In town early behind the High Street

Last night we had the final Full Council meeting of the year which was relatively short. Our new term starts in May and I must decide whether I want to chair the Finance committee yet again. The Government has recently rushed through legislation under the Ten Minute Rule on 19th March, with the intention of cutting back on the money that local councils can raise to deliver the services we promise. Last might we unanimously approved a letter of objection to Eric Pickles, the minister responsible for the changes in the Precept Referendums Bill, asking him to withhold support for the Bill.

I would like to circulate it as widely as possible, as very few people fully understand the dire implications for local services which will result. The letter was signed by our current, and I hope future, Mayor Amanda Moriarty, on behalf of Stroud Town. From now on, we must plan our finances with this in mind which will be rather depressing.

Today, I had to return to the council offices in Stroud to lead the Working Group which is overseeing the renovations to Lansdown Hall and Gallery, which the council bought to save it from developers and to provide a village hall for our extensive community. We have employed a fundraiser to search out external money to add to our own pot and today we would be hearing on her progress and finalising the documents to be circulated. I'm glad the other members were very impressed with her work and have fingers crossed that we get some success.

The Working Group includes the architect, his project manager, the fundraiser, the chair of the Trust which manages the building and the Town Clerk as well as the Mayor. On my way to the meeting I stood with my camera trying to catch the light falling on rear of these buildings, and the alleyway leading to the shops at the top of the High Street. I have featured them before looking in the reverse direction as the Preservation Trust has been instrumental in saving the 14th century Medieval Hall which is on the other side of the alley.

I sensed someone coming into my shot and looked up to find Amanda, the Mayor, on her way to the meeting. She doesn't really like being photographed, so I have chosen this one of her looking at the back of Imprint, the second hand book shop, and the extremely narrow width of their building at the back. The meeting went very well and we came away with enthusiasm and momentum for the Lansdown Hall project.

I then went to another meeting in the centre of town with a man who is trying to organise a Folk Festival in Stroud in September and who was enquiring whether the council could provide any support. That will be for next year's committee to decide, and it was an interesting meeting.