THE Independent Group at Forest of Dean District Council say they will continue to strive to deliver “top quality” services for the district after several councillors were elected to key positions at the authority in May.

At the Annual Meeting of the council on May 19, the Independent Group achieved “notable success” with four of its members securing prominent roles within the council for 2022/23.

Councillor Clive Elsmore (Coleford) was re-elected as Vice Chairman of the Council, and also retained his role as Vice Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Group Leader Cllr Philip Burford (Hartpury and Redmarley) was elected to the post of Chairman of the Planning Committee, an area where he has “many years of experience”.

Cllr Maria Edwards (Tidenham) was re-elected as Vice Chairman of the Planning Committee, while Cllr Simon Phelps (Westbury) was elected as Chairman of the Licensing Committee.

Deputy Leader of the group, Cllr Simon Phelps, said of the appointments: “With the Independent Group consisting of five members, the FoDDC Annual Meeting proved to be very successful, with four out of the five group members taking prominent positions on the Council.

“The Independent Group will continue to represent the interests of all the residents within the District and will strive to ensure that top quality Council services are delivered in a timely manner for the whole of the District.”