Gloucestershire County Council has developed cycling and walking networks and identified some improvements in line with government guidance, which focuses on town centres. More broadly and in anticipation of an increased use of e-bikes, which enable longer journeys up steeper gradients, Gloucestershire want to develop a county wide network of cycling corridors that link the county’s more rural towns and villages.

Following a successful drop-in session and workshop hosted by Accessible Gloucestershire, work has begun on the town centre access audit.

City Bank is an important nature reserve and recreational area; following recent concerns, please could dog owners ensure that their dogs are kept on a lead at all times in this area. This is to protect the wildlife as well as minimising the risk of the open space being damaged.

Our Corporate Strategy has recently been reviewed; the strategy consists of 38 priorities across 5 themes.

The Norman Arch Cottage has been cleaned and cleared and Councillors have had the opportunity to have a look around this historic asset; the Town Council will now start its refurbishment programme and explore options for future use. We would welcome views from the public on how it could be used in the future, please feedback comments using our online map at www.cirencester.commonplace.is

The Town Council is commissioning an access audit of the town centre; we want Cirencester to be a welcoming and accessible place for all.

Gloucestershire County Council are developing Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for Cirencester, as well as Cam and Dursley. LCWIPs identify local cycling and walking networks, and set out a high-level plan for how these will be improved over time to create safe, connected networks.

When we declared a climate emergency, we thought it was important to start with ourselves as an organisation and to lead by example. We are a carbon footprint standard assessed organisation and have included various environmental priorities within our corporate strategy.

Cirencester Town Council has recently been accredited as a Quality Gold council. The Quality Gold Award is evidence based and independently assessed demonstrating that a council is at the forefront of best practice and achieves excellence in governance, community leadership and council development.

The Local Information Centre welcomed 12,338 visitors during 2021 – this was despite being closed from January to mid-April.

This is almost as high as that recorded for 2019 and a good sign that the town centre is thriving again. We also hope it’s a sign of how much local people and visitors value the service provided by our CTC team and dedicated volunteers.

This is an open invite to organisations and consultants who are able to support us in carrying out a peer challenge in September 2022; last year, Cirencester Town Council published a two-year strategy as a foundation and framework for preparing a longer-term strategy ahead of the next local election in May 2023.

The Cirencester community-led Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group organised and ran an exhibition over three days in early December.

Sign up to WilderGlos the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Platform

Earlier in the autumn, Cirencester Town Council launched its Corporate Strategy and Action Plan for 2021-23, outlining its commitment and project priorities.

At a recent meeting of the Town Council, the independent external and internal reports for 2021-22 were received and noted.