Higher value jobs, good quality green homes, decent education and first class health and care are front and centre of the new administration’s vision for Plymouth’s future.
This week, Cabinet will review a delivery plan outlining how Plymouth City Council will address the looming local challenges of higher levels of deprivation, lower wages, fewer successful business start-ups, and wider social inequalities than found elsewhere in our region.
At the heart of the plan is the council’s ambition to work in partnership with others, to have a united approach – with communities, partners, businesses, the Government, and politically.
There are four key pillars to delivery:
- Creating higher value jobs
- Delivering good quality, green homes
- Ensuring decent education
- Access to first class health and care
The report includes ‘star actions’ for each pillar and outlines key measures of success.
In advance of presenting the report, Councillor Richard Bingley, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “Because of such huge financial and social pressures, Plymouth no longer enjoys the dubious ‘luxury’ of acute political division. This conventionality belongs to yesterday. Working in a much more united manner for our City, we must better harness our collective power to ensure that everybody living here has access to decent education, a well-paid job, a good home as well as first-class health and care.
“By being more focused upon co-operation in delivering for Plymouth, we can secure thousands of ‘higher value’ jobs by delivering our Freeport, deepening port capabilities and capacities, leading the UK’s marine autonomy and ‘green blue’ offering, as well as embedding the UK’s first National Marine Park.
“We can also harness our full political focus upon supporting our schools and young person’s provision - achieving good and outstanding Ofsted ratings. We require our city to much better widen, co-ordinate and promote its Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) course programmes and job opportunities.
“Finally, united in delivering for our city, we can and will make Plymouth a safe and pleasant urban environment offering decent housing, supporting infrastructure, safer streets and enhanced health and social care provision.
“These are big ambitions and I will expect residents to hold us to account across each area.”
The report also sets out a commitment to deliver the priorities as set out in the Corporate Plan. Ensuring that the day-to-day activity that the Council delivers across more than 350 services, are high-quality, customer focused and represent good value for money.
Councillor Bingley added: “It goes without saying that this Council will work hard to ensure that our streets are clean and tidy, people feel safe, and that we work towards being green and sustainable in all that we do.
“We must improve in those areas that residents rely on, day-in, day-out.
“However, this is about ambition – thinking big. If we want our city to stand out, for our grand-children to aspire to live here because they see a positive, inspiring future in Plymouth, we have to look at the bigger picture. That means addressing inequality at its root and pushing forward. But, we can only do this collaboratively.”