'We had to step in to protect our community while delivering good local services"

West Berkshire Council has produced a new strategy.

It does this every four years to correspond with its election cycles and it draws on analysis of the evolving needs of residents.

Feedback received from residents’ surveys and additional engagement with residents also gets played in.

It is grouped into five priority areas, which are providing opportunities for all and more help when you need it; protecting and enhancing our environment; stronger communities; great place to live, learn and do business; and building public services for the future.

“West Berkshire is a great place to live, work and learn,” said Lynne Doherty (Con Speen), leader of West Berkshire Council. “It is an area in which I am fortunate to serve as council leader and I am proud that in the past four years we were able to make such a positive impact on the district.

“When we put together our Council Strategy 2019-23, none of us could have predicted the challenges we would face during this time.

“A global pandemic and a number of international humanitarian crises, which led to significant rises in the cost of living, meant that we had to step in to protect our community while delivering good local services and exciting new projects which enhanced the lives of local people.

“The overarching theme of this draft strategy is ‘Forward Together’, which is the council’s motto. At no point since West Berkshire Council was formed in the late 1990s has it felt more appropriate to look to this motto when developing our Council Strategy.

“Without a doubt, the four years behind us have been tough for all of us and we must now focus on rebuilding some of what we have lost while reinforcing what we have gained. To help us in doing so we have community links which are stronger than ever and a shared sense of purpose to drive us.”

A clear council strategy ensures that the council manages its resources effectively, setting the direction for all services to work together and follow.

The draft strategy will proceed to public consultation after the executive meeting on Thursday and goes to full council in May 2023.