Help set District Council's priorities

Stratford-on-Avon District Council is preparing a new Corporate Strategy in tandem with making its financial plans.  Both will reflect a reduced level of resourcing over a 4 year period, with the Council expecting to reduce its net spending to around £12m from the current level of £14.7m.  This means the Council must look at different ways of delivering services and review the outcomes it wants to achieve.

The draft Corporate Strategy proposes a new vision for the District - that "By 2015 all our communities will be actively promoting and helping to deliver the actions necessary to meet the identified needs of their local area."  It emphasises an approach based on community involvement and localism.

Council Leader Councillor Stephen Gray says "I believe that communities are at their strongest when they work together, providing mutual support and identifying their own solutions to local issues.  I want the District Council to work hand in hand with the community to ensure that local challenges are addressed and risks faced by vulnerable people are reduced.

"In common with our local partners we know that reduced levels of funding will change both what we do and the way we work.  I'm confident that the improved outcomes we want to deliver for our District are most likely to be achieved if we tap into and release the energy that exists within our local communities."

The draft Corporate Strategy focuses on the four big issues that residents and businesses have consistently identified as needing to be addressed to improve quality of life in the District: 

• Aim 1 - Addressing local housing need
• Aim 2 - A District where Business and Enterprise can flourish
• Aim 3 - Improving access to services
• Aim 4 - Minimising the impacts of climate change

The District Council is developing plans to deliver improvements in each of these areas over the strategy period (2011 to 2015).  However, the reduced availability of resources dictates that it is likely to have to prioritise different things in different years.  Whilst some things can be done quickly, others will take longer to deliver and the District Council recognises that it won't be able to do everything at once.  It has issued the draft strategy for consultation and is looking to residents and businesses to influence what it does and when it does it.

Councillor Gray says "We would welcome feedback from local people not just on what they see as the priorities for their area, but also on how they think the council can work more effectively with the community in the future. We hope that residents will let us know if there are any omissions and we also want to start people thinking about how they might become more involved."

The draft Corporate Strategy is now out for consultation and residents and businesses are invited to complete the questionnaire on the District Council's website http://www.stratford.gov.uk/survey/corporatestrategy/_corporate_strategy_2011.htm

by Friday 7 January 2011.