Lab regained this seat from Con — last held it in 2017.
Simon Opher
Labour PartyDr Simon Opher is the Labour MP for Stroud, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
MPs voted on new regulations expanding the Public Order Act 2023 to criminalise interference with key national infrastructure, such as energy, transport, and water systems. This extends powers introduced to tackle disruptive protest tactics used by groups like Just Stop Oil.
Vote on New Clause 29, which would have imposed a climate duty on local authorities and combined authorities as part of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Supporters argued local councils are responsible for around a third of emissions and need a formal obligation to act on climate, while the government indicated ambition should go beyond the Bill's floor but resisted the specific duty.
Vote on Amendment 38 to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which would have provided greater certainty and protections for disabled people with fluctuating conditions while the government's review of PIP assessments (the Timms review) is ongoing. Critics argued the Bill was putting cuts before the review, leaving vulnerable people uncertain about their entitlements.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Stroud has been mixed for Simon across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“Stroud MP joins community litter pick clears rubbish near school” — Gazette
A safe Lab seat, won with 46% of the vote in 2024. Covers Stroud, Cam and Stonehouse (Stroud). Population 96,620, notably older (median age 47 vs 41 nationally). Recorded crime is 43% below the national average.
Stroud football fan banned for three years after racially abusing players
Stroud News and Journal · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£26,500
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£36,200
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
4,415
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
63
41 primary, 6 secondary, 16 other
Total Income Tax▼
£305m
from 54,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,480
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£5,640
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
52.5
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
73.1%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 large town, 4 towns, 9 villages, rural areas — 96,531 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
39 councillors across 21 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amberley Woodchester | Green Party of England and Wales | Sarah Canning | May 2024 |
| Berkeley Vale | Conservative and Unionist Party | Charles James Tuffin | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Lindsey Jane Green | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Paul Turner | May 2024 | |
| Cainscross | Labour Party | Dave Mathews | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Elizabeth Ross Stanley | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | Fraser Dahdouh | May 2024 | |
| Cam East | Labour Party | Ian Hamilton | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Milly Hill | May 2024 | |
| Cam West | Labour Party | Chris Haynes | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Terri Kinnison | May 2024 | |
| Chalford | Green Party of England and Wales | Helen Fenton | May 2024 |
| Green Party of England and Wales | James Boyle | May 2024 | |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Trica Watson | May 2024 | |
| Coaley Uley | Green Party of England and Wales | Martin Richard Pearcy | May 2024 |
| Dursley | Labour Party | Bob Hughes | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Helen Rose Caton Hughes | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | Terry Cook | May 2024 | |
| Nailsworth | Green Party of England and Wales | Kate Kay | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Maggie Dutton | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | Steve Robinson | May 2024 | |
| Randwick Whiteshill Ruscombe | Green Party of England and Wales | Jon Edmunds | May 2024 |
| Rodborough | Labour Party | Katy Hofmann | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Nigel Andrew Prenter | May 2024 | |
| Stonehouse | Green Party of England and Wales | Carol Kambites | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | John Charles Parker | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | John Michael Callinan | May 2024 | |
| Stroud Central | Labour Party | David Drew | May 2024 |
| Stroud Farmhill Paganhill | Labour Party | Shyama Ananthan | May 2024 |
| Stroud Slade | Green Party of England and Wales | Natalie Rothwell-Warn | May 2024 |
| Stroud Trinity | Green Party of England and Wales | Lucas Schoemaker | May 2024 |
| Stroud Uplands | Labour Party | Cath Moore | May 2024 |
| Stroud Valley | Green Party of England and Wales | Martin Joseph Baxendale | May 2024 |
| The Stanleys | Green Party of England and Wales | Marisa Godfrey | May 2024 |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Steve Hynd | May 2024 | |
| Thrupp | Green Party of England and Wales | Beki Aldam | May 2024 |
| Wotton Under Edge | Green Party of England and Wales | Catherine Braun | May 2024 |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Gareth Kitchen | May 2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Linda Cohen | May 2024 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 25,607 | 46.4% | |
Won 2019 GE | Con | 14,219 | 25.8% |
| Ref | 6,329 | 11.5% | |
| Green | 5,729 | 10.4% | |
| LD | 2,913 | 5.3% | |
| Ind | 261 | 0.5% | |
| Ind | 163 | 0.3% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Con | 31,582 | 47.9% | |
Won 2017 GE | Lab | 27,742 | 42.1% |
| Green | 4,954 | 7.5% | |
| Ind | 1,085 | 1.6% | |
| Ind | 567 | 0.9% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 29,994 | 47.0% | |
Won 2015 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 29,307 | 45.9% |
Won 2024 GE | LD | 2,053 | 3.2% |
| Green | 1,423 | 2.2% | |
| Ind | 1,039 | 1.6% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2010 GE | Con | 27,813 | 45.7% |
Won 2017 GE | Lab | 22,947 | 37.7% |
| Ind | 4,848 | 8.0% | |
| Green | 2,779 | 4.6% | |
| LD | 2,086 | 3.4% | |
| Ind | 246 | 0.4% | |
| Ind | 100 | 0.2% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2015 GE | Con | 23,679 | 40.8% |
Won 2017 GE | Lab | 22,380 | 38.6% |
| LD | 8,955 | 15.4% | |
| Green | 1,542 | 2.7% | |
| Ind | 1,301 | 2.2% | |
| Ind | 116 | 0.2% |
Simon Opher has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
16 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
A 45-year-old Stroud resident was banned from attending football matches for three years after pleading guilty to racially abusing players at a Swindon Town match in October 2024. He received a £400 fine and was ordered to pay £245 in costs, with police emphasizing their commitment to combating discrimination in football.
A motorbike and bicycle were stolen from a shed in Stonehouse (near Stroud) between midnight and 7am on Easter Monday. Gloucestershire Police are appealing for information and offering crime-prevention advice.
Stroud District Council has applied for planning permission to demolish derelict properties at May Lane in Dursley and build 17 affordable homes with new pedestrian routes, public green space, and a children's play area. The regeneration scheme aims to transform an underused, blighted site into a residential quarter with improved town centre connectivity.
Jonathan Brough from Minchinhampton, paralysed by meningitis contracted on his gap year, is featured in Meningitis Now's '40 Years of Hope' exhibition at Three Storeys in Nailsworth. The Stroud-based charity, founded following a local 1980s outbreak, showcases 40 stories of affected individuals and families, highlighting medical progress and ongoing support work.
A new vintage marketplace called The Home of Vintage is opening at Stroud's Five Valleys Shopping Centre, featuring over 30 traders selling vintage and upcycled goods. The opening will be officially launched by a celebrity actress and completes an eight-year redevelopment project that has also brought a medical centre, library, food hall, cinema and other facilities to the town.
Stroud District Council is urging dog walkers and visitors to Selsley Common near Stroud to help protect ground-nesting skylarks by staying on marked paths and keeping dogs on short leads during the March-July breeding season. The initiative highlights the conservation status of skylarks, classified as 'red' on the British Birds of Conservation Concern list due to steep population decline.
A van driver was hospitalised following a violent road rage incident in Stroud on March 28, with Gloucestershire Police appealing for witnesses. The incident occurred when a car driver became aggressive after the van blocked a street, escalating to physical assault and attempted tyre deflation.
A man was assaulted in a suspected road rage incident near Stroud on March 28, with the attacker attempting to deflate the victim's van tyres before physically attacking him. Police are appealing for witnesses and CCTV footage to help identify the suspect.
Network Rail is closing the Gloucestershire railway line over two weekends in April for track maintenance and drainage improvements, with bus replacement services operating between Gloucester and Stroud (Saturdays) and other routes. The work also includes continued construction of Charfield station and improvements at Cheltenham Spa and Kemble.
A routine compilation of planning applications submitted to Stroud District Council, covering diverse projects across the constituency including HMO conversions, school access improvements, dental practice expansion, and residential developments. The article serves as a public notice of pending planning decisions.
Two bicycles were stolen from a shed in Eastcombe near Stroud during an Easter Monday burglary between midnight and 6am on April 6. The incident highlights local crime and includes crime prevention advice from Gloucestershire Police.
Campaigners from Save Stroud Lido are organising a flash mob and window trail to raise awareness about the uncertain future of Stroud's iconic 1930s outdoor pool, with over 3,000 residents signing a petition and the District Council set to discuss the lido's future on April 16. The campaign has attracted support from TV presenter Mary Portas and 28 local businesses.
Stroud's iconic Stratford Park Lido faces a temporary closure for summer 2026 due to £5 million in essential repairs. Local businesses, residents, and retail expert Mary Portas have united behind a 'Save Our Lido' campaign, with 30+ shops displaying solidarity through creative window displays and a community meeting planned for April 20.
A community Easter egg hunt in Stroud's Heavens Valley raised funds for the local beauty spot's maintenance, with about 50 children and parents participating in an event organised by the Heavens Valley Action Group. The event demonstrates strong community engagement and support from local businesses like Waitrose and Tesco to preserve this 102-acre green space.
A second dawn chorus birdwatching event has been added in Stroud's Heavens Valley after the first sold out quickly. Led by ecologist Simon Pickering, the April 12 walk will educate participants on bird identification, ecology, and natural history.
Gloucestershire County Council is planning a merger into one or two unitary authorities. Coopers Edge, a suburb straddling Stroud and Tewkesbury districts, would be further divided under an East/West split proposal, prompting local councillors to call the plans 'bonkers' and warning of entrenched community divisions.
Jack Russell, a cricket legend born in Stroud and former Archway pupil, will appear on the Stick to Cricket podcast hosted by Michael Vaughan and other cricket personalities. The episode will air on Tuesday, April 7, where Russell is expected to share stories and insights from his playing career.
A weather forecast article predicting unseasonably warm temperatures in Stroud reaching the low 20s mid-week before cooling significantly by the weekend. The article compares Stroud's forecast favourably to Barcelona's.
The Original Factory Shop in Cainscross, Stroud has permanently closed after the company entered administration. The closure follows a closing-down sale and represents the loss of a retail presence in the constituency.
Stroud MP Dr Simon Opher participated in a community litter pick near Rednock School in Dursley, joining councillors and volunteers. The event promoted litter awareness and discussed efforts to make the national Voluntary Code of Practice for Food on the Go mandatory, with the council seeking government support for the campaign.
Coopers Edge, a Gloucester suburb currently split between Tewkesbury Borough and Stroud District, faces further fragmentation if Gloucestershire's local government reorganisation proceeds with an East/West two-unitary council option. Residents and local councillors are campaigning for a single unitary council for the entire county to resolve existing boundary issues that divide homes, services, and administrative responsibilities.
Stroud traders and businesses are launching a window trail campaign to save the town's historic 1930s lido from closure, with support from TV personality Mary Portas who will judge the displays. The campaign runs April 4-30 and already has 28 businesses participating, aiming to raise awareness about the threatened community asset.
Jack Russell, a Stroud-born former England cricket captain and local legend, is auctioning his personal collection of 135 military medals assembled over 30 years, expected to fetch around £100,000. The collection focuses on Gloucestershire Regiment medals and includes historically significant items from major WWI battles, with Russell citing a desire for change in direction after decades of collecting.
Weekly death notices and funeral announcements published by the Stroud News and Journal for deceased residents of the Stroud area. The notices serve as a community record and tribute to those who have passed away.
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