STW, we do understand that STW are also providing tankers from within the Longford development.

The developers have continued our engagement with the Environmental Agency. I understand that Adler and Allan also met with the EA last week. Although I await a written report from A&A, I understand that the discussion was positive in terms of the actions taken so far.

We are currently recording the volume of effluent removed from the system. This information appears to support the hypothesis that there is an issue with the capacity at the Longford PS.

I appreciate that this isn’t necessarily a clear cut response to you, but until STW come to the table, I am unable to provide any more information. In the meantime, we continue to heed the advice of our specialist consultant/contractor and provide tankers within Twigworth Green.”

---

The Parish Council will continue to closely monitor the on-going situation and will endeavour to keep residents informed of any updates we receive, in the meanwhile we have responded to Vistry and asked at what point do they foresee STW resolving the issues at Longford.

The Parish Council have requested Vistry to advise who they are in contact with at STW over this, so we can raise our concerns too, as the continued lack of a “meaningful response” from Severn Trent Water is highly concerning for the local community.

---

Please click on the image below to expand the Newsletter Pages

BBC NEWS REPORT

Carmelo Garcia (Local Democracy Reporter)

• Published 20 February 2026

Residents say they are angry as sewage has been flooding villages for two weeks.

Twigworth, Innsworth and Longford in Gloucestershire have seen significant housing developments in recent years, with hundreds more planned.

Villagers are concerned this will put pressure on what they described as a failing sewage network, with George Sharpley, chairman of Twigworth Parish Council, saying: “People are angry and worried.”

Severn Trent (STW) said it was working to address the issues and had invested heavily to improve the system.

One Twigworth resident said: “As soon as the heavy rain started, the water in the fields began to smell of sewage.

“You can see it bubbling up from below the surface.”

Tankers have been sent to draw waste out of manholes, but villagers said they were unsure how long it would continue, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

“We cannot get any information from the tanker drivers or from the borough council,” said Rick Harris, from Longford Parish Council.

Sharpley said they were asking for “two things”.

“An update on the immediate crisis, and secondly that hundreds of new houses due to be added to these failing networks will be held back until the problems are properly sorted. I’ve had no reply to emails or phone messages,” he said.

Sarah Hands, lead member for planning and placemaking at the borough council, said the Environment Agency was investigating the problem and that concerns had been raised with STW multiple times. 

She explained the water company was responsible for maintaining the drainage network and ensuring that it can cope with new developments, and is “consulted on all relevant planning applications”.

STW said it would keep customers updated.

“Investigations show our system is operating as it should, but we’re working with local developers on an underlying issue,” a spokesperson added.

They said this had caused the recent flooding “and is not a capacity issue”. 

“While this is being fixed, tankers are being used as a short‑term measure to help manage the situation, as we work towards a permanent solution.”