Agenda item

To consider a report of the Conservative Group.

Councillor Alan Cullens, Leader of the Opposition, presented the Conservative Group’s Alternative Corporate Strategy. 

Councillor Cullens reiterated the support of Conservative Group for the Youth Zone, Primrose Gardens and the Digital Office Park, but their continued opposition to the Market Walk extension. 

The five themes and 22 projects of the Alternative Corporate Strategy are:

Health and Wellbeing - Making Chorley Borough a place where people ‘start well, live well and age well’

·         Create an additional Digital Inclusion Officer Post targeted at our Rural and

·         Parish areas

·         Establish a community connectivity and inclusion fund

·         Develop targeted wellbeing schemes for all generations from child through to older adult

·         Establish a Community Partnerships Unit with a Community Projects Leader

·         Establish a strategy and fund to revitalise and re-engage young people with outdoor recreation and activities

Retail, Leisure and Tourism - Making Chorley Borough a better place to visit, shop

·         Establish a Visitor and Tourism Manager post

·         Establish and deliver an independent retail grants scheme focusing on local and artisan retailers throughout the Borough

·         Deliver a programme of sustainable improvements to the Chorley Markets

·         Improve the look and feel of the town centre streetscene

·         Improve the borough-wide leisure offer for young people by creating an Outreach from our Youth Zone

·         Carry out a feasibility study for developing a Borough wide accessible sports village

Education - Making Chorley Borough a better place to educate and be educated

·         Undertake a needs analysis of educational requirements in Chorley Borough

·         Partner with local business and education providers to develop a further education offer based in Chorley

Business - Making Chorley Borough a better place to do business

·         Undertake a borough-wide land usage assessment

·         Appoint an Inward Investment Business Growth Officer

·         Develop and deliver a Chorley apprenticeship scheme, in partnership with established further education providers and employers

·         Undertake a survey to identify which type of business operate within the Borough and where they are

Housing - Making Chorley Borough a better place to live

·         Develop an action plan and programme of work to establish Lifetime Homes Standards in Chorley

·         Establish a strategic housing delivery board with local stakeholders, housing providers and developers

·         Review options to accelerate alternative housing delivery across the borough with a focus on the development of new build social housing

·         Undertake initial feasibility work to improve borough wide connectivity

·         Develop a student accommodation offer in and around the town centre, in partnership with local universities

Councillor Martin Boardman, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, supported the Alternative Corporate Strategy, in particular the projects in relation to young people and student accommodation. 

Members debated the Alternative Corporate Strategy including proposals for alternative homes, student accommodation and related transport issues, the potential for a sixth form college in Chorley and the provision of adequate schools places in existing schools. 

AMENDMENT

The adoption of the Alternative Corporate Strategy as set out in the report, was moved as an amendment by Councillor Alan Cullens, Leader of the Opposition, and seconded by Councillor Martin Boardman, Deputy Leader of the Opposition.  The vote was lost. 

SUBSTANTIVE MOTION

The substantive motion, as indicated in Agenda Item 5 and proposed by Councillor Alistair Bradley, the Executive Leader, and seconded by Councillor Peter Wilson, the Deputy Leader, was then put to the vote. 

The vote was carried and it was therefore a Decision - That the Corporate Strategy for 2018/19 – 2020/21 as submitted by the Director (Policy and Governance) be approved.