Powys County Council has released its vision for the future in a new document unveiled by its new cabinet.

 

The cabinet, which is an Independent/Conservative coalition under the leadership of Councillor Rosemarie Harris, has launched their ‘Vision 2025’.

 The document announces their mission of ‘Change for Powys – delivering an open, pro-active and engaging council for 2025’.

 Four priority areas have been outlined, which are:

 

·         Economy: developing a vibrant economy

·         Health and care: leading the way in effective, integrated rural health and care

·         Learning and skills: strengthening learning and skills

·         Residents and Communities: supporting our residents and communities

 

Councillor Harris said, “My cabinet is a team of considerable experience in public office who bring fresh challenge and new thinking. Our first task as a cabinet is to map out a stable course for the future, to work with our residents and communities to create this vision to take us to 2025.

 

“There is a great deal to be done but Vision 2025 sets out our initial thoughts, our views on what the priorities should be, but they are a starting point and a discussion document that is open to challenge and debate.”

 

She added: “Powys is a wonderful county with a great deal to offer for residents, both young and not so young and those who visit us whether to work on a daily basis or as a tourists. Our challenge is to improve what the county has to offer and make it an even more attractive as a place to work, play and do business.”

The Leader of the Opposition on Powys County Council, Councillor James Gibson-Watt however has described the ‘Vision 2025’ strategy document as a ‘great missed opportunity’ to ‘restore credibility to a local authority whose reputation has been battered by years of botched policy initiatives and a series of budgetary crises in its essential public services’.

 

Commenting on the document’s publication, Councillor Gibson-Watt, who is Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Group, said, “I welcome and support the aim of improving the Powys economy as a top priority, as it is the decline of our local economy that has been the root cause of the council’s difficulties over recent years.

“It has led to outward migration of the young and working-age people and a declining population, resulting in declining funding for the council and severe problems sustaining its services. Fixing the economy will do much to help improve matters in the long term.” 

“But the document gives us no indication of how the council’s cabinet intends to deliver on these priorities, how it will stimulate economic activity, how it will improve education or care services; or most importantly how it sees this all being achieved within the context of Brexit and the massive uncertainties for the county and its residents and businesses that that process inevitably involves.” 

“This was a moment to provide a really coherent vision for the future direction for Powys and the council’s role in improving its residents’ standard of living and quality of public services. I fear that opportunity has been missed,” concluded Councillor Gibson-Watt