Saturday roundup of Gloucestershire news - 18th January

Including a political disagreement on whether the county could be split in two

Dear readers - as mentioned in my introduction post, unfortunately I cannot cover everything but I do believe I’ve made a decent start to this blog.

Only two weeks in and already I’m receiving welcome messages of support, including some that are quite striking to me. One reader messaged: “thank you for providing something different, at least your blog actually focuses on Gloucestershire.”

The worrying decline of local journalism is another post for another day, a post that can include why court reporting is under threat in the UK. If you want to know why coverage of court proceedings in Gloucestershire isn’t in the best of health - this Conversation article by Polly Rippon is worth a read.

For now, I’ll remind you all that my recent featured piece is about Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue, which celebrated its tenth birthday this week.

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Time for a news roundup of stories you may have missed recently. Three stories from the week include critical incidents declared by the NHS in the West of England being stood down, a Gloucestershire Constabulary detective constable sacked for gross misconduct after a panel decided he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl AND Gloucester webhosting business, Fasthosts, is the first tenant of the city's £107 million The Forum.

From across the county…

🚦 LYDNEY: A town centre bridge which has been closed for eight weeks after being flooded and then hit by a car will partially reopen. Temporary traffic lights will be installed at the Newerne Street bridge while repairs are made.

👮 POLICE: Rod Hansen’s suspension as Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable has been lifted after a “change in circumstances” and he has been redeployed elsewhere in the country while his standards investigation continues.

🛍️ TEWKESBURY: The first traders have been revealed for the Cotswolds Designer Outlet being built just off J9 of the M5 at Tewkesbury. It is due to welcome shoppers in Summer 2025. In other Tewkesbury news, housing developer Bloor Homes is celebrating the start of its new ‘Tewkesbury Meadow’ development. Tewkesbury Town Colts Football Club will get a brand-new community sports pavilion as a result.

Construction of the Cotswold Designer Outlet

⚓ GLOUCESTER: There are ambitions to make Gloucester’s Tall Ships festival a longer event spanning more than one weekend, available for all and without barriers in 2027.

👮 CRIME: A Cheltenham man has been given a suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping dogs for life, following an XL Bully attack. In other crime news, a 66-year-old man has been jailed for life after murdering a convicted paedophile.

❤️ CHELTENHAM: Mother Ellen Roome says she has moved “one step closer” after her campaign to access her son Jools Sweeney’s social media was debated by MPs. Jools died in April 2022 aged 14, with Ms Roome believing it could have been an online challenge gone wrong.

🚜 FARMING: A council campaign to get people to swap cow's milk for oat or almond alternatives has angered local farmers. It is part of the Swaps in Seconds campaign which Gloucestershire County Council said could help reduce people's carbon footprints.

🗳️ LOCAL DEMOCRACY: There are serious concerns that splitting Gloucestershire between east and west would "create a poor council and rich one" while adding unnecessary costs to the taxpayer and complexities for residents. It all comes after the Government unveiled plans last month to shake-up local government across England.

🚌 TRANSPORT: Rural parents in areas with poor bus links who want a reliable transport for their kids to get to school should up sticks, according to Conservative County Councillors. Concerns were raised at Shire Hall this week about schoolchildren being left by the roadside in villages due to overcrowding on buses as councillors considered a report into transport in Gloucestershire.

🗳️ LOCAL POLITICS: Plans to ban trail hunting have been branded as “yet another attack on rural life” and “wholly unnecessary” by Conservative MP for the North Cotswolds, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown. In other local politics news, Liberal Democrat candidate Andrea Ann Pellegram has been elected to represent Chesterton on Cotswold District Council after a by-election AND Forest of Dean Labour MP Matt Bishop is to stand down as a district councillor.

🚒 MORETON-IN-MARSH: HRH Princess Anne has officially opened a new Immersive Skills Lab at Capita's Fire Service College (FSC).

🙌 FOREST OF DEAN: Four friends have completed a remarkable 100km trek across the battlefields of World War I, raising an impressive £9,004 for the Army Benevolent Fund.

⚽ FOOTBALL: ITV News West Country paid a visit to see Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince this week to talk about plans for the football club’s new stadium.

➡️ STROUD: A new shop offering Caribbean food, hair extensions, household items and more has brought an empty building in Stroud back to life. Also: A woman from Dursley who has been donating blood for almost five decades has been celebrating after making her 100th donation. In other good news for Stroud, Sound Records has won Record Store of the Year 2024.

Finally, here is some excellent news for wildlife. A decade-long conservation project to restore the fortunes of pine martens across Britain has hit a major milestone. A collaboration between Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) and Forestry and Land Scotland has seen pine martens from the latter's forests boost populations in Wales, Gloucestershire and Devon - with more than 100 animals successfully translocated.