Council Vision and Priorities

Our Vision: West Lancashire together; the place of choice to live, work, visit and invest

We want:

Healthy resilient and engaged communities that work together to improve the places they live and work
Everyone to have the same opportunities
Thriving voluntary and community groups that support innovation and collaboration
To work with partners for the good of local people
Our citizens to access the benefits of being digitally engaged
Councillors that are active and knowledgeable and support change at a local level
To improve customer satisfaction

We will:

Build on and develop strengths within local communities
Engage with communities when making key decisions
Use community networks to gain views from hard to reach groups
Create innovative ways to listen to different community views
Use Councillors' existing reach and influence to provide community feedback to shape decision making
Work with partners to develop a meaningful offer to support citizens to become digitally included
Adopt a best practice model of consultation
Listen and provide feedback to customers about how their views have improved services
Develop neighbourhood plans with key partnerships committed to meeting the needs of our communities

We want:

We will:

Support the recovery and growth of existing and new businesses
Lead the regeneration of Skelmersdale Town Centre
Develop the market offer and reinvigorate Ormskirk's Eastern gateway
Adopt an inclusive procurement approach which supports local businesses to tender for opportunities
Promote West Lancashire as a place to invest through the Skelmersdale Place Board & Ambassadors
Signpost and support businesses to innovate and diversify
Develop a strong web presence which positively promotes West Lancashire
Create enlivened town centres offering diverse leisure opportunities and night time economy

We want:

To become a Carbon Neutral Council by 2030
Local business and citizens to embrace the green agenda
Council housing stock to meet high standards of efficiency - insulation, design, technology
To minimise waste disposal and improve recycling services to meet national targets
To embed green infrastructure into our thinking and planning for West Lancashire’s future development and regeneration
To safeguard the natural landscape and maintain our green environment

We will:

Be a role model and lead good practice; develop a Climate Change strategy and action plan
Ensure all council buildings are operating to highest efficiency standards – insulation, design, and technology
Encourage local businesses and service providers to set their own targets for becoming carbon neutral and promote their achievements
Commit to maximising Council energy requirements from renewable sources
Maximise the use of solar panels on Council owned buildings and housing stock
Increase the use of environmentally friendly products
Optimise the development of solar/wind farm investment
Use the supply chain to maximise energy efficiency, design out waste and reduce our carbon footprint
Optimise the Council fleet; increase route efficiency and maximise low emissions
Enhance green spaces promoting diverse leisure uses and explore the option of developing an Eco park
Support the development of green transport
Use green credentials to form part of our procurement selection criteria
Reduce waste and improve recycling, implement a Waste strategy with a focus on sustainable solutions
Develop a Local Plan policy encouraging green developments – green space, energy efficiency, sustainable supply chains

We want:

To be confident, capable and financially sustainable
To continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service provision
To be able to invest in high priority service areas
To maximise available government funding and generate income to reinvest in West Lancashire
To provide value for money services

We will:

Make sure our internal financial and decision-making processes continue to be strong
Continue the implementation of the Council's Sustainable Organisation Review
Maximise the returns from Tawd Valley Development Company to reinvest in West Lancashire.
Optimise inward investment
Review fees and charges across all council services
Continuously develop, find better ways to do things and embrace new technology
Consider the merits of all service options to ensure value for money is achieved
Review existing contract savings and work with suppliers to achieve economies of scale
Maximise commercial investment opportunities through a commercial strategy
Maximise the value from existing assets and focus on value for money

We want:

We will:

Deliver high quality street cleansing services based on demand
Invest resources within services to achieve an improvement to the local environmental quality
Develop environment ward reports for members
Develop homes to rent/buy/for shared ownership through Tawd Valley Development Company
Increase the supply of homes to bring cheaper private rents/more choice
Get the right mix of properties for each community
Continue to drive forward the community safety agenda
Review WLBC/public estate land holdings
Lead estate regeneration creating attractive places where people want to live
Review our Housing Strategy
Identify strategic regeneration areas and investment plans

We want:

We will:

Deliver our food poverty strategy and action plan
Deliver our fuel poverty strategy and action plan
Deliver our financial inclusion strategy and action plan
Deliver our people strategy with Council staff that results in a continuously improving culture
Deliver our health and wellbeing strategy embedding school initiatives
Work with partners to focus on prevention and reducing health inequalities
Develop a quality range of health, wellbeing and leisure facilities and services
Bring in additional money/services to support our most deprived areas

Details about how we manage performance on the Council Plan 2020-23 can be found on our Performance Management pages.