Business plan

Wiltshire is a thriving county with a rich and diverse heritage. We are home to half a million people with around half of the population living in towns and villages with fewer than 10,000 residents. This plan recognises that we cannot achieve everything in isolation; we need to work ever more closely with our partners and stakeholders.

Our strong and cohesive communities continue to be some of our proudest achievements. The way we look out for each other and handle the challenges we have faced together is what makes our beautiful county the best place to live, work and raise a family

Our vision is to create stronger communities in Wiltshire

This business plan sets out our priorities and how we will deliver them working closely with local communities and partners; as well as investing in technology to make it easier for residents and businesses to engage with us and resolve matters more quickly.

As a council, we know our mission is to ensure:

• the people of Wiltshire are empowered to live full, healthy and enriched lives
• our communities continue to be beautiful and exciting places to live
• our local economy thrives and is supported by a skilled workforce
• we lead the way in how councils and counties mitigate the climate challenges ahead

Our guiding themes are:

• Prevention and early intervention
• Improving social mobility and tackling inequalities
• Understanding communities
• Working together

These are set out with more detail in the introduction to the Business Plan.

The Business Plan was approved by Full Council on 15 February 2022.

The Government introduced the concept of productivity plans when it announced the Local Government Financial Settlement for 2024/25. In a letter to all council chief executives sent on 16 April, the Minister for Local Government at the time, Simon Hoare MP, outlined what the plans should include.

View the Wiltshire Council's Productivity Plan (opens new window).

A letter to council chief executives, DLUHC letter 16 April 2024: Productivity in Local Government (opens new window).

Download the business plan

Business Plan 2022-32 (PDF) [5MB] (opens new window)

Accessible web version: Wiltshire Council Business Plan Principles 2022 to 2032

Our marketing strategy focuses on increasing public confidence, belief and trust in Wiltshire Council. Everything we do should reflect that everybody does matter.

We propose to test new methods of communication to reach different audiences and maximise the impact. Our communication channels will shift towards the use of new media as this method will be more cost effective, instant and targeted.

We need to promote our culture - the values that underpin what we do and make us a unique, modern organisation that embraces change.
An organisation that:

• places its customers first
• strengthens its communities
• adopts a 'can-do' approach in everything it does

Our success over the next few years will be largely dependent on how we do things; how we embrace change and the relationships and trust that we build. We need to create a sense of pride in the council, which will, in turn, increase morale, satisfaction and motivation. This will be reflected in the way we do things and how we talk to one another and to our customers and stakeholders. 

The council is required to publish a Forward Plan of all Key Decisions, which will be updated each month, to be taken by the authority during the four-month period of the plan. The first plan began on 1 December 2001. It is updated monthly and is available 14 days before the beginning of each month.

The Forward Plan shows details of all Key Decisions to be taken by the council, cabinet, and the cabinet members and by officers under their delegated powers.

View the forward plan of key decisions (opens new window).

If you have any comments or questions about the business plan pages, please email communications@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).