Council outlines its 10-year strategy

Wiltshire Council has outlined its principles for the next decade, as it looks to support residents, communities and businesses across Wiltshire to continue to thrive to ensure Wiltshire remains the best place to live, work and visit.

Wiltshire Council's Business Plan Principles 2022 - 2032, which sets out the overarching mission of the council, will be presented at its forthcoming Cabinet meeting on 27 September.

The 10-year plan is working to four main priorities and doing so under the banner of improving lives through stronger communities. The four priorities are:

• Empowered People
• Resilient Society 
• Thriving Economy 
• Sustainable Environment 

Guided by the principles of the plan, the council is looking to support the people of Wiltshire to be empowered to live full, healthy and enriched lives, the county's communities to be beautiful and exciting places to live, and the local economy to thrive and be supported by a skilled workforce.

If the Business Plan principles are agreed, the council's senior leadership team will then finalise service delivery plans which will contain clear performance measures, and these will be presented to Full Council in February 2022. The principles will help guide decisions about the prioritisation of Wiltshire Council's resources.

Prior to it being presented at Cabinet, the draft was discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee meeting on Tuesday 21 September.  

Once the principles are approved by the Cabinet, engagement will be undertaken with the council's stakeholders, including residents and young people, town and parish councils, Wiltshire Council's Select and Scrutiny Committees, and public sector partners.

In his foreword for the plan, Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "Our strong and cohesive communities continue to be some of our proudest achievements and 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.

"As we deliver on our next business plan, it is vital we focus on the long-term challenges and plan accordingly. We need to be clear about what we want to achieve and we will do so by working closely with our local communities and partners as we cannot achieve anything in isolation.

"We are committed to listening to and speaking for Wiltshire. The council is a modern and democratic organisation that focuses on learning and adapting at pace, paying continuous attention to our area's changing needs and ensuring we do what is right for the people of Wiltshire."

In commenting on the plan being presented at Cabinet, Cllr Clewer added: "One thing that's been very clear over the last 18 months, and has actually been the case for more than a decade since the council has been formed, is that Wiltshire has an incredibly strong foundation which provides the best possible opportunities for communities to grow and strengthen.

"Our plan and the principles we have outlined will underpin all the work of our senior leadership team to help create even more opportunities that benefit Wiltshire's communities. Challenges lie ahead, no doubt about it, but we're looking forward to discussing our vision in more detail over the coming months so we can embrace and overcome them."

The agenda and accompanying reports for the Cabinet meeting on 27 September, including the Business Plan Principals document, can be found at Agenda for Cabinet on Monday 27 September 2021, 10.00 am | Wiltshire Council