The successful applicant will need to manage a budget, motivate and manage staff, act as principal adviser to the council and link effectively with external partners and the community.

If you are looking for a rewarding and worthwhile career and feel you have the necessary enthusiasm and skills, please ask for an application pack, telephone 01453 762817 or downloaded from the following links:

Town Clerk Vacancy Application Pack

Town Clerk Vacancy Application Pack

Applications should be returned in hard copy to the Town Clerk by noon on 23rd July 2010.

After twice losing his job just before Christmas, Larry Stewart made a fortune through cable television sales.

In 1979 he started a little tradition of anonymously handing people a single $100 note in the street. He became known as the Kansas City Secret Santa. By the time of his death two years ago, Stewart had handed out $1.3m. Only then did he reveal his identity to encourage other Secret Santas.

His kindness was inspired following his second job-loss. It was a very cold day, and while nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant, he noticed a waitress in a thin jacket.

 “I thought I’d got it bad, but she was out there in the cold making nickels and dimes,” he recalled. Stewart gave her $20 and told her to keep the change. ‘And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, `Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.'

There’s always much talk about Christmas being ‘a time for giving’, or ‘a time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves’. If that’s the case, then Stroud could be the much sought-after place where Christmas really does occur every day of the year.

It seems there are Secret Santas in every street. Not those who give away their money, but those who give away their time.

From our charities, conservation groups and churches, to our schools, sports clubs and allotment societies. From our treasurers, secretaries, counsellors and carers, to the man who picks up a daily newspaper for the old lady at the end of my street. I recently wondered how our society would survive if the concept of voluntary action suddenly disappeared?

Another tradition at this time of the year is the making of a New Year Resolution. It usually involves giving something up. If you aren’t already one of Stroud’s Secret Santas, why not make 2010 the year when you give up something really worthwhile – your time.

Andy Read

Mayor of Stroud

December 2009

The Town Council has voiced strong objections to any future waste incinerator in the county. In a detailed, two-page response to Gloucestershire County Council's Waste Core Strategy consultation, we state: "We strongly oppose a single large waste incinerator at Javelin Park or any of the other sites for the following reasons.... We would strongly support a more flexible solution with a range of appropriate facilities on multiple sites near to where the waste is produced."

Read our full response  wastestrategynov09 31.50 Kb:

Do you want to know where to get Fair Trade produce locally? Then download a copy of the Stroud and Nailsworth Fair Trade Directory below and see the dozens of places where goods are available.

The guide is produced by the Stroud Fair Trade Steering Group and Nailsworth Fair Trade Steering Group with support from Stroud Town Council and others.

Download the Fair Trade Directory  fairtrade_directory_09 1.36 Mb

Article online 9th October 2009

Stroud’s unique ‘Mayor On A Bench’ sessions offer a regular opportunity for anyone to bend the ear of the town’s Mayor.

It was started two years ago by Stroud’s previous civic leader John Marjoram. His successor, Andy Read, has decided to continue the idea.  He normally occupies the same bench outside Tony’s Butchers in Kendrick Street on the second Monday of every month from 10.30-11.30am.

No appointment is necessary. Just stop by. Of course our Mayor is always happy to arrange meetings at other times at your convenience. You can also contact him or any councillor direct - details from the menu on the right under 'councillors'

Forthcoming dates 2010:

Monday August 9th

Monday September 13th

Monday October 11th

The W.A.S. Way (Walk Around Stroud) is Gloucestershire’s newest way-marked trail.

An ambitious 10-mile route, it follows public footpaths around the entire town boundary. It means that Stroud now joins Cheltenham and Gloucester in having a way-marked, circular walk which completely encircles the town.

“There are several way-marked trails such as the Cotswold Way that pass close by, but until now Stroud hasn’t had a route of its own,” explained Stroud resident and keen walker Debbie Hewitt, who created the route. “It offers fantastic views from each of the five valleys plus a stretch of canal. We hope this will be used by visitors and local residents as a way to visit many quiet, hidden corners of the town.”

A colour leaflet of the route is available from our council office in London Road. Copies will also be in the town’s Tourist Office from September 4th.

The leaflet can also be downloaded from the link below.

 was_way 1.77 Mb

(Pic by Andy Read) 

In May 2009, we agreed a new three-year management plan covering all 23 of the green and open spaces maintained by the council. This document outlines our plans for each site during this period. It covers both routine maintenance, and proposed improvements, and will be monitored by our Finance and Recreation Committee twice a year.

If you have any comments on our plans for any of the sites, if you feel there is something we have missed, or if you would like to get more involved in caring for Stroud's green spaces, please contact our office on London Road.

 greenspaces_plan_april_09        328.60 Kb

We have submitted a detailed response to the government's public consultation over potential tidal power schemes around the River Severn. Cllr Dave Cockcroft compiled the document below which was submitted on April 21 2009. We shall continue to be involved in this important local issue as the process continues.

Read our response:  severn_tidal_power_consultation_response_-_21-apr-09     24.29 Kb

In addition to its main purpose, Stroud's cemetery is a wonderful place to visit throughout the year. The district's only Local Nature Reserve, it is packed with historical, social and natural interest, as well as being a beautiful place to wander or to sit and enjoy the stunning views.

We have managed both the old and new cemeteries off Bisley Road on behalf of Stroud District Council for many years. To help people get to know the site better, we have now produced a fascinating leaflet which you can download from the links below. Hard copies are also available from our offices in London Road.

(NB The files sizes are large and may take a while to download on some set-ups)

Cemetery Leaflet   stroud_cemetery 3.05 Mb

Cemetery Illustrated Info & Map  stroud_cemetery_poster 3.77 Mb

Park Gardens is one of 23 green and open spaces cared for by Stroud Town Council. One of our councillors, Chas Townley has compiled a fascinating history of one of the most popular sites - Park Gardens in Uplands.

From the links below you can download a copy of the leaflet as well as a copy of the press report from the official opening of the gardens.

 park_gardens_leaflet     749.13 Kb

 park_gdns_opening   37.50 Kb

For more local history please visit Chas' website at : http://www.stroud-history.org.uk/articles.php

Our involvement in floods, festivals and footpaths are just some of the issues mentioned in our new Annual Report, published this week.

As part of our efforts to improve the way we communicate with local people, the Annual Report has undergone a major makeover for this year.

Spread over eight, full-colour pages, it covers our activities in the 2007/8 council year. We highlight some of our key projects under the three headings of working for Stroud's People, Stroud Places and as Stroud's Voice.

The Report will be officially launched at the Annual Town Meeting to he held at the St Laurence Church Hall in The Shambles on Thursday 22 May at 7.30pm.

The Report also outlines our spending for the past year, a breakdown of all the community groups who benefitted from our grants scheme, plus a full listing of councillors and a message from our Mayor, Cllr John Marjoram.

Copies of the Annual Report will be available at the meeting and from our office in London Road. You can also download a copy from the link below.

 annual_report 556.54 Kb

Promoting the town centre, providing new play areas for children, preserving and enhancing Stroud's green spaces, and reducing people's CO₂ emissions. These are just some of our priorities for the coming year

This is the baseline assessment report for the carbon footprint of Stroud Town Council calculated in November 2007 based on records from the previous 2 years.

A carbon footprint is a calculation of the weight of carbon dioxide emitted by energy used and in the production of other resources consumed. There are a wide range of carbon foot printing tools available and they produce varying results dependent on the conversion factors used for gas, electricity and liquid fuels. This report uses Defra's Environmental Reporting Guidelines for which are used for the purposes of Environmental reporting, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Climate Change Levy agreements.

Read the full report:  STC Carbon Footprint Report 2007 93Kb

In 2004, following a paper prepared by Cllr Chas Townley, the town council's planning committee agreed to commission a full audit of the parish's footpath network. The aim, was both to examine the state of the existing network, and to see where paths exist, that have not yet been dedicated as formal Public Rights of Way (PRoW). This was to form a part of the council's Walking and Transport Strategy.

In 2006, Stroud Valleys Project was invited to carry out this audit as the first step towards developing a Footpath Strategy for the entire parish of Stroud. Between the period of January and May 2006, surveyors covered the entire parish, walking every street and field, in an effort to trace every identifiable route used by people on foot to move around the parish.

Download the footpath audit:  Discovering Stroud's Lost Ways 430Kb

Download our action plan:  Stoud's Lost Ways - Action Plan 2007 44 Kb

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, each local authority is obliged to publish a list of information to which the public can have access. With effect from 1st January 2009, Stroud Town Council adopted the following model code. Most small town and parish councils have adopted the same code. 

Download:  Stroud Town Council Publication Scheme (60.34 Kb)   

STC strives to make the Town a safe and friendly place for local people and visitors. Whilst not directly responsible for Crime and Disorder there are many things we do to help.

For example we've installed extra street lights on paths and in parks to help people walk safely about the Town.

 Crime and Disorder Strategy (20 KB)

STC promotes an attractive town environment which encourages people to move about on foot. At the moment motor vehicles dominate and affect the safety, ease and desirability of pedestrian movement, and the balance needs redressing.

Read our Walking and Transport Staregy for the Town:  Walking and Transport Strategy (64 KB) 

The Bisley Road Cemetery is a Local Nature Reserve partly within and adjoining the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Stroud Town Council manages it with advice from Gloucestershire Wildlife Management, on behalf of Stroud District Council.

The cemetery lies on sloping south-facing ground on the eastern edge of Stroud with access from Bisley Road and Horns Road. It comprises the Victorian Chapel of Rest, old gravestones, unimproved limestone grassland, scrub, plantation woodland, specimen trees and boundary walls. There is open access to the public. The council is planning to install interpretive information points to help inform visitors to the site of local history and interesting wildlife.

For more details of the wildlife management plan view:  Bisley Road Cemetery Site Management Plan 2009-2014 (342.80 Kb)

Bisley Road Cemetery: looking south west from the Chapel of Rest