Cllr Gill Moseley

02/07/2026

GLEBE ROAD RESURFACING - people are askiing why a patch of road close to the junction with Glebe Close has been left unfinished.

Our Local Highways Manager tells me that there was a burst water pipe, so resurfacing had to pause while it was fixed. The work team moved onto the next job rather than sit around waiting with idle equipment for the water leak to be fixed. They plan to return on July 17th to finish the job. Not the quickest fix but in the circumstances, the most cost effective.
Gloucestershire Highways, along with all other Highways Authorities have been underfunded by central government for decades. We are £15M short of what we need each year just to maintain current standards.

However, our new GCC administration is putting the emphasis on resurfacing as far as the budgets will stretch and that should reduce the number of potholes and patching works needed. Bradfords Lane is a good example although there is more to be done towards the Arboretum. At least the worst potholes have disappeared under a completely new surface.

17/06/2026

National HIghways held a drop-in event in Minsterworth on Tuesday this week. This was organised to inform drivers and passengers about the delays expected at Over Bridge for the next nine months during essential repair work and to answer many of the questions posed by users of this route. It was well attended! They hope to find another venue for a second drop-in event.

I had previously asked our Gloucestershire Highways and Transport team about the possibility of creating a temporary Park and Ride and using priority bus lanes and signalling at rush hour, For various reasons this would not work well so the only solution I can see is to drastically reduce the volume of cars heading over this river crossing at the busiest times.

I guess many drivers will have thought about using other routes (not that many exist...). The less busy summer months are coming up and that will give some time for trying out alternatives. But when schools go back and holidays are over, September will bring inevitable delays.

Things to consider:

The Liftshare app: https://liftshare.com/uk/community/gloucestershire

Catch the bus on routes 22, 23, 24, 32 and 33. See the new GCC Gloucestershire-wide bus route map. https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/county-bus-network-maps/

For more details of the closures please visit:

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/a40-over-bridge-refurbishment/

Gloucestershire county bus map Gloucestershire county map (03 May 26) Please use scroll bars (left and bottom).To zoom you can use the + and - buttons (at the top, middle, of map-window with buttons). The zoom buttons look like this To download click the save button (at the top, right, of map-windo...

22/02/2026

THE ROBIN BOOKABLE BUS
Here is the more detailed map for the Newent area. Please refer to my first post on Aug 9th or the website for more information;
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/the-robin/

22/02/2026

THE ROBIN BOOKABLE BUS
Here's the map showing stops for the Mitcheldean and A40 area.
For more information, see my earlier post or visit the website:
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/the-robin/

22/02/2026

THE ROBIN BOOKABLE BUS
Here's the map showing stops in the Highleadon to Highnam, Hartbury and Maisemore area.
For more information, see my earlier post or visit the website:
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/the-robin/

22/02/2026

THE ROBIN BOOKABLE BUS
And here's a map showing stops in the Dymock, Bromesberrow and Redmarley area:
Please refer to my earlier post or the website for more information.
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/the-robin/

22/02/2026

THE ROBN BOOKABLE BUS
Here's the map showing stops in the Staunton, Upleadon and Pauntley areas. For more information, see my earlier post or visit the website:
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/transport/the-robin/

21/02/2026

TODAY, MONDAY 23rd FEBRUARY, BETWEEN 3PM AND 6PM at the Pavilion in Watery Lane, come and tell the planners what you think Newent needs when over1000 new houses are proposed to be built here in the town within the next twenty years.
(If you are thinking "I did this already last year," I am sorry to say that this new consultation is needed because the government is demanding an 82% uplift in our housing target numbers.) Please come (again) and state your views on the revised proposals.

Here is a list of all the remaining sessions across the district:

23 February 2026 - Newent Community Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Watery Lane, Newent GL18 1QA (3:00pm – 6:00pm)
25 February 2026 – Sedbury and Beachley Village Hall, King Alfreds Road, Sedbury, NP16 7AG (3:00pm – 6:00pm)
28 February 2026 – Huntley Village Hall, North Road, Huntley, GL19 3DU (9:00am - 12noon)
02 March 2026 - Redmarley Village Hall, Redmarley, GL19 3HS (3:30pm - 6:30pm)
04 March 2026 - Coleford District Council Offices, High Street, Coleford, Glos, GL16 8HG (3:00pm – 6:00pm)

The big difference this time is that two new settlements (villages) are proposed at Churcham and at Glynchbrook (at junction 2 of the M50) as well as an increase in the number of houses that other proposed sites will need to take, like Newent.

The new settlements will grow to 2,000 houses at Churcham (and Tewkesbury Borough Council is likely to add 2.5K more on adjacent land), and at Glynchbrook, where the number required is 3.5K houses.

We don't think these numbers or locations are feasible or sustainable. Affordable homes can be demanded by planners but developers can wriggle out of those obligations far, far too often in a planning system which is not fit for purpose.

Another very sore point is the lack of in-depth consultation and round-table discussion with your elected members by the cabinet member who leads on planning. We need to look at alternative options - different sites (some might come up in this year's call for sites -the SHELAA) or a much more robust plea for a reduced target from government due to our land constraints, for instance.

This is why a vote of no confidence was lodged at the FoDDC Full Council meeting on 19th February, It was defeated by one vote but the Leader must take note of the serious situation that led to this high-level expression of distrust in the making of this draft plan.

This was never going to be an easy task. For fifty years, successive governments have not built enough homes. But it cannot be solved by indiscriminate allocation of housing targets. We need homes that are fit for the future not a hastily put together building programme that means houses are likely to be built in the wrong places without the necessary infrastructure or employment opportunities, leaving a terrible legacy for our children.
If you can't get to the drop-in session, please have a look at the plans (it is a long document but search for the Newent section and the new settlements to save time). You can email or send a letter instead of filling in the questionnaire. https://www.fdean.gov.uk/about-the-council/having-your-say/current-consultations/revised-draft-local-plan-consultation/

As a council and planning authority, we need to think again!

11/02/2026

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RE-ORGANISATION - your views?

The Government has decided to abolish all county and district councils in England and replace them with unitary authorities. This means that all services currently provided by Gloucestershire County Council and the six district/borough/city councils including Forest of Dean District Council, will be provided instead by one unitary council. The government wants to know which of three options Gloucestershire residents prefer:

1. One countywide council or

2. Two councils splitting the county East-West (Cheltenham/Tewkesbury/Cotswold and Stroud/Gloucester/Forest of Dean) or

3 Two councils comprising Greater Gloucester. and the rest of the county.

Follow the link below to give your views. The consultation is open until March 26th. Background information is available on the website and you can respond in three ways - by filling in the online questionnaire, by email or by letter.

There are many strong views about whether this should happen at all but if Local Government Re-organisation goes ahead, I believe we should prepare for it rather than have it done to us.

In various parts of the county, some think that a split of some sort would be of more benefit. The County Council, together with Tewkesbury, Stroud and Cotswold councils all support the one unitary model, as I do. Cheltenham is vying with Gloucester and wants to be leading the East model (Option 2). Gloucester would prefer to avoid splitting itself in two with an East-West model (it straddles two district boundaries at the moment) and is very reluctant to lose an element of its historic City authority status, so has prepared its own plan (Option 3).. The Forest of Dean District Council stuck its head in the sand and declared that it wanted none of the above. In my experience, the one unitary model (Option 1) is the preferred choice of most of those parish councils and individuals to whom I have listened. That chance to reflect those views was lost in what can best be described as a protest vote. at FoDDC. The government will ultimately decide, but wished to hear from residents in this consultation exercise as well as from the various councils who were asked first of all.

There is little mention of the next stage of Local Government Re-organisation and Devolution. This is about joinng a strategic mayoral authority of which every unitary authority will have to be a part eventually. That is not an elected authority but a combination of unitaries. However, the mayor of that larger strategic/combined authority is elected (like Manchester, Birmingham or the West of England Combined Authority (WECA)}. The government intends to deliver major funding through these mayoral authorities - that's what the Devolution bit is about but that's a story for another time.

By the way, this consultation is happening at more or less exactly the same time as the public consultation for the revised Forest of Dean draft Local Plan. You are forgiven if there is any confusion! I shall be posting about that next.

I am happy to talk through any aspects of this consultation. Just give me a ring on 01531 820826. Leave a message if I'm out and I'll get back to you asap.

Information has been circulated in a previous Focus newsletter throughout my Newent County Council Division already when residents views were being sought by all councils on what was important about where you live and travel as well as how well you tbought the services were being delivered.

So I urge you to take a few minutes to read more about the options and then respond in whatever way you find best. Maybe sit down with someone else and discuss the options and questions and get yourself a cup of tea or coffee to keep you going!

https://futuregloucestershire.org.uk/ (information and link)

Welcome to Gloucestershire. On the 'Your Gloucestershire' pages, you can find out all relevant details about the district you live in from council tax to local activities to emergency services.

31/01/2026

WATERY LANE - Temporary traffic lights.

Just to let you know that this work is connected with the non-functioning street lights - all eight of them near the Recreation Ground.

Thanks to all who reported them on FixMySteet either through the website or the App. As nothing appeared to have been done, and at least a week had passed, I rang the Highways emergency line to ask for immediate action as the lack of light made it dangerous for any pedestrians after dark.

I was told shortly afterwards that Highwsys were waiting for Western Power to fix the electrical fault that was the cause of the problem and their deadlines were not in the same 'urgent' category. They turned up as promised last Wednesday. I stopped to speak to the three workers but they were having difficulty finding the fault. They now think they have the location and are waiting for a spare part....

Meanwhile, they have installed temporary traffic lights to maintain safe working and driving. Well done to the two cars parked right in front of the traffic lights coming from town on Saturday afternoon!! Presumably rugby supporters.

Our town clerk has also been chasing these repairs so thanks to him as well as to those members of the public who took time to report the problem in the first place.

So please go to FixMyStreet online or download the app to report any faults on the Highways. The more people do this, the greater the pressure on the teams who need to fix the faults.

Before comments come streaming in about other problems, please know that the new Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance is livid about the levels of shoddy workmanship, repeated failure of pothole repairs and much more. His wants to properly resurface as many roads as possible within the very limited budget rather than keep repairing potholes, restructure and simplify the Highways department and give monitoring of the work a much higher priority. This will take time but changes are coming for the better.