It is nice to get so many kind comments about the Spotlight newsletters.

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A small team of volunteers regularly deliver them free of charge to every home in Podsmead.

Many people also like my fortnightly email newsletter with news from around our area. If you would like to be added to the circulation list, please do let me know!

Residents know that I live locally and work as a musician. I am a professional singer, and I teach singing and piano in local schools.

With my wife, who is also a musician, we run a community choir and the annual GLOW Festival, a free music festival, as well as a series of free coffee concerts at St Mary de Crypt Church. I am passionate about Gloucester’s history and making culture accessible to all.

In the Council Chamber, I speak up regularly for Podsmead, always pressing the council to deliver better services for our community.

Serving as a local Councillor here means working all the year round, and keeping in touch with people, not just appearing at election time!

My work with our community involves working with everyone, irrespective of party politics.

Issues that I have been engaged in include:

Promoting literacy for young people - working with the charity Read with Me which I supported from its inception. I have helped to deliver events and free books in Podsmead, and with my wife have delivered vocal workshops free to the participants from local primary schools.

Supporting local sports teams - I made the introduction for Podsmead football team Tuffley Rovers (whose home ground is in Podsmead) to be sponsored by Synetiq, a local business, and I have supported Old Cryptians rugby team with funding and promotion.

Strengthening food provision in the ward - in 2019 I campaigned to get the ground floor of Halford House brought back into use, and it is now the Poets Pantry, which houses a fair share food club. I have supported the pantry by sourcing donations from local partners including McDonald’s, Tesco and the Crypt School.

Cleaning up the streets and getting our roads and pavements fixed - our roads and pavements have been allowed to crumble after years of Conservative under-investment. I am also active in reporting local issues like weeds, missing or broken street signs, blocked drains, and damaged trees. I am pushing the developer at Earls Park to finish the roads and pavements in the development as soon as possible.

Helping the environment - I have pressed the council to plant more trees in Podsmead, and I have supported the wildflower meadows at Tuffley Park and Milton Avenue. I also helped to identify funding for the benches at Tuffley Park and to put towards the play park at Milton Avenue.

The regeneration of Podsmead - improving homes and making more available and bringing more shops and facilities to the area, including a pharmacy. The mix of new housing in the regeneration scheme is social rent and shared ownership, giving more people in Podsmead a chance of a decent home. I am also looking forward to the opening of the Blackbridge Sports Hub and the new facilities and the investment this will bring to our area.

Fighting your corner - I have dealt with hundreds of issues since being elected, and work regularly with the council, social housing landlords, the police and other agencies to resolve problems.

The election on May 2nd will be a choice between me and the last minute Conservative Party candidate. Everyone knows that Labour and the independents could never win here.

But my fight is not against the other parties. It is for you and everyone who lives in this pleasant area. Please remember that if ever I can be of service to you, your family, or your neighbours, then you should not hesitate to get in touch.

Published and promoted by Declan Wilson (Lib Dem) on behalf of Sebastian Field all at 17 The Oaks, Abbeymead, Gloucester, GL4 5WP.

Sebastian Field Liberal Democrat City Councillor for Podsmead 
📧 seb4podsmead@gmail.com 📞 01452 492230 https://sebastianfield.mycouncillor.org.uk