Our Gloucestershire election debate live stream has now ended.

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You can find more about the upcoming election in the county here.

Thank you for joining us for today's Gloucestershire election debate.

We'll leave you with a selection of photos from the morning.

In a fun final question, Esme asks the guests which Gloucestershire events they think they'd do best at and why; cheese rolling, shin kicking or elver eating?!

Daniel Woolf, Reform

"Cheese rolling - 100%.

"I played American football for Gloucester many, many moons ago, so that die-hard, just go-for-it attitude suits me."

Lisa Spivey, Lib Dems

"Shin kicking - I'm quite short and small so I think I can get in there and put a few kicks in."

Stephen Davies, Conservatives

"Elver eating because they do it in Frampton on Severn."

John Bloxsom, Labour

"It would have to be cheese rolling.

"It's insane, but internationally it's fantastically successful."

Chloe Turner, Greens

"Cheese rolling for me too.

"Love active travel, love being out in nature, chasing something vegetarian."

John from Gloucester asks: "What is happening with the seven councils?"

Central government is asking areas to merge county and district councils.

So, should Gloucestershire move to one unitary 'super council' or two?

Chloe Turner, Greens

She says she has been "astonished" that a lot more people are asking about it on the doorstep.

"There's a strong concern around the council... being potentially eliminated and being part of some super authority."

She adds: "It's not something we'd have chosen.

"We want a council that's intimately connected with our communities."

She says the Green Party is calling for "preservation of local identities, local services", as well as "genuine community engagement and community empowerment".

The party is open to exploring the options on the table, she explains.

Daniel Woolf, Reform

There's an argument to "keep it as it is", he says - though that is not an option on the table.

He says his worry about splitting into two councils is "disparity" with one side of the county being richer than the other.

It's important to look at the cost of the change, he adds.

"The jury's still out."

Stephen Davies, Conservatives

He says Conservatives want one single Gloucestershire unitary council, which would be more cost-effective.

"I have never met anybody who said they woke up in west or east Gloucestershire, this is complete nonsense," he adds.

He says people are "incensed" by the suggestion of splitting the county in two.

John Bloxsom, Labour

Mr Bloxsom says there is "great opportunity" with "greater devolution".

"It's perfectly possible to have efficient local authorities run on a unitary basis and also to have them small enough to be locally accountable."

He says having two unitaries would be "a bit closer to people".

"Seven local authorities in a two-tier system is just too many," he says.

He feels that is a waste of money and confusing for people.

Lisa Spivey, Lib Dems

"We haven't had local government reorganisation for 50 years," says Ms Spivey.

"We need to take our time to do this.

"This is about delivery of services, ultimately."

She adds: "We'll be talking to communities, working out what they want and how we can deliver that."

Phillip from Maisemore is concerned about council tax.

"Council tax is disproportionate to the areas. I’ve seen a massive change in this city, not for the good," he says.

The county council section of the bill has just gone up by the maximum 4.99%.

Here's what our guests have to say on the issue:

John Bloxsom, Labour

Mr Bloxsom says people need to see the benefit of their bills going up.

However, referring to the limit to how much council tax can go up by in a year, he says the level of demand "isn't capped" - citing adult social care as an example.

"We've got legal obligations to meet those needs."

He adds the council needs to "manage our contracts properly, get best value for money".

Chloe Turner, Greens

Ms Turner says she is "not surprised to hear John's frustration".

"Local government has been chronically underfunded by national government for decades," she says, with rural areas particularly "hard-hit".

"What you pay in your council tax doesn't necessarily reflect your council tax... your standard of living," she adds, saying there's "unfairness in the system".

"We would like to see that national reform," she adds, suggesting the council tax band system is reassessed.

Daniel Woolf, Reform

Mr Woolf speaks about the Reform manifesto to cut council tax and bring in a council version of the US' Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

"If you're going to freeze council tax or reduce it, then you have to look at those other revenue sources."

He says he would look at business rates and getting "positive growth from that" to help "grow that revenue pot".

There could be cuts made elsewhere, for example to "frivolous" services and to the wage of the chief executive of the council, he explains.

Lisa Spivey, Lib Dems

"I'd like to see much better value for money," Ms Spivey says, including "not using the private sector so much" for provisions such as adult social care and children's care.

"Vulnerable children in Gloucestershire should be looked after in Gloucestershire," she adds.

"You've got to be honest with the public," she explains, about the need for council tax rises.

She wants to cut things like "red tape" that is "stopping communities from doing things".

"I've had communities that have waited six years for double yellow lines - that's madness."

Stephen Davis, Conservatives

He says: "The government assumes you are [rising council tax] and don't increase their contribution if you don't."

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep," he adds.

"2.9% of [council tax] is ring fenced for adult social care.

"[You are] very limited in what you can do and what you can change."

We've now had a question from listener Carey in Gloucester.

She asks: "If you are elected, what are you going to do to improve and increase the provision for young people, such as youth clubs, outside of school hours?"

Stephen Davies, Conservatives

"We need to target youth services most in need," he says, explaining the council he leads could not afford a "universal" approach.

He says it is looking at youth hubs and encouraging community and family groups to "get involved" with them.

"With limited resources they need to be targeted rather than universal," he adds.

John Bloxsom, Labour

"It's been a tragic thing to see youth services decline," says Mr Bloxsom.

"We're intervening too late."

"What we need is a universal offer on a neighbourhood basis."

He adds: "We need something that is more accessible to many young people," saying there needs to be a "range of services" suitable for different ages and interests.

Chloe Turner, Greens

"[I] couldn't feel more strongly about this," says Ms Turner.

"All children need these kinds of outlets."

"The county council, I feel, should be providing these services," she adds.

She also says councillors should be lobbying for funding for youth provision.

Daniel Woolf, Reform

Mr Woolf, a former teacher, says there is "lots of after school club provision".

He says he would look at schools to run schemes to encourage kids to do activities that are not necessarily school-related.

He would also look into having people from local businesses go into schools to run activities and courses.

"There are people out there, they just need that encouragement," he says, explaining it would also help "illuminate" pupils to "different employment opportunities".

Lisa Spivey, Lib Dems

"Those cuts that we are seeing are really, really sad," Ms Spivey says.

She speaks about the Lib Dem manifesto to encourage all schools to offer swimming lessons, citing its health and safety importance.

"It's a really fun activity as well."

She says youth provision is about "getting in there early" before children need intervention.

She adds it could be funded by being "smart with the money we have", for example, outsourcing fewer contracts.

Whoever is in charge next year will have a big decision to make on how local government in the county is made up.

That's because Westminster is pushing all areas of England to get rid of local councils - such as Cheltenham Borough Council or Stroud District Council - and instead go for one 'unitary' council.

In Gloucestershire, that means getting rid of the six district councils and having one council in charge of everything.

But some political parties have suggested splitting Gloucestershire in two because of its size.

You can read more from Esme about what the reorganisation of local government could mean for Gloucestershire here.

Our first topic comes from Dave from Abbeymead.

"The potholes in the road, I’d like them filled up," he says.

"I went over one in Tuffley and it burst my tyre. That was late on a Sunday afternoon and I had to have a mobile tyre fitter come out and sort me out and it cost me £175."

Here's how the candidates responded:

Lisa Spivey, Liberal Democrats

"I can really empathise with Dave," Ms Spivey says.

"Our roads are in the worst state they've ever been in."

She says there needs to be a review of how the council tackles the issue, suggesting more resurfacing rather than going "pothole by pothole".

She also says the current highways maintenance contractor does not bring "value for money" and suggested potentially "insourcing" the maintenance.

Stephen Davies, Conservatives

Mr Davies says he agrees with Ms Spivey that "resurfacing is the long-term solution".

"There is not enough money in the system to fix every pothole," he adds.

He says the current administration has "transformed highways" through various ways, including introducing new technology and letting the public report problems.

He says more than 90,000 potholes will be fixed by the end of the year.

But he says bringing it in house is "not the solution" because of the cost.

John Bloxsom, Labour

The solution is about looking at the causes of potholes, says Mr Bloxsom.

He says there also needs to be better communication with residents.

"We need better value for money and we need to think about all road-users.

"Responsive repairs and proper programmed solutions... to get to the bottom of the problem," he adds.

He says nationally there has been some "modest" increases to council budgets to fix roads.

Chloe Turner, Greens

"This is the number one issue that comes up for us," Ms Turner says, calling it "absolutely infuriating" and "embarrassing".

"This is about contract management," she adds. "You can't outsource something as important as road maintenance and then not retain the expertise to manage that contract.

"They're doing their own safety checks of their own repairs.

"We need to revisit that contract."

Daniel Woolf, Reform

Mr Woolf also says the contract needs looking at.

He suggests following some councils who are using recycled waste to fill the roads, saving it from landfill.

"Use one problem to solve another problem," he adds.

He says there should be a "rolling programme" to fix potholes, rather than just "reacting" to areas where councillors are "trying to garner the most votes".

He also suggests taking money away from "unwanted" cycle routes and instead putting it towards fixing the county's roads.

Edward Rowe
Political reporter, BBC Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire County Council takes about 75% of residents council tax - so where’s it going?

We all want our bins collected regularly, but collecting the waste isn’t something the county council is in charge of. It is, however, responsible for where it goes.

In 2023, just less than half the waste collected was incinerated and turned into energy, while a little more than half was recycled.

The county council is also in charge of local roads and filling in potholes - something that’s an important issue for lots of people.

The £48m cycle spine road through the county is also the authority's creation.

It is also in charge of some schools, children’s services, adult social care, some libraries and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

Our guests have arrived at the BBC Radio Gloucestershire studios, so let's get going.

You can follow along on this blog, listen on BBC Sounds, or watch the live stream above.

Did you know the BBC has a useful tool to easily find out who your local candidates are?

Just click here and scroll down to pop your postcode in.

Today's guests are:

Labour: John Bloxsom, group leader on the county council

Conservative: Stephen Davies, leader of Gloucestershire County Council

Liberal Democrat: Lisa Spivey, the group leader of what is currently the second largest party in the county

Green: Chloe Turner, councillor on both the county and Stroud district councils

Reform UK: Daniel Woolf, standing in Hempsted & Westgate

There are also 21 independent candidates running in the election.

You can check who is standing for election in your area here.

While the guests are getting settled in, just a reminder the deadline to register to vote has now passed.

For those who have registered, don't forget you will need to take photo ID - like a passport, drivers' licence, older person's bus pass, or a veteran's card - to the polling station on Thursday 1 May in order to be given your ballot paper.

Voting takes place between 07:00 and 22:00 BST, although postal votes can be cast before then.

Image source, Getty Images

More than 70% of Gloucestershire residents' council tax goes to the county council.

All 55 seats are up for the taking and any party that gets 28 will lead the authority.

The Conservatives, The Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK all have sitting councillors and will be hoping to run it.

There are also independent candidates running in the election.

You can check who is standing for election in your area here.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to our live coverage of the Gloucestershire Council election - a key battleground for the five main parties.

Representatives from the Conservatives, Labour, Greens, Reform UK and Liberal Democrats are taking part in a debate, chaired by political reporter Esme Ashcroft, on BBC Radio Gloucestershire from 10:00 BST, ahead of polling day on Thursday 1 May.

Stay with us as we bring you the highlights of the hour-long discussion.