Kathy has worked in Local Government for over 35 years, for councils in Hampshire, Surrey and, since 2018, Gloucestershire. Kathy studied at the Universities of Leeds and Liverpool. She is a geographer by background and a town planner by profession, which sparked her early interest in place shaping. She was attracted to Stroud’s strong independent spirit, green credentials and fabulous natural environment well before the Sunday Times identified it in 2021 as the best place to live in the UK. Stroud District Council was in the first handful to declare a climate change and ecological emergency and is working towards the goal of achieving a carbon neutral district. This is challenging in the current financial environment following the Fair Funding settlement and with Local Government Reorganisation on the horizon. Kathy is experienced at working in a politically complex environment as Stroud District Council has been No Overall Control since 2012 and is now a minority Green administration working in a committee system following twelve years as a co-operative alliance of Labour, Green and Liberal Democrats. Kathy is the Solace spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change portfolio and is the South West Chief Executive lead on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.