‘Reappearing’ council plan aims to put ‘heart back in Gloucester’

Gloucester City Council could become the “reappearing” council under Jeremy Hilton who believes the new corporate plan will “put the heart back into the city”.

The authority’s plan which sets out the strategic direction of work for the council over the next four years and how it intends to deliver its priorities is out for consultation.

The overarching vision is ‘Putting the heart back into Gloucester’.

Cllr Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said the first focus is to merge City Council projects that are in place with aspects of the Liberal Democrat’s manifesto of putting the heart back into Gloucester.

“We’ve been  looking at work that’s already in train and, and looking at areas of the manifesto that need to be included,” he said.

“So that’s what the corporate plan is. It’s obviously just out for consultation at the moment, we know it’s more ambitious than the previous Conservative one.

“And there are a lot more actions that are going to be required to take place, so we’ll be building up on that.”

Cllr Hilton, as leader of the opposition, would regularly criticise the previous administration for being in charge of “vanishing” council due to the cuts to staff.

When asked if it will become the “reappearing” council under his leadership, he says they will look to employ more staff.

“We’ve already taken on an additional officer to deal with planning enforcement and we hope to boost that even further,” he said.

In order to achieve the corporate plan, the council says it will focus on a vibrant and attractive city that celebrates Gloucester’s unique heritage.

It aims at ensuring inclusive, thriving communities and residents that feel safe, supported and valued. An innovative and accountable council focused on providing high-quality, accessible services and facilities.

Within these three priorities, there will be a number of projects planned to ensure that they can be delivered fully.

These include completing the flagship development of The Forum and ensuring the office occupancy level is at least 80 per cent.

Delivery or a stronger economy by creating and sustaining job opportunities for local people and to attract new workers to the city.

And establishing Gloucester as a vibrant and distinctive cultural centre by celebrating its rich history and promoting an exciting programme of unique festivals

The council also wants to ensure all residents have somewhere to call home by providing more affordable housing, working closely with private and registered social landlords and providing improved support and accommodation to tackle homelessness.

And aims to tackle the climate crisis by enhancing the city’s parks, open spaces and play areas, as well as establishing a zero-carbon council by 2030 by implementing the Climate Change Strategy.

When asked about how Cllr Hilton plans to fund the council’s ambitions, he said they await to see what funding they receive in the settlement from the new Government.

“It’s almost impossible to really know what the situation is,” he said.

“Clearly, it [the financial situation] has put a bigger squeeze on the council than it had before. It makes it more difficult.

“This is a plan for over four years and one of the things we’ll do once we’ve got it approved by council.

“We might have to change the work streams and we might need to shift around responsibilities for officers in the local authority and allocate works to people.”

He said the council will work with partners such as Visit Gloucester, Civic Trust and Freedom Leisure to improve culture and leisure in the city.

The council’s capital investment in leisure services is aimed at boosting the number of users and providing different usage.

He said: “I am proud that our Corporate Plan for 2025-28 will put the heart back into our great city. We want to create a vibrant city with thriving communities in which people feel safe, valued and supported.

“I would encourage residents from across the city to have their say on the plan during the consultation and work with the council to help us put the heart back into Gloucester.”

Residents have until December 27 to have their say on the corporate plan which can be found here.