'Live well and prosper': Council sets out vision for borough and residents for next four years

The front page of the council’s new corporate plan

Redcar and Cleveland Council has set out its vision to be “strong and sustainable” while overseeing a “clean and tidy” borough.

The council’s new corporate plan – which sets the strategic direction of the organisation – was recently approved by cabinet members and covers the next four years. It makes clear the council’s priorities to residents, staff and partner organisations with the aim of improving the borough as a place to live, work and visit.

The document’s five main priorities include ensuring residents start life well, live and age well and “prosper and flourish”.

A report for cabinet members said the council’s current corporate plan was due to expire later this year and in setting a new plan key factors and issues facing the borough had been considered. It said: “Some of the key challenges facing the area are keeping children at home with their families, health inequalities, income and skills levels aligning with the jobs being created, as well as the need to keep the area a clean and tidy place which we can all enjoy.”

Describing priorities the plan says: “If we look forward to where the council wants the borough to be in several years, it is somewhere where a child can achieve all that they dream, regardless of their background. It is somewhere where they can grow up and develop skills which lead to getting a good job on their doorstep. It is somewhere where people can enjoy natural beauty, as well as vibrant towns and villages.

“It is somewhere where people can grow old safely and independently.”

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The council in the document said it would strive to reduce child poverty in the borough and support children to thrive and fulfil their potential. It would also work hard to improve health and wellbeing, encourage community participation and volunteering, and empower people to live independently.

The council also had a “vital role as an enabler” in terms of jobs and prosperity with the document stating it would spend money with local businesses, invest in improvements in towns and villages and lobby for better transport connectivity between them.

The plan said for many people the number one priority for the council was to look after the area, to keep it clean and tidy, and to look after the environment for future generations. To this end the council would work with residents to improve recycling levels and seek to further reduce its carbon footprint.

It made no mention of a previous stated aim to become carbon neutral by 2030, although council leader Alec Brown said last year he was confident this would be met.

The council pledged in the plan to aim to provide clear, honest and helpful information, do its best to provide excellent customer service, to look at innovative ways to provide value for money and to “talk up” the local area. In turn, its ask of communities was to alert when worried about a vulnerable child or adult, recycle as much as they can, put litter in a bin or take it home, get involved in the community, support local businesses and also talk up the area.

The council covers an area with a population of approximately 136,500 people living in it. It employs 2,100 staff and has a revenue budget of £126m in place to cover its everyday functions this financial year.