Letter: Will the new council be more accessible?

For years, the SNJ has been an important voice for local Stroud residents and long may that continue.

Sadly, it appears that our other long-term champion, the Stroud District Council has largely forgotten its role in serving the basic needs of our community.

It is virtually impossible for people to contact responsible council staff when things go wrong and even when you do get to speak to someone their responses are un-enthusiastic.

For example, my 92-year-old bed ridden neighbour yet again did not have her rubbish collected.

This is a regular occurrence and when I tried to contact the Customer Services Manager I was told ‘she rarely speaks to people’!

Indeed, the CEO’s office does not answer the phone any more. Perhaps the rot starts at the top.

As the new Council comes into being with fresh blood and eyes I do hope that our new councillors will recognise that local people need to have services which are both accessible and customer friendly if SDC is to regain its community leadership role.

Jeanne Berry

Response from Stroud District Council:

A Stroud District Council spokesperson said:

“Most of our services can be accessed online, including reporting missed bin collections. Anyone who doesn’t have access to a computer can contact us by phone on 01453 766321 or visit our offices at Ebley Mill which are open from Monday to Thursday 8.45am - 5pm, or Friday until 4.30pm.

“Our waste collection partner Ubico empties more than 5.6 million bins every year and a very small fraction are missed. Missed collections can be reported either online or by phone us and we will make arrangements to return.”