Local election leader interviews: Gloucester Independents
The penultimate interview for elections to Gloucestershire County Council is Alastair Chambers representing an independent group
When elections arrive a whole host of independent candidates stand to try and win your votes. Other smaller parties also stand too such as the Workers Party or the Socialist Labour Party to name but a few.
I will admit that getting round to interview every independent and smaller party is impossible to achieve. Gloucestershire is a huge county and writing interviews on all 55 county divisions - I think you as readers would find that way too much to handle!
There is however a leader of an independent group I have interviewed for this election, representing the Gloucester Independents - Alastair Chambers.
Previously a Labour Party supporter before losing faith due to the Iraq War, Alastair has a military background and has been involved in organising humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Turkey and Syria. He was elected in 2021 as a Conservative to Gloucester City Council for the Matson ward and at county council too for the Coney Hill and Matson division.
Alastair did plead guilty in 2022 to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act after more than than 25 dogs were found when his farm was raided by police in July 2020. Ordered to pay £30,000 in costs to Gloucester City Council, his community order was revoked on 25 October 2024 after an application by the probation service based on good progress. He was also acquitted of fraud relating to the sale of a deaf cross-breed dog and says he did not mistreat any animals.
In our interview when asked about whether Alastair accepted he made a mistake, I got the sense there is regret but he does feel he has been made a scapegoat when other illegal breeders in 2020 were found guilty under the Act. You may or may not take the view that a councillor should know better, that is completely up to the opinion of voters.
Expressing that he’s a councillor “not afraid to expose vital issues the parties will not”, comments directed at him publicly and an assumption that he only speaks up for his community to present himself as a champion of the people after wrongdoing, is completely unfair he argues.
Raising vital issues before being found guilty, “the city council do not like me because I act for the public and only the public”. You may agree or disagree that there should be a space for forgiveness. It’s another conversation for another day and for this interview in a democracy, which should just be about one councillor, Alastair does have the right to speak on county council issues, especially when he has served at Shire Hall for four years now.
Alastair is standing again as an independent for Coney Hill and Matson, but from our interview there is a sense of belief that his fellow independent and individual collegues standing in every Gloucester division except Quedgeley, will earn votes from the public.
The Gloucester Indpendents are also supporting former Tory Nick Housden to be re-elected for the Stonehouse division, and I guess you might be thinking why are you interviewing one independent group who are only standing in specific seats? If you live outside of Gloucester yes you cannot vote for this independent group, but consider the fact that Alastair has been a county councillor, has hopes to grow a strong independent group - the votes he and colleagues could cast at Shire Hall are important decisions that can affect the county.
This is arguably a key interview to conduct.
“As has been proven we are independent and we are an independent voice for residents not held by a party whip, Alastair explains. We have the flexibility to expose issues parties normally would not do such as the awful situation at Coney Hill crematorium.
We feel we have the freedom to represent our communities truthfully and honestly. We’ve got ex Labour members, yes myself and Brendon O’Donnell are ex-Tories but we have a spread of all kinds of former political backgrounds. We want to represent Gloucester and Stonehouse to the best of our abilities. We really need to put party politics aside.”
What do the Gloucester Independents expect to achieve?
Alastair says that Reform UK are going to allow the Lib Dems, Labour and the Greens to win.
“People are disillusioned with Labour now and people didn’t really want Labour at the general election as they won on default. Appetite for Labour is weak and for the Lib Dems too but they will win at these elections simply because Reform will split the Conservative vote as they did in Gloucester.”
“As independents we work for residents not the council and we’re not afraid to speak up on their behalf on any issue. We are fielding candidates who are genuine people who know their communities. We may not always agree on some topics but I feel we will ask harder questions than the political parties.”
Should these elections be going ahead?
The Labour government are pushing all areas of England to merge areas where there are currently two tiers of local authority, a brand new ‘unitary’ council is on the cards for the county. It means councils such as Stroud District, Cheltenham Borough and Gloucestershire County Council will not exist for much longer.
One suggestion of splitting Gloucestershire in two saw a backlash, which means there is no agreement politically on a way forward. As one voter tells me, “what is the point in voting if county council won’t exist for much longer?”
“I do think these elections are a waste of time and the money spent is being wasted that could be better spent on our roads and other important services, Alastair says.
“I think voters should look at the candidate rather than the party. Will they fight our corner? There should be no correlation between what goes on in Westminster, this is a local government election. I don’t accept the argument about changing an administration to get a devolution deal over the line. Whether it is the Conservatives or Lib Dems running the show nothing will really change.”
The way Alastair and his colleagues conduct politics is by voting at Shire Hall on how a majority of their constituents feel. For example say if the community in Matson voiced their concerns about a new primary school planned for development and 70% don’t want it built compared to 30% who do, Alastair and the community independents would support the majority view. Even if Alastair and his councillor colleagues don’t agree with their residents, he believes the views of residents must be respected.
What would Gloucester Independents like to see done about Javelin Park?
There are claims that the incinerator has cost taxpayers more than landfill, £42m over its first five years but Conservative cabinet member for environment David Gray says the decision to invest in Javelin Park “was taken more than a decade ago. It was the right decision then and, with the benefit of hindsight, remains the right decision now, powering 25,000 homes, recovering metals and building materials and saving the tax payers money.”
The council has said the incinerator has generated tens of millions of pounds in income to help fund public services. Burning waste is not exactly clean money for the county council though, so what would Alastair and his colleagues do differently with our waste?
Alastair says, “Javelin Park was always in the pipeline and did I agree with it? No. Did I agree with the protests at the time? Yes.”
“Gloucester is in the plume area but I’ve not noticed any difference in air quality since. It’s producing millions of extra pounds for the council so we can either ship our rubbish away or put into landfill. I feel the incinerator was something I wasn’t originally on board but any other options are not workable. Burying waste at Hempsted is not going to make things better so I understand it’s not ideal but Javelin Park is better than alternatives.”
On net-zero, Alastair says that there are differences of opinion on the issue but argues that “getting solar panels on schools is all great stuff” but when it comes to acts such as tree planting, Alastair feels “it’s all trying to tick a box to say they’ve done very well. I feel net-zero is being used as green washing by the council. I think it is important to keep tabs on the target and if we are making schools more energy efficient that’s a job well done.”
“Renewable energy is a new technology and I’m still researching and looking into how net-zero can make us all better off but overall I think it’s good, we need to keep going but do I believe it will make an eternal difference to everyone’s lives I’m keeping an open mind to find the answer.”
Potholes, the cycle spine, motorways and road safety
Potholes
Tackling potholes, Alastair says: “I think the Conservative council have done a good job and that’s something the other parties cannot get over. The road network is phenomenal because if you take a drive from Lydney to Bourton-on-the-Water that’s at least an hour’s drive in one direction. Our roads are never going to be perfect but I think council officers have done their best. Roads are improving, of course we could do better, and we’d always want as many potholes filled as soon as possible.”
Upgrading M5 junctions 9, 10, 12 and 14
“Junction 10 is dangerous in my view so anything that will improve our transport links and reduce congestion, I and the group are definitely on board with seeing the work carried out. Alastair tells me.
“None of our group will be told how to vote, so if the public tell us junctions 12 and 14 should be upgraded we will listen.”
Speeding and 20mph
Voters have told me they will cast their ballot on whether candidates can guarantee concrete support for helping their community solve speeding issues. A Cotswold villager has told me they would like the next administration to help their community implement a 20mph limit.
There was a record number of road casualties in Gloucestershire in 2023, despite numbers falling across Britain. Provisional figures from the Department for Transport suggested there were 1,463 road casualties in Gloucestershire in 2023 – a 19% rise from 1,230 the year before. This was the highest figure recorded in the last 10 years. No matter the year, one casualty is one too many, so what would the Community Independents like to see council do differently?
“20mph is a good policy to implement, Alastair explains. I don’t think it slows everything down too much. Of course traffic won’t get better and there will still be the same amount of vehicles on the roads but my opinion is 20mph limits are good. There are quite a few roads in Matson that I would like to see turned into 20mph.”
Alastair adds: “If any community in Gloucestershire wants a 20mph limit I would get some feelers for what people are saying first. We would make sure that people’s views are represented.”
Cycle spine
The Gloucestershire Cycle Spine is yet to be completed but once finished, the £48 million project will be a 26-mile long cycling and walking route connecting Stroud in the south to Bishop’s Cleeve in the north, including Gloucester and Cheltenham.
Residents have raised safety concerns over the project, for example in Cheltenham. As reported by the BBC, people who live on Evesham Road say the changes have made access to their homes too narrow and that they are forced into the opposite lane because of a tight turning angle when turning left out of their homes.
“The public view is yes it feels like a waste of money, Alastair says. I haven’t seen many cyclists use it but I have noticed more in the past few months. We would encourage more people to use the route because who is to say in three years’ time the amount of cyclists using the cycle path goes up.”
Alastair adds: “I think it’s too early to judge how successful it has been because it’s not completed yet. I see no sense in ridiculing it and I didn’t support building the spine in the first place but it is being built so let’s maximise its uses. I would like to see more people on bikes so I would say let’s reduce the traffic. I hear what people’s concerns are about safety but there are always going to be pros and cons with a project like this. I just don’t feel there is any point in dismissing what is an infrastructure project that does need to grow.”
What to do about two serious topics voters really care about?
Adult Social Care
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), rated Gloucestershire County Council as requires improvement, in how well they are meeting their responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support.
So what would Gloucester Independents like to see to raise the quality of care? Adult Social Care is not provided by all councils but is by Gloucestershire who have responsibilities for some care homes and supported living facilities.
“It is time for an in-house council care quality commission because the CQC is very similar to Ofsted, Alastair says. We need a completely impartial and independent surveyor who can assess what happens in our care homes. A proper monitoring process is what we need and we should do checks without notice because that is the only way we’ll make improvements.”
Alastair adds: “We need to find out the companies who are charging a lot for care but are not doing well. So many care home services are working exceptionally hard and we need to stop political point scoring on the issue. We need to actually start supporting our adult social care services not by bringing in motions and adding amendments. Sitting down, being cross-party and collaborating to help vulnerable people out there, this is what we need to do.”
Special educational needs and disability education
Voters have told me there is currently little to no support for parents navigating the process of getting their child into a special school. Many families are struggling and burnt out after years of advocating, fighting and trying to figure out a system which feels impossible to navigate.
A new 200-capacity school for pupils in Gloucestershire with special educational needs in Abbeymead has been approved, but as parents point out, what can political parties or independent candidates do to support families in what is not just a Gloucestershire issue but a national one?
Alastair says he supports the construction of the new SEND school in Abbeymead because “the facilites there are going to be phenomenal for students and that is something personally I’m really looking forward to.”
On tackling the issue, Alastair says: “So many things can be improved and new special schools are an important starting point. I accept that navigating the process is the fundamental issue whether that is at city council or at county council, the form filling leaves parents with nowhere to go. We really need to make the process of getting children into the right school easier. I would like to see dedicated teams very similar to the in-house care quality commission I mentioned in my previous answer. A dedicated signposting team and department within council would save a lot of time for parents and stop the burn out as the question said.”
How to fund all council services, your council tax bill
County taxpayers are already coughing up more in household bills. The county council debated and approved the Conservatives’ budget proposals for 2025/26 at a meeting earlier this year.
Bills for the general public on top of a cost of living crisis involving high energy prices and the price of food - no wonder so many of you are feeling the pinch.
What would Gloucester Independents like council to do to lower the council tax bill, or can lowering bills while maintaining good council service actually be achievable?
“I do not believe it is impossible to get council tax down and as independents we could throw down a motion straight away to freeze council taxes especially when the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away,” Alastair tells me.
“We need to reduce council waste and make services more efficient. There is always a way to cut huge costs to certain services. Yes the council has a good financial record but we have to go further and make the council profitable. Getting more money in people’s pockets and reducing the burden on taxpayers is important to our group and from day one I would look at the cost of every service the council provides. If it’s too much let’s look at how we can save our money.”
Why vote for an indepedent?
“If voters want truth, accountability, transparency, hard working, dedicated councillors, then vote indpendent. We are people that will work hard for you, people who do not work for a party, people who are going to deliver and people that have proven we can deliver.
“We need county councillors who are actually going to make a difference. It is time to step away from party politics, from hands being bound and from councillors being told how to vote. We must keep fighting and what I and my communtiy collegues will do is make sure that the public are represented truthfully, honestly, hardworkingly and voters have our word on that.”