Wychavon Strategy 2020-2024

Our purpose is to be a leading, responsible and innovative council working to improve people’s lives.

We have set three key priorities. These are underpinned by 12 goals and a set of promises about the things we will do by 2024 to help achieve the priorities and goals.

Supporting people priority 

1. Supporting people most in need
   • Work with partners in early years, education and youth provision to address disadvantage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and improve outcomes for free school meal eligible children and their families across the district by 31 March 2024.
   • Work with partners to tackle loneliness and social isolation for all ages, including developing a rural South Worcestershire Good Neighbour Network and holding a series of community engagement events by 31 March 2024.
   • Work with partners to create an index and map of community facilities across the district and use this to target our future funding and support by March 2024.
   • Work with partners to promote cost of living support, provide practical help and pilot information events for residents by 31 March 2024.
   • Invest £1million in Community Legacy Grants to support ambitious and innovative community projects that meet local needs and have a long-lasting impact.
2. Reducing homelessness and delivering affordable homes
   • Deliver 1,000 affordable homes of a decent quality across the district including at least 15% in rural areas by 31 March 2024.
   • Invest in the construction and completion of at least 15 new houses for private rent by 31 October 2024.
   • Create new facilities to provide housing and support to single homeless people in Wychavon by 31 March 2024.
3. Improving health and wellbeing
   • Build new football facilities in Droitwich including new pitches and changing rooms by 31 March 2022 and additional sports facilities in Pershore by 31 March 2024. 
   • Work with partners to deliver a white water facility in Pershore by 31 March 2024.
   • Work with partners to create a multi-purpose floodlit cycling facility in Evesham, including a BMX pump track, all ability cycling track for users with disabilities, a 1km closed road circuit and a learn to ride area by March 2024.
   • Deliver Wychavon’s first health hub bringing together health and wellbeing services all under one roof by 31 March 2024.
   • Work with partners to deliver sports and leisure improvements including improved pavilions for Badsey Sports Club and Bretforton Cricket Club and improved football facilities at Prince Henry’s High School and Inkberrow Football Club by 31 March 2025.
4. Improving access to local transport
   • Deliver a programme of funding, mentoring and advice to improve and increase the range of community based transport options available across the district including the ticket to ride project by 31 March 2024.

Strong economy and places priority

1. Growing the local economy
   • Invest to deliver major new employment spaces at Vale Park and Worcester Six by 31 March 2024.
   • Invest £180,000 over four years to provide grants to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to take on apprentices and a bursary to help overcome barriers to work.
   • Invest £100,000 over four years to promote the growth of the low carbon economy in Wychavon including increasing our investment in the Low Carbon Opportunities Programme and apprenticeship grants to business working in green technologies.
   • Produce an ambitious economic strategy, setting out how we will support the recovery, regrowth and diversification of the local economy over the next two decades, by 31 July 2023.
   • Promote and further develop Wychavon’s visitor offer, increasing visitor spend by 10% above pre-Covid levels by 31 March 2025.
2. Transforming and revitalising our town centres
   • Work with our partners to create and start to deliver master plans to attract inward investment and increase the vibrancy of our three towns by 31 March 2024.
   • Hold an Evesham transport summit in Evesham in 2020, work with partners to reduce traffic congestion across the district and support improvements to the A46 by 31 March 2024.
3. Improving links between places
   • Increase car parking provision at Droitwich Spa, Honeybourne and Pershore railway stations by 31 March 2024.
   • Improve connectivity between the railway stations and the towns and between Worcestershire Parkway and the surrounding areas through improving signage and piloting one or more bike hire schemes by 31 March 2023.
4. Encouraging well designed, distinctive and sustainable developments
   • Develop masterplans for the proposed new settlements in the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review by 31 August 2022.
   • Publish a comprehensive new design guide to promote good quality design and layout of new developments and public spaces as soon as possible after the adoption of the revised SWDP and by 31 August 2024. 

Sustainable environment priority

1. Tackling climate change
   • Continue delivering our Intelligently Green Plan including carbon literacy training for staff and councillors, supporting low income households to improve energy efficiency and investigating the use of alternative low carbon emission fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, for waste collection vehicles by 31 March 2024.
   • Take action to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2024 against a 2018/19 baseline by reducing our energy consumption, purchasing energy from renewable sources and working with our leisure centres and waste contractor.  
2. Reducing crime and helping people feel safe
   • Work with partners to reduce the crimes most affecting our district through supporting communities, delivering education campaigns, coordinating community days of action and awareness campaigns on cyber-crime, domestic abuse and road safety by 31 March 2024. 
   • Take action to tackle environmental and rural crime across the district through a range of approaches including education, enforcement and supporting new community watch schemes by 31 March 2024.
3. Minimising waste and keeping the district clean
   • Reduce the average household black bin waste by at least 10% (2018/19 baseline) by 2026 through targeted waste reduction campaigns and incentivising at least five communities to set up community fridges to reduce their food waste.
   • Run a four year litter reduction campaign involving a package of measures including education, litter picks enforcement action and engaging with schools.
4. Improving the natural environment
   • Eliminate the use of herbicides and pesticides in all our parks and open spaces by 31 March 2024.
   • Continue to work with partners to support delivery of the Worcestershire Pollinator Strategy including creating new and improved pollinator habitats on our own land and promoting parish pollinator packs by 31 March 2024.
   • Develop a Nature Recovery Network through habitat restoration and creation opportunity mapping by 31 March 2024.
   • Create ten hectares of new wetland and work with the Heart of England Forest and other partners to restore, enhance and create 30 hectares of Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats in the district by 31 March 2024.