Summary
David Gray is a Conservative Party councillor for Winchcombe He also said the county had more in common to the places to the north of Gloucestershire than Bristol. “Bristol has half a million people,” he said. “It’s on a different scale. “We would be in with this wen, pulling things into. I fear for the nature of Gloucestershire in terms of the character of the county and what that would do to us.” He said he felt parts of the county would “be sucked into servicing parts of Bristol”. “I look at the wisdom of elders, the Three Choirs, the Three Shires, that to me seems like an attractive option.” And fellow Conservative Councillor Paul McLain (Highnam with Haw Bridge) proposed a successful amendment no to support the position set out in the Gloucestershire joint response but instetad to engage with the councils to the north of Gloucestershire as well as WECA.
Details
Conservative Councillor Paul McLain “But the odds would be further stacked against Gloucestershire when the old Avon is reconstituted.” Reform UK Councillor Graham Bocking (Northway) said it was important for them to keep “options open”. “It’s a decision we are not actually making,” he said. “It’s going to be made by central government. Independent Councillor Mike Sztymiak (Tewkesbury North and Twyning) said he had strong views about the reason to go with Herefordshire and Worcestershire and potentially Warwickshire.
Independent Councillor Mike Sztymiak said he favoured a Three Counties strategic authority “Culturally, we have a greater identity with those people,” he said. “We have a greater heritage with those areas and that is where I believe we belong. “If we can gell people together around this concept of who we are, I think it lies in those Three Counties, Three Shires and Three Choirs and whatever has gone on in the past. “Whether we call ourselves Mercia, or whatever, it may be an ancient name but I do think it’s probably in the psyche of the public around us that there is still that concept there.” All councillors voted in favour of the proposal apart from one who voted against and another who abstained.