Our plan to help town stay strong

WE are living in changing times. The increase of online shopping was affecting retail on our high streets before COVID-19.

But the pandemic is rapidly affecting the resilience of our town centres at an unprecedented rate, affecting jobs for local people and the stability of our local businesses and cultural activities.

In response to COVID-19, Cheltenham Borough Council created Cheltenham’s Economic Recovery Task Force. Its members, who represent businesses, the voluntary and community sector, borough officers and elected cabinet members, have collaborated to co-author the Cheltenham Economic Recovery Business Plan.

Members have shared expertise across a range of business disciplines and industry sectors to create a vision for inclusive economic growth in Cheltenham, while maintaining our longer term vision for economic, social, cultural and environmental developments.

We will support all of Cheltenham’s high streets and retail parks, create opportunities for local business resilience, skills development and jobs and help our communities to help themselves. Our response will be bold, ambitious and innovative; adapting to the digitisation of work, driving forward our sustainability goals, delivery and promoting inward investment, while re-establishing consumer trust in the ‘safety’ of our cultural activities.

Over the next 18 months, we will utilise the skills and experiences of Task Force members and wider stakeholders, to carry out a programme of key priorities to reinvigorate growth. Our focuses are the town centre, cyber, local business resilience and jobs, green growth, net zero carbon by 2030, funding opportunities, skills and education, the visitor economy, inward investment, counter culture and the lobbying of Government and key stakeholders.

I urge all those who live or work in Cheltenham to download the plan by visiting the ‘We’re Moving to Cheltenham’ website (movingtocheltenham. com). There may be ways you or your organisation would like to get involved, to support the plethora of economic recovery activities taking place in 2021 and beyond.