Northleach with Eastington Town Council to adopt Public Toilets

Posted on By Town Clerk

Northleach with Eastington Town Council has resolved to take over the ownership and operation of the public toilets on the Market Place from Cotswold District Council, to help secure their future.

The decision follows a public consultation in which 67% of 254 respondents supported the option for the Town Council to take over the public toilets.

Councillors felt it was important to keep the toilets free to use for residents and visitors, and to safeguard a building the Town Council already part-owns.

The district council has agreed to provide a financial subsidy in year one of operation. We must now work closely with the council officers on the details of the handover, which is expected to be from April 2026.

New equipment has recently been installed that allows the doors to open and close automatically on a timer. Although the equipment has a coin slot, it is important to emphasise that the toilets are still free to use and there are currently no plans to introduce charging.

We’d like to thank Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Cabinet Member for Health, Culture and Visitor Experience at Cotswold District Council, and David Stanley, Deputy Chief Executive of Cotswold District Council, for working constructively with the Town Council to help make this agreement possible.

Changes to Bin Collections Christmas 2025

Posted on By Town Clerk
Waste and recycling calendar for Thursday collection day.

Residents are reminded of changes to bin collections over the holiday period.

Northleach’s usual “everything” collection day for recycling and general waste is a Thursday. Therefore, the last collection before Christmas will be on Thursday 18th December.

A food waste only collection is scheduled for Wednesday 24th December, one day earlier than usual.

The next “everything” collection will take place on Saturday 3rd January – but note that there is no green waste collection on this day.

Another food waste only collection is due on Friday 9th January – one day later than usual as crews catch up after the holiday period.

Normal service resumes from Thursday 15th January.

Green bin garden waste collections will also resume on Thursday 15 January 2025.

To check your collection day and download your collection calendar, visit: https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/check-your-collection-day/.

Cotswold District Local Plan: Have Your Say On Future Development

Posted on By Town Clerk

News from Cotswold District Council:

Cotswold District Council is updating its adopted Local Plan in light of the new mandatory housing targets. The Government now requires the district to provide more than twice the number of homes it was previously planning for. This currently equates to a total target of 18,650 additional new homes for the new Local Plan over the period up to 2043.

The consultation period will run from:
14 November
until
2 January 2026 (11:59pm).

This is a Local Plan Regulation 18 consultation, which looks at different development strategy options to deliver this target and provides a preferred strategy option. Each option provides indicative housing figures based on high level proposals for each settlement or area.

The main consultation document that looks at a series of development scenarios to address the district’s development needs up to 2043, and proposes the Council’s preferred scenario. (Please note, several of the scenarios – including the preferred scenario – include strategic sites of 500 or more homes whose construction may continue after 2043). The consultation document also considers development needs other than housing and includes an updated Vision and Objectives for the Local Plan.

A Call for Sites has also been issued, inviting people to propose sites that can help deliver development needs up to 2043. This can include land for housing, employment, renewable energy etc.

To view and respond to the consultation documents online, visit https://your.cotswold.gov.uk.

(Select ‘Preferred Options Consultation 2025‘)

Drop-in exhibitions will also be held across the district, giving you the chance to speak to planning officers and ask questions about the process:

  • 28 November: King George’s Hall, Mickleton (2–7pm)
  • 5 December: St David’s Centre, Moreton-in-Marsh (2–7pm)
  • 11 December: Fairford Community Centre (2–7pm)
  • 18 December: Corinium Museum, Cirencester (2–7pm)

For any questions about the emerging Local Plan or the consultation, please contact Cotswold District Council.

 

 

 

County Council Elections 2025: Use Your Vote

Posted on By Town Clerk

On 1 May 2025, elections will take place for Gloucestershire County Council.

notice-of-election-county-council-divisions

Notices related to these elections will be published on the district council’s page:
https://cotswold.gov.uk/about-the-council/elections-and-voting/current-and-future-elections/

How to Vote

If you are not registered to vote, you can do so online at www.gov.uk/vote-uk-election (with the option to contact your district council Electoral Registration Office to request that a paper form be posted to you).

You can vote in different ways:

  • In person at your Polling Station.
  • By post, if you are unable to get to a Polling Station on 1 May.
  • By proxy, to ask someone to vote on your behalf.

You can apply for a postal vote or proxy vote online or by returning a paper form to your district or borough council.

When voting at a Polling Station, you will be asked to show a valid form of photo ID such as a passport, driving licence, Older Person’s Bus Pass, or Blue Badge. The forms of ID you can use can be found here.

If you do not have a valid type of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. This can be done online at www.gov.uk/vote-uk-election or by post.

The deadline to register to vote is 11:59pm on 11 April 2025.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 14 April 2025.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on 23 April 2025.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on 23 April 2025.

Spring 2025 Holiday Activities and Food Programme Announced ⚽

Posted on By Town Clerk

Announcement from Cotswold District Council:

An exciting programme of activities and meals for children and families across the Cotswolds in the spring school holidays has been launched.

Funded by the Department for Education and organised by Cotswold District Council and Gloucestershire County Council, the Spring 2025 Holiday Activities and Food Programme offers the chance for young people to have fun with their friends, while learning and developing new skills.

Activities include climbing, archery and fun STEM activities, with some specific sessions available for children with special educational needs. The programme will be running from 14 to 27 April with specific eligibility criteria, catering to children in school reception classes up to year 11 who are recipients of benefits-related free school meals.

Using additional funding we are also able to run the Holiday Activity Programme (HAP). This programme of free holiday activities is offered to all children between the ages of four and sixteen across the district, regardless of free school meal eligibility.

Cllr Claire Bloomer, cabinet member for communities, said: “We’re thrilled to bring the Holiday Activities and Food programme back to the Cotswolds for another school holiday.  This initiative not only provides children with fun and enriching activities but also ensures families have access to healthy, nutritious meals when they need them most.  Our goal is to make this school break a positive and inclusive experience for all members of our community.”

All activities are available to view at: https://gloucestershirehaf.com/cotswold-district-haf/  

The activity booking system will officially open on Monday 31st March at midday.

To sign up to the Children’s Activity Booking system (CABs) visit: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/haf/  

Family support with HAF is also available through our Community Connectors, Bloodhound Education. They are on hand to help with booking activities and signposting families to other agencies where a need has been identified. To get in touch with Bloodhound Education, please email accounts@bloodhoundeducation.com or phone 0208 150 3767 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 2:30pm).

 

Householders Reminded of ‘Duty of Care’ To Help Prevent Illegal Dumping

Posted on By Town Clerk

Press release from Cotswold District Council

Cotswold District Council is reminding householders to dispose of their waste responsibly and to only entrust their waste to an authorised waste carrier following a rise in the number of fly-tipping reports.

The warning comes following a number of incidents of the illegal dumping of builders’ waste – including materials such as asbestos and concrete, as well as fixtures and fittings – in recent months, which have been centred in and around Cirencester and the Siddington area.

Since the start of April until the end of September, the Council has recorded 531 incidents of fly-tipping across the district; an increase of 15% based on the same period in 2021-22. In particular incidents of construction and demolition waste have risen by almost half during the last six months, with 33 incidents reported.

Councillor Andrew Doherty, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Waste and Recycling at Cotswold District Council, said: “Anyone having work done on their property should check that the person or company taking away their waste is operating legally. Residents have a Duty of Care for their waste, giving them a responsibility to ensure it is disposed of properly. This means people can risk prosecution if they haven’t checked what will happen to their waste and it later ends up illegally dumped.

“We know the vast majority of businesses are reputable and deal with their waste responsibly. However, to help protect themselves and the environment, residents are advised to always ask for a Waste Transfer Note or receipt when their waste is taken away and familiarise themselves with their responsibilities when it comes to passing their waste over to someone else.

“Fly-tipping is unsightly, poses a risk to wildlife and can pollute our waterways – it’s also expensive to clear. It’s not just the number of fly-tips we are seeing which is of concern but the scale. Some of the most recent incidents have needed the hire of a grab truck to remove the waste, costing £300 each time, or in the case of asbestos, a specialist contractor will be brought in to ensure the material is collected and disposed of safely. All of this is at additional expense to the Council and our taxpayers.”

Householders could face a £400 fixed penalty notice if fly-tipping is traced back to them.

Members of the public can check whether a person or company is legally allowed to carry waste by contacting the Environment Agency on: 03708 506 506 or by visiting: Waste carriers, brokers and dealers (data.gov.uk).

Businesses who fail to register for or renew a licence, can face a fine of up to £5,000.

Anyone witnessing fly-tipping or who finds dumped rubbish should not touch the items. Instead, incidents can be reported to the council online at: https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/environment/report-fly-tipping/ or by calling customer services on 01285 623000.