Stroud Today is an independent news and information site for Stroud and its district. We read the public record and publish what is in it, and we keep the practical local pages accurate.
The valleys and the Vale
The Five Valleys are the heart of it: Stroud itself, with Nailsworth, Painswick, Minchinhampton, Chalford, Stonehouse and the mill villages along the water. It is a distinctive place with a strong identity and a long industrial history behind the scenery. South and west of it the district runs down into the Vale, where Dursley, Cam, Wotton-under-Edge and Berkeley are more separate and look towards Bristol and Gloucester. About 126,000 people live across the whole district and we cover all of it.
Who decides what
Stroud District Council handles planning, bins, licensing, car parks and housing. Gloucestershire County Council handles roads, schools and social care. Much of the district falls within the Cotswolds national landscape, which is a designation that constrains development rather than a separate planning authority, and we explain which applies when it matters.
What we work from
The district council’s planning register and committee papers, licensing notices, police.uk crime data, HM Land Registry sold prices, Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings, Environment Agency flood warnings for the Frome and the Severn, and company filings in The Gazette. Where a record is unclear we say it is unclear.
What happens in 2028
Stroud District Council is due to be abolished in April 2028, when Gloucestershire is reorganised into a single unitary authority. That means the district-level arrangements this site reports on have a limited life, and that planning, bins and council tax will in future be decided for the whole county at once. We will report each stage from the published documents and keep our reference pages pointing at whoever actually answers.
Tips and corrections
Email hello@stroudtoday.co.uk with a tip, an event worth listing, or a correction. Tips are treated in confidence, and corrections are made quickly and noted on the page.
Stroud Today is part of Future Business Media.