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Gloucestershire Business News

Greens name parliamentary candidate for North Cotswolds

The Green Party has selected Cllr Chloe Turner as its parliamentary candidate to stand for the new North Cotswolds constituency.

Cllr Turner represents Minchinhampton on both Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

Boundary changes have created the new North Cotswolds constituency, which incorporates a wide ribbon of villages and small towns previously unconnected by political boundaries.

Parts of three district council areas are included within the new constituency: Stroud, where the Greens lead the council as part of a progressive alliance; Cotswolds, where the Green vote is growing, and Tewkesbury, where the Greens increased their number of borough councillors by 300% at the last election.

Commenting on the new North Cotswolds constituency, Chloe said: "After years of Conservative apathy, I believe there is appetite among voters for a hardworking MP who is equally comfortable rolling up her sleeves to sort recycling at a community event, scrutinising Audit Committee papers, pressing for better local public services and warm and affordable homes, and campaigning for clean waterways.

"Though parts of the constituency might seem to have little in common apart from the outstanding natural landscape, there are shared challenges, including depleted public services (transport, social housing, NHS and dental facilities, youth services), the impact of tourism and the difficulty of rural decarbonisation.

"The emergence of foodbanks across the constituency shows that cost-of-living pressures are affecting all communities, including those generally considered wealthy.

"I'm sure it's no coincidence that after 13 years of rural neglect, the Conservatives are in opposition in all three local authorities covered by the constituency. This, and the widespread disenchantment with the Tory government among many moderate Tory voters, means that the Conservatives cannot be complacent about winning this seat, as they have been in the former Cotswold constituency.

"As MP, I will be a voice for nature and a champion for local issues, including tackling the decline in rural public services and the cost-of-living pressures facing so many residents."

Chloe added: "I absolutely love where I live. I am well-known for working extremely hard to protect our local environment, standing up for better local services and campaigning for national policies that work better for people and the planet.

"Importantly, as a Green I do not have to follow a party whip so will be free to represent the concerns of residents. I will be an independent, principled MP who will work collaboratively with others, who will never be afraid to offer constructive scrutiny and to hold those in government to account.

"This year, there is a real opportunity for genuine change in the Cotswolds, for the first time in decades. It's an exciting chance to restore trust in politics and I'm ready to be at the heart of it."

A qualified chartered accountant by background, though local politics is now her full-time work, Chloe lives with her husband and three children in Minchinhampton, within the North Cotswolds constituency.

She is involved in numerous local groups and campaigns, including the Minchinhampton Multi-Agency Youth panel, local community events organisation Minch Life, Stroud District Action on Plastic, and the Stroud Universal Basic Income Lab, which she co-founded.

Her interests outside politics include beekeeping and writing fiction.

Chloe's roles at Gloucestershire County Council include:

  • Chair of Environment Scrutiny Committee;
  • Active member of the Audit & Governance, Overview & Scrutiny and Pensions Committees;
  • Member of Rural Estate task group, which reviewed the sustainability of the council's 7,000-acre farm estate.

Chloe's roles at Stroud District Council include:

  • Chair of the Environment Committee;
  • Member of the Strategy & Resources Committee;
  • Chair of Strategic Planning Advisory Board and the stakeholder group for SDC's Natural Flood Management work.
  • Council representative on the Minchinhampton & Rodborough Commons Advisory Board;
  • Member of Climate Leadership Gloucestershire, which brings together seven councils, Police, NHS and Local Nature Partnership to consider how to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Gloucestershire.

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