Hundreds back petition to stop the split of Gloucestershire Council
Tewkesbury Borough Council leader Richard Stanley set up the petition.
Hundreds of people have signed a petition to stop the split of Gloucestershire into two councils.
Tewkesbury Borough Council leader, Richard Stanley, set up the petition listing the impacts that it could have on the county and its communities.
It comes as talks regarding the Governments Devolution White Paper, which proposes creating more unitary councils in two tier areas, continue.
One of the proposals in the council talks has been to split Gloucestershire into East and West with each side having their own unitary council opposed to one for the whole county.
They suggest West Gloucestershire would combine the district councils in the Forest of Dean, Gloucester and Stroud while an East Gloucestershire authority would include Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds.
This idea has been opposed by many including the MP for Tewkesbury, Cameron Thomas and Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the MP for North Cotswolds.
The online petition states “Our county is rich in history, culture, and shared values, and it is our belief that splitting Gloucestershire would undermine our collective strength, identity, and future.”
Councillor Stanley said; “Our voice is stronger together than it is broken up”.
He also said that it could have impacts on resources for public services and environmental stewardship.
So far the petition has been signed by over 900 residents.