County Council Report December 2022
Graham Morgan

The County Council and the Domestic Abuse Partnership Board are continuing their work to prevent violence towards Women and Girls, by taking part in 16 Days of Action in the international campaign aiming to become ‘White Ribbon’ accredited.

The Winter Holiday Activity booking is now open from the 1st December, families can now book a range of fun, festive activities to help keep children and young people active, entertained and enjoying healthy meals during the Christmas school holidays, local partners FAVF are helping the County here in the Forest to make this possible.

A new £1.6 million unit for children with social and mental health needs (SEMHD) this will be provided here in the Forest at the Heart of the Forest Special School at Speech House and is part of a larger amount of money being spent across Gloucestershire.

The go-ahead has been given for the first Police, Fire & Rescue Stations with Newent and Winchcombe Stations to be used this way.

A New Diagnostic Centre is set to open in the Autumn, the £15 million Centre the first in the South West that will be in the County Council owned building at Quayside can now get underway with Kier being the contractor.

Locally I have been working with Mr Adrian Peacy of Ruspidge to try to resolve this situation caused by Stage Coach withdrawing its services effectively cutting off the Villages of Ruspidge & Soudley, a protest was staged at Cinderford over the loss of these services, and I have contacted Councillor Philip Robinson Cabinet member responsible at Shire Hall to ask if the Buckshaft service could be extended to take in these two Villages.

I have also been trying to find out what has happened to the VAS sign at Cinderford Bridge which has recently disappeared, I have made inquiries to Highways, Cinderford Town Council and the Police to try to find out what has happened to it.