The Right Worshipful Mayor of Gloucester, Cllr Kate Haigh and the leader of Gloucester City Council, Cllr Richard Cook have expressed great sadness following the announcement of the death of HRH Prince Philip:

“On behalf of all of Gloucester City Council’s councillors and staff, we would like to say how deeply sad we all are at the news of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s death. We send our sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and all her family at this time.

“The loss of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh is one that will be felt across the globe. We have been fortunate enough to welcome HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the city on a number of occasions, and each time we could feel his warmth and fondness for Gloucester.” 

“As a mark of respect for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh flags on all council buildings are being flown at half mast.”

The Council is seeking guidance on the most appropriate way for residents to offer their condolences and will issue further information in due course.

Gloucester Guildhall and the Museum of Gloucester have received a grant of £50,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to cultural organisations including Gloucester Guildhall and the Museum of Gloucester in the latest round of support.

Gloucester Guildhall offers a variety of live shows such as music, comedy, theatre, dance, and contemporary film as well as participatory workshops and art exhibitions, and sees over 50,000 people passing through the doors annually.

With the venue’s 440 capacity being cut by 85 percent to allow for social distancing, and many events not going ahead, this has had a significant financial impact on the Guildhall.

The grant will allow Gloucester Guildhall to organise new intimate live experiences, develop exciting new digital content and support artists and technicians back to work.

While the funding awarded to the Museum of Gloucester will ensure the return of a strong exhibition programme and will support the development of the education programme.

In addition, Gloucester Guildhall cinema has been awarded an additional £9,602 from the British Film Institute. 

It is being used to develop the Guildhall’s audience such as working with local young film makers including the screening of locally made independent films curated by a local film maker.

We are delighted to tell you that libraries are re-opening from Monday April 12th.

All our teams have been busy preparing to open again including adding hundreds of new books to the shelves!

Here’s what you need to know about changes fromMonday 12th April

• Coming back to the library – services available
• Opening Hours
• Covid-19 safe practices at the library
• Returning books
• Fines and renewing books
• Requesting and Collecting items
• Services from home

Coming back to the library – services available

During library opening times, you may now enter the building, browse, borrow and return books. 

Computers may also be booked for use during these times. You can book one 50 minutes computer session at a time as a library member – the computers are booked out for cleaning every hour. We aim to increase the number of sessions you can book in the coming weeks as we manage demand. 

All other services and facilities are under continuous review and will resume as soon as it is safe to do so. 

Opening Hours

Our new opening times are updated on the website so you can discover when your local library is open and the services on offer here.

Covid-19 safe practices at the library

Find out about how we are managing social distancing by reading our Frequently Asked Questions which summarise our Covid 19 safe practices.

Returning books

You can now return items when the library is open. Out of hours, all libraries have a letterbox or drop box to return items (with the exception of Gloucester, Hesters Way and Up Hatherley).

Fines and renewing books

Please be aware that fines are active once again so please check your account and renew or return items to avoid incurring fines.

Requesting and Collecting items

Off the Shelf and reservation services are still available. Now that libraries are open again you can collect requested items from the Reservation shelf at each site without booking a specific collection, once you’ve been told your items are ready to collect. 

For those of you who do not wish to enter a building, a small number of sites will continue to offer collection slots to book in advance. For those sites not offering pre-booked collection slots, please ask the staff member at the entrance during open hours and the items will be brought to you. Please have your library card number available.

Services from home

Whether you return to the library in person or are staying at home, all our digital services are still available, now with even more new titles to enjoy.

Try the new Libby app for FREE eBooks and eMagazines and BorrowBox for FREE audiobooks. More details on our website here

And don’t forget to take a look at our services in our Virtual Reference Library, particularly if you’re looking into family history where you can access local and national historical newspapers and other reference sources to help you.

Gloucester’s retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will begin to open their doors to customers again from 12 April for the first time this year. As the coronavirus vaccine rollout continues, the restrictions for the high street are being lifted in line with step two of the Government’s lockdown easing plan.

The Prime Minister’s announcement in March stated that non-essential retailers, food and drink venues with outdoor spaces and indoor sport and leisure facilities will be allowed to welcome back the public but with some restrictions in place. 

Gloucester Quays, King’s Walk and Eastgate Shopping Centre including the indoor market will all re-open on 12 April with safety measures in place. 

Hospitality businesses will be able to serve customers if they have outdoor areas. These include cafes, restaurants, pubs and social clubs with outdoor seating. For licensed premises serving alcohol, customers will be able to enjoy table service as they will be required to order, be served and eat and drink while seated.

The Gloucester Tourist Information Centre and museum shop and café are re-opening on Tuesday, 13 April at 10am. They will then look forward to welcoming visitors back to the wider museum (subject to government guidance) on Tuesday, 18 May.

Outdoor Fitness classes have been running at GL1, Oxstalls Sports Park and Gloucester Park since March 29. From April 12 the gyms, swimming pools, sports hall and the gymnastics hall will reopen at GL1 along with indoor tennis at Oxstalls. All adult usage will be based on single-family units. Kids courses will run from Mondayindoors with courses running for swimming, tennis and gymnastics. 

People are reminded to continue observing the two-metre social distancing rule and to wear a mask where appropriate. Customers are encouraged to visit the websites and social media accounts of businesses before visiting to check opening hours, details of COVID safety measures or to make bookings. 

Look out for businesses displaying VisitBritain’s We’re Good To Go mark. Certified businesses have undertaken additional risk assessments and instituted changes designed to keep staff and customers safe.

Emily Gibbon from Gloucester Business Improvement District, said: “The businesses that are re-opening are excited and ready to welcome you back. Shops and businesses have worked so hard to prepare their shops and venues to accommodate and serve you safely. It is so important to support our local businesses now more than ever, and as we do so please be kind and patient, there are still COVID safety measures in place for the business owner’s safety, as well as public safety. Support local, shop safely.”

Jon McGinty, Managing Director at Gloucester City Council, said: “We know this has been an extremely tough time for our businesses and residents are encouraged to help our high streets by shopping locally. The Covid City Protection Officers will continue to support businesses and visitors by being on hand to give advice about social distancing and staying safe.”

More information: 

www.visitgloucester.co.uk

www.museumofgloucester.co.uk

www.goodtogo.visitbritain.com/discover

www.aspiretrust.org.uk

You can use this link to order home test kits for school, nursery and college testing.

From the website:

‘Use this service to order free rapid lateral flow test kits to be sent to your home in England.

You can order kits to test your household, childcare bubble or support bubble if at least one member:

• is a school, nursery or college pupil
• works in a school, nursery or college (this includes temporary workers or volunteers)
• works in an occupation related to a school, nursery or college

A test kit contains 7 tests. You can order one test kit per household each day.

A flatshare or house share counts as a household.’

I regularly report fly-tipping, litter and full bins for collection by the council. I am very active in the ward checking on these issues.

Unfortunately several instances of fly-tipping have still not been cleared.

At the last full council of this year I proposed a motion with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, that the council needed to take urgent action on litter and fly-tipping in the city, including a root and branch review of the service.

The Conservative administration voted to amend our motion and merely ‘implement the litter strategy’.

On April 1st 2022, Ubico will take over the council waste contract.

The service is currently provided by Urbaser (Amey).

I will keep pressing for a better, more responsive waste collection service.

There will be some free events for children in the holidays.

They can attend the Not So Secret Book Club at Robinswood Hill, on Tuesday 6th April and Wednesday 14th April, both at 11am-2pm.

Covid measures will be in place. Visit Read with Me for more information.

When out in the ward last week I noticed this bus stop sign on Bristol Road had been knocked over and moved to the roadside.

The base was exposed and could have been dangerous.

I wrote to the relevant department at the council and asked for this to be made safe urgently. The team responded next day to say it would be attended, and when I checked the other day it had been removed for repair.

I will check to see when it goes back up.

I am calling on the city council to replace the rubbish and dog waste bin at Milton Avenue.

The public waste bin has a mismatched lid which doesn’t fit properly, and the dog waste bin is rusted through and not fit for purpose.

They need repairing or replacing ASAP.

Do let me know if you spot a bin that needs action.