Councillors approve plan to build back after the pandemic

The Draft Recovery Plan outlines actions being taken against a set of themes which have been drawn up in line with the Council’s priorities.

The themes are:

• Economy: The Council will support investment in the District’s market towns, offering business support, backing for training organisations and investment in tourism. The overall aim is to see the economy recover to a position where it is ‘better than before.’
• Community: This will involve investment in areas where there is greatest need, reducing isolation, tackling homelessness, developing Wellbeing Hubs in partnership with other organisations and engaging residents in the Council’s work
• Climate: A commitment to continued investment to ensure the highest environmental standards are met across all Council activities
• Council Service, Delivery and Finance: This will see the continued development of recent initiatives such as home working and virtual council meetings which have been introduced as a result of Covid-19. The Council will also identify new investment proposals and focus on opportunities for accessing Government grant funding.

The Draft Recovery Plan was approved at a meeting of the full Council on Wednesday 28 October.

Cllr Michele Mead, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The pandemic has had a profound impact on every aspect of Council activity and it is vital that we plan our recovery so that we can emerge stronger than we were before.

“Despite its devastating effects on lives, Covid-19 has led to some positive outcomes such as our greater engagement with communities and the need to protect our environment even more than before.

“We know there is a still long way to go before we can say we are free of the effects of Covid-19 but this Plan will help us along the road to recovery and adapt to the challenges along the way.”