There is not likely to be any increase in spend on the roads, so pot holes and patching are here to stay for the foreseeable future, although the stretch between the old Badger and the Co-op is in the programme for the next financial year.

For 2016/17 each Councillor was allocated £30,000 for highway repairs In their area in addition to the overall spend. This is expected to be reduced to £20,000 in the coming year, it sounds a lot but does not pay for a great deal when spread between Stonehouse, Eastington, Standish and Ebley, all part of my Division.

While the Budget dominates discussion the steady round of meetings and day to day concerns continues. I aim to attend all full Parish and Town Council meetings, although this is not always possible, and then there are numerous committee and other meetings in Shire Hall to do with County Wide issues.

Locally I am particularly concerned about the impact on Eastington of the various developments along the A419. House building on the “West of Stonehouse” / Oldbury End site may well start before the end of the year, the first to be built will be at the west end of the site, feeding into the Chipmans Platt roundabout. The planning application for Eco Park at junction 13 is expected to be decided sometime this summer, a proposal for four retail units at Ryeford by the traffic lights is in the pipeline and 200 houses are being built in the Stanley’s as I write.

The fear must be that the increase in traffic and the inevitable increase in congestion particularly at Junction 13 and at the Chipmans Platt roundabout  will encourage people to use Eastington as a by-pass, either from the A38 through Claypits or if coming from the South or East coming through Frocester.

Managing the traffic flow and designing the roundabouts, traffic lights and road improvements is a County Council responsibility, I am maintaining close contact with the highways department to do my utmost to ensure that the impact on Eastington is appreciated and reduced as far as is possible.

Life is very busy, never dull and always interesting.

Should you have any questions or points of view, please contact me, and can I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year.

Lesley Williams – County Councillor – Stonehouse Division

Lesley.williams@gloucestershire.gov.uk

01453 822684/07855 18726

Talk around Gloucester county council is all about the Budget, which will be announced next month. Although as a Labour Councillor I am not part of the administration and so have no advance knowledge of the detail,  the general direction is pretty clear, £11 Million needs to be saved and there will be more cuts to services.

The government is allowing a small additional council tax increase that is to be put towards adult social care which will reduce the level of cuts in that area. Children’s centres are being reduced in number and reorganised on a hub and spoke pattern, this will be cheaper to operate but also less accessible to many people.