We have recently published our new Council Plan, which sets out our priorities, and the commitments we’re making to our residents.

Creating the best start in life for our children and young people

Children and young people are our future, and we are determined to give them the very best start in life. Our priority is excellence in education and skills, ensuring equal opportunities for all. We see education as the primary driver for tackling inequality and with our partners we will provide an inclusive education offer in which leaders and staff have high aspirations for all children.

Identifying and supporting those most in need and helping people to help themselves

South Gloucestershire is a safe, healthy and affluent district with high levels of employment. However, inequality gaps have increased over recent years and without preventative action, the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to further hold back the prospects of the most disadvantaged.

We want to ensure that all South Gloucestershire residents lead safe and healthy lives and that they enjoy good quality health and social care which focuses on their individual needs and enables them to retain their independence.

Promoting sustainable inclusive communities, infrastructure and growth

The pace and scale of growth in recent years has presented new opportunities for our area, but also challenges.

We want to deal positively with future expansion, by planning in a sustainable and integrated way to deliver high quality life-time and affordable homes, a dynamic local economy which supports forward-looking employment opportunities, key local community facilities and a convenient and safe transport network, which meets the needs and aspirations of both existing and new communities.

Realising the full potential of our people and delivering value for money

We are extremely proud of what we have achieved over recent years, continuing to offer high quality services at a time when we have delivered over a hundred million pounds in annual savings. Going forward our budgets will continue to be stretched and so delivering on our future vision requires us to achieve the best outcomes from every penny we spend, closely aligning our resources against our priorities and commitments.

Closing the inequality gap

We must re-double our efforts to promote equality and build cohesive communities. We will develop our partnerships and networks to engage directly with the most vulnerable in our communities, allowing us to better hear the voices of harder to reach groups, so we can have more meaningful conversations with them to understand their needs and can work with them in co-producing services.

Addressing the Climate Emergency

In 2019 we declared a Climate Emergency, pledging to lead the way in moving South Gloucestershire to carbon neutrality by 2030. It is a big challenge, but we recognise the threats to our area – extensive parts of South Gloucestershire are subject to flood risk and the impacts of drought, high winds, and other extreme weather events due to climate change.

You can read more in our Council Plan 2020 – 2024.