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Council launches ‘Town safe’ campaign to enhance community safety

Improving safety, high street cleanliness, and tackling antisocial behaviour, is at the heart of a new campaign launching in Tewkesbury Borough this summer.    

Beginning this month, led by the Tewkesbury Borough Community Safety Partnership (TBCSP), the council’s community teams will be working with the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner and Gloucestershire Constabulary, to tackle safety issues and raise awareness of the help and support that is available to everyone that needs it.    

Councillor Alex Hegenbarth, Lead Member for Communities and Housing for Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “We know that feeling safe really matters to our communities—especially during the summer, when antisocial behaviour tends to rise. That’s why we’re taking action to help everyone feel secure and supported.   

“As well as working with Tewkesbury Safe in the town centre, our officers—and the police—will be out in the busiest areas, using their powers to deal with littering, dog-fouling and other anti-social behaviour.   

“Tewkesbury, Bishop’s Cleeve, and Winchcombe will all see the benefits of the partnership work which will help keep our towns and villages welcoming, tidy and safe for all.”     

Police and Crime Commissioner, Chris Nelson, said: “Preventing crime and anti-social behaviour is never a job just for the police. This summer, alongside frequent high visibility patrols to deter crime and anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer, we’re working with a whole host of organisations that we’re lucky to have here in Gloucestershire, that can help provide alternative activities and support.”  

Throughout the summer, the TBCSP will work with local businesses and residents to tackle fly-tipping, support housing providers in organising community clean-ups and skip days, identify Safe Spaces, and raise awareness of the support available to vulnerable people.   

Steve Lindsay, Gloucestershire Safe Manager, continued: “I’m pleased to see this great response to the Tewkesbury Safe scheme, and I’d urge businesses who are interested in joining to get in touch.”    

Inspector Grant White, from the Tewkesbury Neighbourhood Policing team, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe where they live. My team will be conducting more patrols in busier shopping areas around the borough to help reduce thefts and assaults on shop workers. Joint council and police patrols will also continue to help reduce anti-social behaviour and ensure safer public spaces.”     

Full details of Tewkesbury Safe can be found on the website: tewkesbury.gov.uk/tewkesbury-safe.  

Notes:   

Gloucestershire Safe is a not-for-profit Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) formed by members of the Business Community with the sole intention of facilitating the reduction of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour around Gloucestershire.   
Find out more: Home – Gloucestershire Safe.   

Tewkesbury Borough Council is using £20,000 from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund to develop community safety projects over the summer months, including expanding Tewkesbury Safe.  

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Council Plan refreshed to deliver on ambition through to 2028

A revitalised version of Tewkesbury Borough Council’s strategic roadmap has been published, reaffirming the council’s commitment to supporting people and strengthening communities – while adapting to a changing local government landscape.

Originally approved on 15 May 2024, the Council Plan (2024–2030) set out a clear vision underpinned by three priorities: caring for people, caring for the environment, and caring for place. These remain unchanged, alongside the council’s values of being open and honest, respectful, and inclusive.

The plan has undergone its first annual refresh, ensuring it continues to be relevant and focused on delivery. This year’s refresh reflects national Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), which will see the creation of new unitary authorities by 1 April 2028.

In light of this, the Council Plan has been refocused as a three-year delivery plan (2025–2028). While the overarching vision and priority themes stay the same, several supporting actions have been updated. Using a ‘continue, change, cease’ approach, the council reviewed each action to focus on what can realistically be achieved by the end of 2028. Many actions are progressing well and will continue unchanged, while others have been adjusted to reflect delivery realities before the 2028 transition.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Leader, Councillor Richard Stanley, said: “This refresh strikes the right balance – staying true to our ambitions while ensuring we deliver results our residents can see and feel. With the changes ahead, we want this plan to guide real impact, not just good intentions.” 

Some highlights from actions during the last 12 months include the council’s national Climate Action Scorecard being at 44% – significantly above the national average of 35%.

The Development Management team won Local Authority Planning Team of the Year at the prestigious Planning Awards 2025, recognising their three-year business improvement which saw significant transformation for speed of planning application decisions. The council continues to support local communities and is working towards securing more affordable high-quality housing as part of the Strategic and Local Plan.

The council has also supported people’s health and wellbeing by supporting 12 new and existing warm spaces across borough, which offer free warm and safe places during winter with 12,000 visits to those spaces.

As well as a clear performance management tracker document supported with a suite of key performance indicators that accompany the plan, a number of strategies and programmes will inform and support its delivery. These include:

  • Climate Change and Ecological Framework
  • Housing and Homelessness Strategy
  • Waste and Recycling Strategy
  • Economic Development and Tourism Strategy
  • Strategic and Local Plan
  • Flood Response and Resilience Action Plan
  • Communications Strategy
  • Community Safety Strategy
  • Tree Strategy

The plan will be revisited in 2026 to reflect not only the progress and impact of Local Government Reorganisation but also the challenging financial landscape which the council will continue to face.

Tewkesbury Borough Council Plan can be viewed online at tewkesbury.gov.uk/council-plan 

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Council approves ambitious budget for 2025/26

Gloucestershire County Council has approved its ambitious £665 million budget for 2025/26.

At a meeting of council on Wednesday, February 19, the budget was approved by members.

The council is in a good financial position meaning it is able to continue support for existing services as well as make significant investments across the county.

The spending plans for 2025/26 will see spending rise by more than £48.2 million on 2024/25 levels, to over £665 million.

The budget includes significant investment into the council’s priority areas of Highways, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Adult Services, Infrastructure, and the Environment.

  • An ongoing £10 million towards delivering on the council’s £100 million four-year commitment to go on improving Gloucestershire roads, with a greater focus in 2025/26 on tackling rural roads.
  • A total £22.2 million towards increasing capacity and improving school buildings and facilities of schools across the county, including £12.8 million towards a new 200 place special school.
  • Young people with SEND and their families will be supported with an extra £2.1 million.
  • £7.5 million towards the future construction of three new adult care homes is being set aside in 2025/26, with further investment planned in future years.
  • Household Waste Recycling Centres in the county will see improvements with a £1.3 million injection.

The budget will raise £20.3 million to help fund services through a council tax increase of 2.99 per cent. It would also see £7.9 million raised specifically to support work with the most vulnerable adults in the county through a further 2 per cent increase in the adult social care precept.

Despite this increase the council still expects to have one of the lowest council tax levels of any county council. Based on a band D property, residents would pay an additional £6.65 each month.

The council continues to challenge itself to work more effectively and as a result has identified £24.5 million in savings, additional income and efficiencies for next year.

A number of amendments to the budget were proposed, with those below being agreed and therefore adopted as part of the council’s spending plans for 2025/26.

The approved one-off budget amendments were as follows:

  • £100,000 to support the expansion of the successful waterscapes natural flood management project, through a grant to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (Green)
  • £60,000 as funding to the eight Community Libraries (£7,500 per library) towards repair, maintenance and energy efficiency upgrades in their buildings e.g. LED lighting (Green)
  • £50,000 to increase the council’s budgeted contribution to the Greener Gloucestershire Climate Action Fund, which has just opened to applications from community climate projects that promote behaviour change, doubling the money that can be funded in this round (Green)
  • £50,000 to set up one or two Libraries of Things within Gloucestershire, following the successful example of Charlton Kings Library (Green)
  • £50,000 to extend the term of the popular free bus pass initiative for veterans (Green)
  • £60,000 to engage a part-time coordinator to manage the master composter volunteers and promote community composting initiatives (Green)
  • £50,000 to support a feasibility study considering the implementation of community car clubs in the county, following the successful rollout across Oxfordshire (Green)
  • £500,000 towards a flood alleviation fund (Conservative)
  • £430,000 towards targeted youth services (Conservative)
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Cabinet set to approve ambitious budget for 2025/26

Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet is set to approve an ambitious £650 million budget for 2025/26 following a period of public consultation.

The council is in a good financial position meaning it is able to continue support for existing services as well as make significant investments across the county.

The draft budget for the coming financial year will be discussed at a meeting of Cabinet on Wednesday, 29 January.

The proposed spending plans for 2025/26 will see spending rise by more than £32.7 million on 2024/25 levels, to almost £650 million.

The £649.6 million proposed budget includes significant investment into the council’s priority areas of Highways, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Adult Services, Infrastructure, and the Environment.

·         A further £10 million is proposed to be put towards delivering on the council’s £100 million four-year commitment to go on improving Gloucestershire roads, with a greater focus in 2025/26 on tackling rural roads.

·         A total of £12.8 million is set to go towards a new £16.5 million 200 place special school.

·         Young people with SEND and their families would be supported with an extra £2.1 million.

·         £7.5 million towards the future construction of three new adult care homes is being set aside, with further investment planned in future years.

·         The council plans to increase capacity and improve school buildings and facilities of other schools across the county with a £12.4 million investment.

·         Household Waste Recycling Centres in the county will see improvements with a £1.3 million injection.

The Cabinet meeting follows a public consultation which ran from 5 December until 10 January.

This consultation saw 65 per cent of respondents either agree or strongly agree with the council’s priorities for the year ahead.

As well as this, 74 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the funding the council are proposing to allocate to Adults Services, Public Health and Communities, and to Children and Families, with 75 per cent agreeing with the money the council plans to spend on Community Safety.

In addition, 61 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the council’s funding proposals for the Economy, Environment and Infrastructure. The responses saw a mix of views on whether there should be more or less investment into the county’s roads and cycling infrastructure.

The budget proposes raising £16.5 million to help fund services through a council tax increase of 2.99 per cent. The proposals would also see £7.8 million raised specifically to support work with the most vulnerable adults in the county through a further 2 per cent increase in the adult social care precept.

Despite this increase the council still expects to have one of the lowest council tax levels of any county council. Based on a band D property, residents would pay an additional £6.65 each month.

The council continues to challenge itself to work more effectively and as a result has identified £24.5 million in savings, additional income and efficiencies for next year.

Cllr Stephen Davies, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I would like to thank residents from across our county for giving their views in the recent consultation, which gives valuable insight into where people want money to be spend.

“I am pleased that we are in a position to both support existing services and invest in our priorities.

“Unlike many of our neighbours who are making cuts, Gloucestershire County Council’s budget sees us able to invest in critical areas.

“In our budget proposals, we have tried hard to balance the financial strain we are all already feeling against the need to keep investing in services for the most vulnerable and to support a strong future for the county.”

If the draft budget is approved by Cabinet, it will be put to Full Council at a meeting in February.

Further information on the budget and the outcomes of the consultation can be found here.