Council Asks For Views On Our Plan For The Borough

Ashford Borough Council is asking local residents and the community for their views on the draft Borough Plan.

Titled ‘Our Plan for the Borough – 2024-2028’, it sets out the Council’s priorities over the next four years as we face the dual challenges of climate and economy and strive to bring people and organisations together to achieve our vision: To make Ashford a place where people, business and nature can collectively thrive.

Three pillars support this vision and form the priorities against which progress will be measured:

• Planet – Working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and creating places for nature will be at the heart of everything we do.
• People – Listening and serving the Ashford community is our philosophy; we will make best use of available resources to build an equitable and fair society.
• Place – We are planning for the future of our community and to make Ashford a place people are pleased to call home and love to visit.

The council’s current Corporate Plan covers the period 2022-24 and is therefore coming to the end of its life. The draft Borough Plan has been developed over the past year with input from Cabinet members, wider members and senior council officers.

Now residents can have their say:

The consultation is live and is in place for six weeks until 14 June – to share your views visit: https://haveyoursay.ashford.gov.uk/2024-borough-plan

Cllr Heather Hayward, portfolio holder for performance and direction, said: “The Borough Plan sets out the Council’s priorities over the next four years. We face many challenges; maintaining financial stability, serving a growing population, and tackling climate change. We have set out how we plan to meet these challenges, and we would like to hear from you on whether you agree.

“Our aim is to make Ashford a place where people, business and nature can collectively thrive.

We now look forward to hearing the views of residents, the business community and wider stakeholders in the borough to further inform the Plan before it is presented for adoption by Cabinet later this year.”