A DEMONSTRATION to coincide with a major international climate summit will be held in Stroud. 

The protest, organised by Youth Strike for Climate Stroud, will start at Wallbridge Green, outside the Lockkeepers café, at 11am on Saturday, November 12 before a march around the town centre.

This comes as new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would not be attending the COP27 climate summit next month.

Former Stroud District Council leader Doina Cornell said that it 'was a very poor show for the UK not to send the PM or the King'. 

At the event in Stroud there will be a selection of speakers from youth and environmental groups at the youth-led protest. 

"We are going to protest the last few governments’ lack of substantial policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the natural environments all around us," explains organiser Dan Green. 

"It is also to raise awareness of the vital COP27 talks in Egypt. 

"At COP26 in Glasgow, there were a range of potentially impactful initiatives agreed upon.

"These have simply not been acted on.

"As the UK presided over those talks there would be some expectation that our governments’ policies would reflect the agreements.

"However, they have gone back on the fracking ban, want to demolish huge areas of environmental protection for property developments, and have been looking at new drilling sites in the North Sea.

"This is completely unacceptable given the scale of the crises we are facing. 

"Climate and ecological catastrophes are becoming a present issue across the world.

"We must act now, and we must act quickly.

"There just isn’t enough time to delay any further.  

"Studies show that switching to renewables could save trillions of pounds.

"The faster we decarbonize the more money that will be saved. 

"Being fully renewable means cheaper energy bills.

"Protesting this issue becomes even more timely with so many struggling with energy prices.

"Please come and join us in holding the next government accountable for our futures."

Rishi Sunak told the Commons last week that he “stands by” the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto and insisted his Government will deliver on what was agreed at the UN Cop26 Glasgow climate talks.