Wychavon unveils ambitious new plan for the district

Supporting residents’ health and wellbeing, boosting the natural environment, transforming town centres and increasing access to housing are at the heart of Wychavon’s new plan for the district.

The We Are Wychavon Plan includes 29 promises to be delivered over the next four years based on the council’s priorities of People, Place and Environment.

Feedback from residents, young people, councillors and information on the local needs of the district have been used to create the plan.

Key promises include:

• Supporting the development of the district’s existing health and wellbeing hubs and introducing tailored health and wellbeing support in at least ten villages.
• Identifying households at risk of hardship and providing preventative advice and support.
• Extending Wychavon’s social mobility small grants scheme to increase activities and opportunities for more young people.
• Creating a new housing facility in the north of the district to provide support to homeless young people so they can move on to independent homes.
• Driving investment in the key sites identified in the town centre prospectuses including the Riverside Centre in Evesham, Droitwich Spa lido and reconnecting Pershore with the riverside.
• Raising career aspirations for adults and young people including creating school-business partnerships to connect people with local employers and training opportunities.
• Working with partners to develop a plan for reducing traffic congestion in Evesham and deliver a new cycling and walking route between the town centre and the surrounding areas.
• Supporting small businesses to access training, receive specialist support or grant funding to respond to climate change.
• Increasing biodiversity and natural assets in our parks and green spaces and increasing their resilience to climate change while retaining their value for users.
• Continuing to deliver actions in Wychavon’s Intelligently Green Plan to reduce the council’s carbon footprint including significantly cutting emissions from council-owned leisure centres.

Cllr Chris Day, Leader of Wychavon District Council, said: “This is an ambitious plan which sets out our priorities for the next four years based on what our residents have told us matters to them.

“We’re excited about the opportunities the plan contains and are looking forward to getting started on delivering these promises for our residents to make Wychavon an even better place to live, work and visit.”

The plan was approved at a Wychavon Council meeting on Wednesday 21 February. It is available to read in full at www.wychavon.gov.uk/we-are-wychavon.

It has also been agreed to increase Wychavon’s share of the Council Tax bill by £5 a year – the first increase for six years. The average Band D Council Tax bill for Wychavon will rise to £125.08 a year from April.

Cllr Day added: “We have had to increase our share of the Council Tax bill this year after six years of keeping it on hold because of the financial pressures we are facing from rising demand for our services and increasing costs, particularly due to inflation.

“Despite this rise, our Council Tax will still be the lowest in Worcestershire and one of the lowest in the country and we’ll work hard to make sure we are using taxpayers’ money efficiently and delivering value for every pound spent.”