Chorley lays out corporate strategy for year ahead

Chorley Council has revealed its four key priorities for 2023/24.

A full council meeting has now approved the high-level strategy document which maps out the key priorities and the commitments in place to ensure the priorities are met.

The priorities are:

• Housing where residents can live well – delivering affordable and energy efficient housing, preventing homelessness and supporting the most vulnerable
• A green and sustainable borough – continuing to work towards carbon neutral by 2030, promoting sustainable transport and infrastructure, supporting waste reduction, improving air quality and natural habitats
• An enterprising economy with vibrant local centres in urban and rural areas – promoting Chorley as a visitor destination while supporting business and skills growth and development
• Healthy, safe, and engaged communities – supporting active lifestyles and leisure centres, promoting resilient and safe communities, continuing to deliver events for everyone to enjoy

Major projects such as improvements to Chorley Bus Station to ensure that it provides a strong welcome to the town and the development of a plan that will seek to attract visitors to the borough and support economic growth.

Delivery of the Jobs and Skills Programme will seek to support residents to access to skills and support job creation across the borough.

The council has also recognised concerns about anti-social behaviour within the town centre and across the borough. Building on work already undertaken, the council will prioritise work with the police and others to tackle poor behaviour wherever it happens across the borough head-on.

Action to address and mitigate climate change is cross cutting to ensure that all activity reinforces a commitment to becoming net zero, with specific projects to support energy efficiency for homes and businesses, as well as work to investigate options for future energy creation.

Coun Peter Wilson, deputy leader of Chorley Council, said: “It’s important that we regularly refresh our strategy to make sure it is in line with the needs of the borough.

“While we have our key priorities, we need to make sure that as a council we are agile and flexible in our approach to make sure we can deliver our priorities, and I am really pleased by the commitments we are able to make in this strategy, and that we will deliver across the next 12 months, to support our borough and its people to thrive.

“This isn’t just a document to sit on our website, it helps to make sure that the council continues to ‘make it happen’ across the borough and will underpin all we will do as a council over the next year. Our plans are ambitious and innovative, and I have no doubt we will deliver great things.”