23 October 2025

Councillors across the county will now discuss these options during November:

·    One council for the whole of Gloucestershire (Single Unitary Authority)

·    Two councils: one for the West (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud) and one for the East (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Tewkesbury)

Gloucester City Council has also been developing a separate proposal for a Greater Gloucester unitary council, the details of which will be released in due course.

All proposals must be submitted to The Government by 28 November 2025.

The Government is then expected to consult Gloucestershire residents and other key stakeholders early next year before they decide in the summer which proposal they want to see implemented in the county.

For more information, please click here.

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Parish Councillors have been advised that consultation has started for outline planning application, proposing up to 170 high-quality homes, new areas of public open space and the potential for a community facility, accessed via the A38, at land east of Sandhurst Lane, Twigworth.

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The attached letter is currently being delivered to local residents inviting them to engage with the public consultation process; and the proposer would also welcome the opportunity to meet with you, either online or in person, to discuss the proposals in more detail and hear your views directly.

To learn more, give your feedback and have any of your questions answered please visit the proposers website by clicking here.

On the website you can also register to receive updates and sign up for one of their online consultation events where they will be presenting the proposals and answering questions. These events will be held on:

• Tuesday, 4th November at 7pm (evening session)
• Thursday, 6th November at 1pm (afternoon session)

You can share your views via the online survey on the website, which closes Thursday, 13 November. Questions for the consultation events, including video questions, can be submitted in advance for the project team to address live.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 07799797575

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What is the grant for?

The purpose of the Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund is to enable communities to support the council’s ambition to improve health and wellbeing, create resilient communities, and tackle health inequalities. 

The scheme will deliver funding to community initiatives that seek to make a positive impact on health and wellbeing and our local communities.

Examples of projects that could be supported include: 

• Friends of local parks initiatives that encourage volunteering or create safer park environments
• Community hub activities that bring people together
• Path improvements along canal towpaths that encourage access to nature
• Lunch clubs that support access to nutritious food, reduce isolation, and foster social connections
• Creating cycleways to encourage active travel
• Recruiting digital champions to reduce digital exclusion
• Food projects that promote access to healthy food
• One-off events and celebrations that bring communities together
• Improvements to community buildings such as village halls or sports clubs
• Nature initiatives such as growing projects or those that increase biodiversity

All projects must directly benefit physical or mental wellbeing. 

The total sum available for grants in each electoral division is limited to £20,000. There will be a lower limit of £250 and an upper limit of £5,000 per grant. 

If you want to discuss whether your project is eligible or have any questions about the fund, please get in touch with our team by emailing: GNF@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

Who can apply?

This is a county councillor led grant scheme and all applications must be endorsed by the relevant county councillor. You can find your county councillor using this link: Your Councillors. You must first approach your councillor to discuss your application. 

For more information, please click here.

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The Parish Council have been advised by Vistry, that the long overdue Bus Shelter for Twigworth Green, Ironbridge Road is planned to be installed on 5th November.

This will be welcome news for the long suffering bus passengers, who may well celebrate with some fireworks after!

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Flood Awareness Week, also known as Flood Action Week in the UK, is an annual campaign that encourages people to take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their risk, signing up for flood warnings, and creating a plan,

The 2025 UK Flood Action Week is scheduled for October 13-19 and emphasizes that flooding can happen anywhere, and preparation is key to reducing risk and damage. 

What are flood protection measures?

Flooding damages lives as well as property. This impact can be due to losing cherished household items and being forced to leave your home. As well as this, there is the mental and emotional impact of shock at what has happened.  

With the climate crisis, flooding is only going to get worse.  

So, don’t just be house proud. Be Flood Smart and protect the heart of your home with PFR measures. It couldn’t be easier. 

#BeFloodSmart and find out about protecting your home from flooding, click here for more information: https://www.floodre.co.uk/be-flood-smart/

Prepare for flooding.

This is a link to the Gov.UK website, find out more by clicking on image below.

There is more information about flooding on this website, please click here for here the link to the page.

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Press release 
16 October 2025

A new phase of engagement for the Strategic and Local Plan (SLP) begins on Monday, 20 October 2025.    

The SLP is the shared development plan that will set out the most effective way to manage growth and house building for Cheltenham Borough, Gloucester City and Tewkesbury Borough over the next 20 years.    

Drawing on the insights and feedback gathered during the initial engagement in 2024, this is another important opportunity for residents, businesses, and partners to have their say on the future of our area.    

Alistair Cunningham, Chief Executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council and Senior Responsible Officer for the SLP, said: “The Strategic and Local Plan will set out where new housing should go, what kind of homes are needed, what jobs and growth we’re aiming for, and the infrastructure required to support it all, whilst protecting the natural and historic environment.  “That includes things like community facilities, flood mitigation, roads and cycle paths, green spaces, sewerage – everything that makes growth sustainable and works for the people who live here.  That’s why your input really matters. We want this to be shaped by the community, not just imposed on it.”  

People can explore topic papers and evidence studies, and sign up for notifications about the new papers as they are released, at strategiclocalplan.org.    

The topic and evidence papers will cover subjects including: the future role of the city and the towns in the area, how many new homes are needed, and how to support economic growth and jobs for people alongside infrastructure needs.  

Some of the topic papers and key evidence papers are for information and awareness, and some will invite people to provide feedback on their content. Each paper will be open for a six-week period.  

Workshops will also be held to gather views from groups such as town and parish councils, and local business leaders in housing and economic development.  

The programme of online engagement will include short films from leading industry experts who will introduce new subjects.  

Engagement runs until June 2026, with pre-submission of the plan to government in July 2026, and the final submission in October/November 2026.

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Click here or on image below to open and expand Newsletter

3 October 2025

Tewkesbury Borough Council has approved a new approach to grass cutting across the borough.

At a Council meeting on Tuesday, 30 September, councillors agreed to support parish councils in finding the best approach to cutting grass on county-owned land.

The announcement of a review to the borough’s approach to grass cutting was made in the summer. Previously, Tewkesbury Borough Council maintained certain areas on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, and topped up the county’s standard two cuts a year to between eight and 12 cuts a year. However, earlier this year, both councils agreed to stop subsidising the additional cuts, and the responsibility for maintaining these areas returned to the county council on their standard schedule. 

This decision was welcomed by many people as a positive move for biodiversity, but it also led to some dissatisfaction for the reduced number of cuts, with inconsistencies in maintenance across different areas. 

With Local Government Reorganisation set to introduce changes for Gloucestershire – in which district councils merge to form part of a new unitary structure – borough councillors voted to work more closely with parish councils to develop localised grass-cutting plans. Parishes will be encouraged to take on the responsibility for any grass cutting above and beyond what the other councils already provide. 

Cllr Murray Stewart, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environmental Services, said: “Thank you to everyone who took time to share their feedback when the county council took back the responsibility for grass cutting in the borough. We considered the options available, taking into consideration the concerns about amenity, appearance and safety, as well as comments and praise for the approach to biodiversity during the summer.  

“We will now contact parish councils, supporting them to identify grass-cutting requirements in their areas and form bespoke plans for long-term maintenance.”  

A press release issued following the 2025/26 budget previously suggested the budget was approved without any reduction to service delivery. However, the borough council’s discretionary ‘top up’ of cuts had been removed.      

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