Cheshire leaders consult public on ambitious goals from public transport to Net Zero

Cheshire and Warrington’s leaders today urged the public to have their say on ambitious goals ranging from better public transport and more energy efficient homes to making the area the fastest growing economy in the North.

Other bold 20-year goals for the region set out in the in-depth 39-page draft Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy (SIES), include helping young people of all backgrounds access education, training and job opportunities, improving digital connectivity, tackling poverty, and achieving Net Zero by 2045.

Opening consultation via a series of workshops in June and July, leaders of the region’s three local authorities urged residents, businesses and community representatives to have their say on the draft Strategy.

Informed by expert analysis, evidence and the latest data, the proposed new Economic Strategy is under-pinned by a vision set by council leaders from across the whole of Cheshire and Warrington that the region will be the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and fastest-growing place in the country by 2045.

Other goals by 2045 or before include:

• Improving public transport and digital fibre connectivity to all communities by 2045
• No child in the region living in poverty by 2045Ensuring all young people reach their potential in terms of education, training and employment
• Cheshire and Warrington’s economy will be the fastest growing and the most productive economy in the north of England by 2045
• An economy that works for everyone, in all of our communities, including rural areas
• Life and healthy life expectancies improving across the region and above the national average by 2045
• Better economic conditions leading to a reduction in crime
• All workplaces offering fair employment
• Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045 and reducing them by 81% by 2035

Council leaders are inviting people to join a series of workshops to discuss the draft strategy which will be held between June 9 and July 4.

Urging people to have their say, Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Joint Committee and Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “This is a bold, ambitious collective vision for Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Warrington which has the potential to transform our economy, promoting fast growth, reducing inequalities, and improving the lives of our residents, and the fortunes of our businesses.

“We know with the right partnerships in place we can tackle the challenges facing our places, residents and businesses, and build on the exciting opportunities we have identified, and we look forward to hearing your views to help shape our Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy.”

Vision and themes

This SIES sets out a series of themes outlining how ambitions for the region can be achieved between now and 2045. These include:

Growing:  Building on the world class science, technology and innovation assets within the Cheshire Science Corridor stretching 40 miles across the M56 corridor, as the largest concentration of private sector science and technology assets in the North of England, and securing opportunities for our other sectors and businesses.

Sustainability: This includes the transformation of our rural and agricultural economy, industry, businesses and organisations and their premises and supply chains, housing, and transport infrastructure via transition to secure, clean energy whilst protecting the environment, food production, and improving health and wellbeing.

Inclusion and health: Unleashing the potential of our residents to upskill and reskill and enter, stay and progress in the workforce as well as ensuring appropriate development and transport and digital connectivity in key places that can benefit all

Enabling infrastructure: Underpinning enabling infrastructure that we need to enable us to achieve our vision, such as housing, digital, utilities, and transport

Decarbonisation: The SIES also highlights a commitment to unlocking growth from decarbonisation with the report highlighting that the region centred on the Origin cluster at Ellesmere Port is at the forefront of low-carbon developments and with HyNet and other partners has the opportunity to become the first place in the world to implement at scale industrial decarbonisation.