Full Attendance for State of the District Debate

Around 200 people packed-out Stratford Town Hall last Friday 2 July to participate in Stratford-on-Avon District Council's first public debate about the big issues that affect the whole District.

New Council leader Cllr Stephen Gray is keen to engage with, listen to and involve residents in decision-making so that the District Council and its partners can deliver services and outcomes that reflect what residents want.

The event commenced with some scene setting on identifying the current big issues and considering the challenges these present. This was followed by briefings on three big topics:

• Meeting the District's need for new housing
• Promoting prosperity - revitalising our towns and supporting business growth
• Transportation, including issues around congestion, parking and public transport

It was then opened-up to attendees to give their views and comments on these issues and other related matters.

The presentations were filmed and are available for viewing at http://stratcast.studio22wm.co.uk/television.html or by following a link from the District Council's website. The briefing notes on the three big issues debated have also been posted on the District Council's website, giving further opportunity for all residents and local business people to submit their comments which will be fed-into the consultation process.

Council Leader Cllr Stephen Gray said: "I am very grateful to all those who attended the public consultation event on Friday. As Friday's event demonstrated, the Council is genuinely committed to listening to the views of residents and providing opportunities such as this to engage fully with our community.

"The consultation now continues on the Council's website and I would urge residents to log-on, watch the webcast, read the three briefing notes and provide their comments. All comments received will be carefully considered and may influence our future decisions and those of our partners."

For those residents that don't have access to the internet they can access it at any of the Council's one-stop-shops at the District Council's headquarters in Stratford, Southam and Alcester and also at the libraries in the District.

In addition to the State of the District debate the District Council is holding an Open Day at Elizabeth House on Thursday 23 September to enable residents to see the Council first hand. Further information on this event will follow in the future.