Stone Rural North 2025 candidate profile – Gary Lloyd (Independent)

As part of our coverage of the upcoming Staffordshire County Council elections, A Little Bit of Stone invited every candidate standing in the Stone area to complete a standard questionnaire. The questions were shaped by feedback gathered through our recent Stone Matters survey, where local residents told us which issues matter most to them.

We asked candidates to focus their answers on the responsibilities of Staffordshire County Council – highways, education, social care, transport, public health and related services. Their responses appear below unedited, exactly as supplied.

Name
Gary Lloyd

Party
Independent

Division
Stone Rural North

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Q1: Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, and why have you decided to stand for election in the Staffordshire County Council elections?

I grew up in the Burslem area and my wife, Katherine, and I moved to Barlaston just over twenty years ago.  I initially worked for a decade as a sub-contractor in the construction industry before retraining as a teacher, graduating from MMU with an Honours degree in Mathematics Education.  I went on to become a senior school leader and my proudest academic achievement is the Distinction level MA in Educational Leadership that I received from Keele University.  I set up a small but popular gardening business upon retirement from teaching.  My clients are based in areas such as Barlaston, Stone, Blythe Bridge, Swynnerton, Meir Heath, Yarnfield and Hixon. My interests include visiting football grounds – I’ve been trying to do the 92 for the last 40 years and I’m stuck on about 70.  I like gardening, DIY and making things.  I financially support by monthly subscription the following charities: Save the Children, Barnado’s, Sightsavers, Mercy Ships, Smile Train, the Dougie Mac, Anti-Slavery International, Action Aid, Water Aid and UNICEF.  I am heavily involved in the local community and I will say more about this later in the questionnaire.  My wife is a specialist languages teacher and our daughter is a journalist who lives in Lincoln, where she graduated.

Q2: Do you live in the Division?

Yes

Q3: If not, why have you chosen to stand here?

N/A

Q4: What relevant experience or background do you bring to the role of County Councillor?

As a senior school leader I have considerable experience of working alongside and within local communities to strive for the best outcomes for our young people.  I am Chair of Finance for Barlaston Parish Council and a member of the Planning Committee.  I am also Treasurer of Barlaston Village Hall and Treasurer of the Barlaston Gardeners’ Social Group.  I manage the concert day door income for Stone Choral Society and I was in Stone with the Society as recently as last Saturday for the performance at St Michael & St Wulfad Church.

Q5: The County Council has declared a climate emergency and committed to a Net Zero target. What does that commitment mean in practice for local residents and businesses? What will you do to support this goal locally?

Net zero is the key phrase here.  In the short term, we can’t just do away with materials that contribute to climate change.  People’s living standards and jobs depend on their continued use.  What we must do is offset their impact by employing methods to counteract their effect.  These interventions include mass planting of trees, protecting the Green Belt and insisting on biodiversity net gain for land development projects.   We should support and help to grow  our local business and entrepreneurial expertise and educational researchers in the area of green technologies.  We need to expand the availability and accessibility of vehicle charging points.  Large solar panel farms are contentious so need to be placed only in appropriate locations, not just the most convenient ones.   We should support and facilitate residents to become more energy efficient and make it economically viable for them to move away from fossil fuels.

Q6: The Udall Grange estate is nearing completion, and just last month, proposals were announced for a further 500 homes on adjoining land. There has been no mention of improvements to infrastructure, GP capacity or dental services. The County Council is responsible for roads, schools, and medical services, while Stafford Borough Council handles planning. How do you square away this imbalance? What would you do to ensure new developments do not come at the cost of existing residents’ wellbeing?

I expect that the imbalance between service providers will soon become a historic issue once the proposed and inevitable unitary authority comes into being.  However, I am not avoiding the question.  Within the current arrangements, and as we are all striving for the best outcomes for the residents of Staffordshire, collaboration and mutual respect are key in building and maintaining productive relationships with our colleagues at Stafford Borough Council.   We need more houses.  Too many in our community, and especially our young people, live in sub-standard rented accommodation with no prospect of finding the deposit for a home of their own.  This is owing to a lack of affordable housing stock and the situation has to be rectified.  However, it is irresponsible and profiteering to build estates without the proper supporting infrastructure.  It is completely justifiable to insist that builders commit to responsible development and to respecting the quality of life of existing residents, and are scrutinised and held to account if they are found to be cutting corners, with their permits suspended or cancelled.

Q7: The Aston to Burston Trail has been closed for months following the collapse of a footbridge. A drawn‑out process between the landowner and local authority has left this well‑used route in limbo. Do you think the County Council has done enough to uphold public rights of way in our area? What would you do differently?

In my experience, many of our public rights-of-way are either impossible to find or have been allowed to fall into disrepair.  I enjoy walking in our beautiful countryside, but I regularly find on a new walk that I can’t locate the way signs, footpaths are invisible or impassable and I get lost and have to turn back.  As far as I can see, SCC has allowed our public footpaths to disappear, albeit owing to having other issues to address.  We do need to sort this situation out, and I am looking forward to championing this cause.  I’m sure there are plenty of locals who will help me out on this one.

Q8: What is your stance on the enforcement of Stone High Street as a pedestrianised zone? At times, the Market Square resembles a car park. Should access be more tightly restricted or more flexible, and how should this be enforced?

On any narrow or busy town centre high street, pedestrians and motorised vehicles should never mix.  There can only ever be one outcome – innocent shoppers are injured by 1 or 2-tonne moving metal.  Unless there are mobility issues, I can’t see why any responsible driver would want to negotiate all the people moving around the high street anyway.  There is ample parking within a walkable distance.  It’s a no-brainer – deliveries before 9am and after 5pm, or with careful management outside of those times, people with disabilities provided with parking bays as close as possible to the access points, and close off Stone High Street to everything else.

Q9: Stone and the surrounding area has lost many of its bus routes in recent years. This leaves many residents, especially older people and those without cars, isolated. What would you do to improve public transport options in the division?

Rationalising public transport most impacts the elderly and the more vulnerable people in our community.  Private transport providers have to balance the losses they incur on unprofitable routes against income generated from busier links.  We know that SCC is cash-strapped and can’t use taxpayers’ money to indefinitely subsidise less-frequented service areas.  Research in this area is conclusive – older people in rural areas can’t access convenient and reliable public transport.  This is especially relevant for our older residents who wish to attend a medical appointment.  It is unrealistic to expect that private transport providers will absorb losses to run unprofitable routes, unless the losses are offset by more profitable ones.  This needs to be explored, if it hasn’t been already.  SCC doesn’t have the financial capacity to run a bus service to every rural outpost.  This is where we, the community, come in.  We need to organise a volunteer bus programme, potentially with vehicles and licences part-funded by SCC, to address the transport issues faced by residents in rural areas.  Car-sharing is another potential avenue.  I think that Parish Councils can have an important and effective role here.  Sometimes, issues can’t be resolved solely at County level and it’s for local groups to step up.  

Q10: With transport in mind, what is your view on how the County Council should balance road infrastructure investment with active travel options such as walking and cycling?

There needs to be sufficient investment in cycling infrastructure to encourage people to choose cycling as a viable mode of transport, reducing the reliance on cars and thereby easing congestion.  Similarly, we can’t expect people to use footpaths and other walking routes that are poorly lit or in disrepair.  Research suggests that benefits to health and the environment of active travel mean that it is one of the best financial investments a council can make.  Therefore, all new road improvement schemes must give priority consideration to opening up more safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians.  Existing footpaths, including the shorter paths that link destinations in towns, that could be used more but are avoided on safety grounds should be inspected and made fit-for-purpose.

Q11: Speeding and dangerous parking, particularly on roads near local schools, is a common concern. What can be done to improve road safety for children and penalise offenders?

The location of a secondary and more acutely, a primary school is very often not helpful in terms of providing parking for local residents and for people trying to collect their children from the school.  To remove any  confusion, schools should be as clear as possible with their parking signage, such as bright and obvious zig-zags, with the message supported by printed signs informing motorists that they are in a strictly no parking area.  Park and stride is a healthy alternative but the parking area and walk should be suitable for this purpose and improved if they are not.  Pedestrian crossings are helpful and maybe carry more authority on especially busy roads than crossing wardens.  I think at a local level, schools need to fully interact with parents about parking, making it a key priority as it causes much misery for local residents.  I’m sure this will already be true for a lot of schools.  There is a balance between supporting our hard-working parents who are juggling commitments, and having an injury near a school caused by drop-off or pick-up congestion so if there is an accident waiting to happen then traffic enforcement action ought to be implemented. 

Public Health England states that the largest number of child pedestrian injuries occur between 7am and 8am and between 3pm and 7pm.  Every week an average of 16 children aged 16 and under are fatally injured during these times.  My own experience of managing health and safety in secondary schools has shown me that our young people have unlimited energy and thoroughly enjoy cycling to and from school.  To keep young cyclists and pedestrians safe, we need to implement engineering measures to reduce vehicle speeds and also those that separate cyclists and pedestrians from traffic.  20 mph areas around schools, if adhered to, can reduce the number of accidents and also the severity of the injuries caused.  Excessive speeding near a school during busy periods is obviously a danger to our young people.  Our ultimate deterrents are fines and driving licence points.

Q12: What is your view on the provision of school places and SEND services in Staffordshire? Are local families being properly supported, and what changes would you advocate for at the County level?

It is anticipated that around 5000 more primary and 3000 secondary school places will be required in Staffordshire by 2033.  £32 million has been allocated to building new primary schools and a £26.5 million secondary school in Stafford.  That could mean a lot of mobile classrooms and other temporary buildings, so we need to secure a more funding from Government to provide our young people with proper classrooms in modern buildings, or redistribute the funding more evenly so that schools can increase their capacity at the local level.  Also, quite a few of our schools are below capacity, so we need to make them more attractive to parents who live in their traditional catchment areas.

SCC has secured £14 million to improve existing provision for SEND students so I can’t comment on the impact that will make until it’s been given a chance to work its way into schools and classrooms.  With 7000 young people in Staffordshire having an Educational, Health and Care Plan, I anticipate a lot more money will be necessary to provide every young person with a high quality of education.  As a retired teacher and senior school leader, I have experienced at first hand the distress felt by parents and students who have suffered significant failures in accessing support.

Q13: Devolution is coming down the tracks, with the creation of new combined authorities. What are your views on this shift, and how can we ensure towns like Stone are properly represented in a larger unitary structure?

Consolidating smaller councils into unitary authorities could well mean that decisions at present taken at a local level are instead decided by a larger central body.  My view is that the needs of rural areas may be overshadowed by urban priorities within the same unitary authority.  However, Stone Rural (North) will have a similar number of constituents as the other electoral divisions in our unitary authority and, at least in principle, an equal voice as long as there is strong and consistent  representation and leadership from our County Councillor and their support network.  As an independent candidate, and not being constrained by any political party policy, I will endeavour to support and protect the priorities of the people of Stone and the other beautiful areas in our division at the unitary level.  

Q14: What is one issue in the division that you believe does not get enough attention at County Council level, and what would you do about it within the remit of the role?

Empty shops and business units.  It is a credit to the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of our traders that so many have managed to withstand the impact of online shopping, COVID-19 lockdowns and spiralling overhead costs to keep providing their welcome services.  I am in awe of them.  We need to incentivise the reopening of empty shops and business units, encouraging budding entrepreneurs to take the plunge by making their first few years low risk and low cost, with waivers and subsidies. If the business is successful, service charges that are within the council’s control can be increased proportionately, if the venture hasn’t worked out, it shouldn’t mean financial disaster for the merchant or business owner.  When our high streets are fully open for business, everybody wins.

Q15: Finally, why should residents vote for you on 1st May?

I think that the roles I have been asked to carry out for the civic, charitable and community groups to which I belong demonstrate that my colleagues in these groups consider me to have honesty and integrity, and also that I have attention to detail, and I am pragmatic and reliable. All of these roles are voluntary and unpaid.  As an independent representative for the people of Stone Rural (North), I do not have to follow any political party line so I am able to act according to my own judgement and in the best interests of my constituents.  Thank you for taking the time to read my responses.