Last chance to play your part in planning for a stronger future

Residents in West Cheshire have a last chance to help shape plans for the borough to come back from COVID-19 as an even better place to live and work.

Cheshire West and Chester Council launched the Stronger Futures engagement in June to give people chance to share their ideas on how the Council and communities can work together to create a fairer, greener and even more prosperous borough in the months and years to come.

This engagement will close on 17 September, with an initial Stronger Futures plan published in October and finalised in November.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Thank you so much to those of you who have taken part and shared your ideas so far – your views will make a massive difference to the future of our borough.

“The impact of COVID-19 on all our lives cannot be understated, but what has been remarkable throughout is the way that communities have pulled together, forged stronger links and found new ways to work together.

“It is vital that we continue to work in partnership in this way and all play our part to make plans for a stronger future.

“We know that we are likely to face unprecedented social and economic challenges for some time to come but this is also an unprecedented opportunity to change the way that society, the Council and our economy works and to come back stronger.”

So far during the engagement, residents and communities have said that they want to build on the community spirit and action fostered by the pandemic, formalise the volunteering system and create a volunteering network, allow more public involvement and transparency in the decision-making process and have more joint working with the NHS and charities to provide a more efficient Adult Social Care service.

Residents want to see inclusive growth of the local economy, education and employment, increased investment in rural areas and investment in green spaces, especially in urban areas.

People have said they want improvements to road infrastructures, more active travel opportunities, reductions in speeding and to tackle the climate emergency for a greener and sustainable future.

The Stronger Futures plan will link to the Council Plan for 2020-24, Play Your Part to Thrive, which was unanimously agreed by full Council in February and set out a radical vision where residents, businesses and Council services work together to make communities fairer, greener and more involved in the decisions that affect everyone.

Further engagement will be launched in October on the budget proposals to support these plans.

There are a number of ways to take part in Stronger Futures before the closing date of 17 September.

• Visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/strongerfutures. Here you can post thoughts on online ideas boards or fill in an online survey.
• Tweet @Go_CheshireWest using #StrongerFuturesCW.
• Send a letter to: Stronger Futures, Insight and Intelligence, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Council Offices, 4 Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BE.
• Email your ideas to: strongerfutures@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.
• Telephone the Council’s Contact Centre on: 0300 123 8 123 and quote ‘Stronger Futures’.