An update for Stroud District Council householders who qualify for the £150 energy rebate.

Householders who live in Council Tax bands A – D qualify for a £150 rebate as part of the Government’s initiative to help households with rising energy costs.

If you do not pay your council tax by Direct Debit:

We have now processed £585,300 to almost 4,000 of our residents via our online portal. Payments will be in bank accounts over the next few days.

If you have submitted an application but not received payment yet, please be patient and avoid calling us if possible – the team is working hard to process payments as fast as possible.

We are required by the government to check and verify every application which can take up to 2 weeks to complete the process so please bear with us.

If you have not yet submitted your application, then please do so ASAP via this link: https://openportal.stroud.gov.uk/…/ctax/ctaxrebate.p

Once the form has been submitted the verification process will take up to 2 weeks. We will contact you if we need more information to support your application.

If you pay your council tax by Direct Debit:

Most Direct Debit payers should have now received their £150 energy rebate.

It has not been possible to make a small number of payments for reasons such as the bank account name does not match the name on the council tax bill. Please note we are required to verify ALL details before payment can be made.
The team is working through these now and further payment runs are scheduled to pay these accounts over the coming weeks.

We will post updates here https://www.stroud.gov.uk/council-tax

Please see here (PDF) the Parish Council’s response to the Thomas Keble School planning application.

National Allotment Society 2022 campaign for “Bugs, Bees, and Broccoli” . Parish Council support is underway and allotment tenants are contributing to a survey of flora, fauna and insects  on our parish
sites that are important for wildlife. We are urging all gardeners in the parish to note wildlife on their patches.

S137 Community Grant Application Form (PDF)

Whats On in Oakridge April/May 2022

Eastcombe, Bussage & Brownshill Newsletter JUNE 2022

Stroud District Council is urging residents to pay Council Tax bills by direct debit, in order to receive their £150 Council Tax energy rebate more quickly.

More than 54,000 households in the Stroud district will receive their Council Tax bills for the year 2022/23 this week (w/c 14 March).

Householders who live in Council Tax bands A to D will qualify for a £150 rebate as part of the Government’s initiative to help households with rising energy costs. It will not be taken off residents’ council tax bills when they are issued but will be a separate payment.

The rebate is expected to be paid to people who pay their Council Tax by direct debit from April, after their first payment has been collected. It will be paid into the same account the payments are taken from.

Anyone who doesn’t currently pay by direct debit can sign up by registering for a My SDC account – it’s quick and easy to do, and will allow you to access council services online, including Council Tax, business rates, housing benefit and council tax support: www.stroud.gov.uk/council-tax/my-sdc-account

Once the direct debit has been set up and a first payment collected, the rebate will be made.

Anyone who continues to pay their Council Tax by other methods will be contacted with details of how to apply for the rebate in due course.

Cllr Doina Cornell, Leader of Stroud District Council said: “It is important that this payment to eligible households is made as quickly as possible.

“Paying your Council Tax by direct debit means we will have your details ready for when we can start making payments.”

There is more information about the energy rebate on the Stroud District Council website www.stroud.gov.uk/energyrebate and at www.gov.uk/government/news/households-urged-to-get-ready-for-150-council-tax-rebate

Although Stroud District Council bills residents, most of the bill is paid out to Gloucestershire County Council, with police and parish or town councils also getting a share.

The Teeds Rise Volunteer Group erected three bird boxes on trees at Teeds Rise Nature Reserve on 5th February 2022.

Stroud District Council has been named as one of the best councils in the country for addressing climate change.

The Council achieved a joint 10^th place out of more than 400 local authorities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is rated the fourth-best district council in the country, and is the top performer in Gloucestershire.

Climate Emergency UK scored SDC at 77% across a range of measures designed to test the effectiveness of councils’ climate action plans.

As part of SDC’s Council Plan, environment and climate change is one of the council’s three top priorities, having declared a climate emergency in 2018. Stroud District Council was the first council in Europe to be carbon neutral and the 2030 Strategy aims to lead the district to carbon neutrality in eight years’ time.

Recently the Council has embarked on a project to plant a new woodland with Stroud Valleys Project, replaced gas boilers with water source heat pumps at its Ebley Mill offices and Brimscombe Port Mill, and has established a fleet of electric vehicles.

SDC is retrofitting council homes and exploring how to do the same with public buildings after successful bids for Government funds for both, as well as many other environmental policies and initiatives.

Stroud District Council Leader, Doina Cornell, said: “We are not resting on our laurels – this is a great achievement but there is so much more to do if we are to address climate change for ourselves and future generations.

“It is rewarding however to see our deep commitment to climate action recognised and this is down to the hard work of our officers, the commitment of councillors and the strong working relationships we have with partners, communities and businesses.”

To see the Climate Emergency UK scorecards, visithttps://councilclimatescorecards.uk/

Climate Emergency UK assessed plans according to 28 questions across nine sections between June and December 2021.

Find out more about the 2030 Strategy and how to get involved:www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/building-a-sustainable-future-together

‘To mark the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Parish Councillors (nobly assisted by Oscar and Keiran) planted an oak tree on the King George V Playing Field, Bisley, the Recreation Ground, Eastcombe and at Oakridge Allotment .