Lib Dem Leader, Cllr. Jeremy Hilton said:

“The Tories have been obsessed for some time about a city of culture bid, despite senior officers at the city council saying that such a project was ‘all consuming’. It’s obvious they didn’t even have the resources to put in an expression of interest by the 19th of July.

This ‘vanishing council’ has recently lost two senior directors. It’s clear there was no-one available to write the bid document. The latest example of the negative impact of the Tory cuts.

“Following the debacle of the Marketing Gloucester scandal, Lib Dem councillors were very sceptical that there was the capacity or competence to deliver such a project over the next few years. At least the Tories finally got the message. Don’t take on projects unless you can deliver them.”

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Gloucester City Council Press Statement Wednesday 21st July 2021

Gloucester City Council and Gloucester Cultural Trust will not be submitting an Expression of Interest for the 2025 City of Culture but will instead be focusing efforts on the city’s cultural recovery.

A joint statement on behalf of the two organisations said: “While the City of Culture title undoubtedly brings new opportunities and Gloucester was proposing a truly ambitious cross-county approach we have decided on reflection to concentrate our resources on delivering the city’s cultural recovery and existing projects that we are committed to, whilst supporting the fantastic work that has been done to grow Gloucester’s creative communities.

The bid process requires significant resources and it has been decided to focus that energy and investment into the recovery of the city following the challenges of the pandemic. However, the conversations which have taken place around creative collaboration across the county are set to continue as will the work to invest in local artists, performers and producers to nurture our emerging talents. We are proud to already have fantastic cultural events and activities in the city which will be further boosted by the regeneration of Kings Square into a world class events space and the launching of Jolt artist studios and entrepreneurial hub later this year.

We’d like to thank all those partners and supporters who have come together to offer their support and hope to be able to harness that enthusiasm as we continue to develop the cultural scene and recovery in Gloucester.” 

Future cultural projects include 

·         Launch of Jolt on Kings Square as the city’s primary cultural industries incubation space and development of King’s House as a cultural ‘hotspot’ within the city with The Music Works facilities for accessible music production and skills development

·         Cultural Development Fund (CDF) bid focused on developing the Guildhall arts and culture venue

·         Delivering the city’s revised Cultural Strategy with a particular focus on developing the cultural infrastructure and local creative capacity

·         Growing and developing Gloucester’s events and festivals programme including Kings Jam, The Rooftop Festival, Tall Ships, Gloucester Carnival, Gloucester History Festival and The Three Choirs

·         Establishing King’s Square as a world class events space with a vibrant programme of events and activities

· Work with established and emerging cultural groups such as Strike a Light and artists developing talent which reflects the diversity of the city

Gloucestershire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has released its 2021 Annual Report.

Rounding up a year of work within the OPCC, the report covers everything from the reopening of Cirencester Magistrates Court, and the launch of the Sabrina Centre – the Constabulary’s first dedicated training facility, through to the election of new Police and Crime Commissioner, Chris Nelson.

It is available to download at gloucestershire-pcc.gov.uk/2021-opcc-annual-report/

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Police are issuing a warning to people living in Gloucester that they are being targeted for “courier fraud” scams.

Local residents are telephoned by fraudsters purporting to be police officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Metropolitan police. These have included male and female callers who gave their names as “DC Martin RILEY”, “DC Adam GARDINER” and “DC Sarah EVANS”. The victims are being told that they are required to assist a covert police investigation, and instructed to withdraw cash and purchase foreign currency, gold, jewellery, and iPhones. Victims are told that these items are needed for the secret investigation and they are instructed by the fraudsters to travel to various locations around the city; where the items are handed over to a “police courier”.

Gloucestershire Constabulary have received seven courier fraud reports so far this month, all targeting residents in Gloucester. One victim lost £40,000 over the course of several days before realising it was a scam.

Advice for protecting against scams:

• Neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords.
• If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back.
• If you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time and try calling a family member or friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line.
• Just because someone knows basic details about you like your address or date of birth, it doesn’t mean they are genuine bank or police employees.
• Always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police.

If you think you or someone you know has been defrauded, you can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040

Although all these offences have happened in the Gloucester area the fraudsters could target Cheltenham or any other part of the county next.

Please pass this information on to as many friends and neighbours that you can, especially if they are vulnerable or live alone.

If you would like to start a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area and receive regular and up-to-date crime messages for your area please reply to this message or call Bob Lloyd on 01452 752086 for further information.

Message Sent By
Bob Lloyd (Police, Neighbourhood Watch Officer, Gloucestershire)

Hot weather presents criminals with additional opportunities.

Don’t become a victim of summer crime!

Think security!

For more crime prevention information visit: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/

If you need to report something, please complete this online form: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Always call 999 in an emergency.

You can collect your free, rapid COVID-19 test kits from one of five libraries located in and around Gloucester City.

Regular, rapid COVID-19 tests are for people with no symptoms. Rapid testing helps to detect cases of the virus, that we might not of otherwise known about, so that action can be taken quickly to help prevent the virus spreading to others.

The following libraries are offering the service, please check opening hours as these will vary between each site:

• Hucclecote Library: Hucclecote Road, Gloucester GL3 3RT
• Gloucester City Centre: Eastgate Shopping Centre, Brunswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1HT
• Longlevens Library: Church Road, Longlevens, GL2 0AJ
• Quedgeley Library: Bristol Road, Quedgeley, GL2 4PE
• Churchdown Library: Parton Road, Churchdown, GL3 2AF

NHS Site Finder Map includes the locations of all participating pharmacies and Community Collect points across the county.

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/testing

There is a good programme of events at Robinswood Hill over the summer. Visit www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/events for more information and to book.

[Originally posted on my Facebook page]

I had a productive meeting on site at Earls Park, with the Managing Director of Matthew Homes and the site management team.

We discussed a range of issues and I am pleased that things seem to be moving forward.

Here’s an update on some of the concerns:

? Cut-through – after I raised concerns over the use of the cut-through by vehicles, this has been blocked off. Eventually this will be replaced with a bollard or staggered gates.

? Road surfaces – these will need to be topped off at the end of the development when all the roads are adopted by Highways. In the meantime there has been some patching work but please let me know if there are areas where more is needed.

? Play areas – site team are going through the final insurance and health & safety checks and these should be open in the next two weeks.

? Litter bins – are included in the approved plans but not wooden railings round the sites – I raised this in the meeting and it is something we can press the council for when they adopt the play parks.

?Street lights – all lights should now be active but if any are not please let me know and I will pass this on. In the case of lights that are too bright then this needs to be raised in the usual way.

? Internet – Virgin Media have been going door to door and there will be further providers once CityFibre have completed.

? Street nameplates – more have arrived and will be installed soon – including at the top of Neven Place.

? Covid – Matthew Homes have been working on the backlog of issues from the pandemic, including the time when home visits were impossible.

? Comms – Residents are asked to keep using the aftersales contact for communication, and reminded that they have the recourse of NHBC for persistent issues.

❓If there is something that crops up on a weekend then please visit the sales office at the Bristol Road entrance and this will be passed on for Monday.

As always you can raise issues with me and I will be happy to pass them on to Matthew Homes.

There will be two meetings of the ‘Not so secret book club’ in July and August. These events are run by Read with me and are free.

Do take your young readers along!

It’s great to see all the fantastic yarn art on the trees in Tuffley Park.

Visitors can take part in then numbered trail by obtaining the information from the Club at Tuffley Park.

This work from a team of volunteers is brightening up the park and helping to cheer people up. What’s more, it’s a free thing to do with the kids as schools break up for the summer.

Gloucester residents are being warned not to lose their voice on decisions that affect them by making sure their electoral registration details are up to date.

The annual canvass ensures that the electoral register is kept up to date, identifying any residents who are not registered to vote so that they can do so in future.  

Residents will be sent a letter or an email to update their details with information about how they can submit their details.

Jon McGinty, Electoral Registration Officer at Gloucester City Council, said: “It’s important that residents help us to make sure we have the right details on the electoral register for every address in Gloucester. We will send you a form or an email for you to respond to and all you need to do is simply follow the instructions. Alternatively the easiest way to register now is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”

People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages from Gloucester City Council and check the details.

Research by the Electoral Commission indicates that recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time. 

Information on registering to vote is available on the Electoral Commission website or contact the Gloucester registration team at elections@gloucester.gov.uk.