County Council shows solidarity with Ukraine

Cllr Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, signed the agreement with the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration on December 11, 2025.

The agreement was signed virtually during a meeting also attended by David Owen, Director of Economy and Environment at Gloucestershire County Council, and Ivan Fedorov, Head of regional state administration.

The council has been working with the economic development team in Zaporizhzhia, a region in the south-east of Ukraine, after being approached by them last year.

An agreement has now been signed between the two authorities. It will see them work more closely together in areas of mutual interest, where they can help each other to develop.

Gloucestershire County Council and Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration have already worked together in areas including:

·       Cyber security

·       Developing green energy infrastructure

·       Improvement of agricultural land

·       Support to small to medium size businesses

·       Development of the aerospace sector

This partnership has been supported by the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, the Ukrainian Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ukrainian Embassy in London.

Cllr Spivey said: “I am delighted that we have been able to sign this agreement with the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and are horrified by the impact of war on its population, some of whom have come to live in our county. It’s an honour to play our part in supporting them during this hugely challenging time.

“Signing this agreement will allow us to work closely together to learn and bring benefits to our residents both here in Gloucestershire, and in Ukraine.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Zaporizhzia and we hope for a peace settlement soon so that they can begin to rebuild and we will do what we can to support that effort.”