Consultation launched on new strategy to create a wellbeing economy for Stoke-on-Trent

The City Council is asking residents, partners, businesses and voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations for their views

 on a new plan to transform Stoke-on-Trent’s economy over the next decade. 

The draft Economic Development Strategy sets out a 10-year vision to become “a city where businesses and communities flourish and residents can enjoy the benefits of better work, higher wages and improved quality of life”. 

The strategy aims to deliver parts of the council’s Our City, Our Wellbeing Corporate Strategy around skills, employment, health and wellbeing, economic hardship community wealth building. 

Key themes which are covered in the strategy include: 

·        Supporting businesses to invest, innovate and grow, creating more good jobs. 

·        Using the council’s influence and spending power to maximise economic and social benefits of procurement and investment. 

·        Involving businesses and communities in developing fresh solutions to social and economic problems affecting their local areas. 

·        Championing better quality employment and enabling residents to secure better work. 

·        Revitalising high streets and town centres to provide imaginative new uses and facilities.

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: “The Economic Development Strategy sets out some of the most important programmes and pieces of work that my administration will be delivering in the next three years and will have a transformative impact on our local economy and the wellbeing and life chances of our 260,000 residents.

“Previous economic approaches focused on increasing productivity and profits at the expense of people’s wellbeing and quality of life. While we do need economic growth and commercial expansion, we also need a more inclusive approach that will boost living standards and help to tackle persistent and damaging inequalities.

“We are already delivering a phenomenally successful partnership plan to reduce the severe impacts of the cost of living crisis on our communities. Now we need to harness those strong partnerships, energy and influence to create a local economy that can benefit everyone.”

Councillor Ashworth continued: “This is a really important opportunity to have your say and help us to shape a key strategy which will have a deep and lasting impact on our city and help to transform the life chances and living standards of many thousands of people.

“We expect to make changes after the consultation period closes.  Without a doubt, businesses, training bodies, community groups and the general public will have fresh ideas that improve the strategy.” 

The consultation will run until Friday, 16th August. For more information on the draft strategy, or to fill in an online questionnaire, visit: https://www.stoke.gov.uk/EDstrategyconsultation.

Alternatively, comments on the strategy can also be emailed to: EconomicDevelopmentStrategy@stoke.gov.uk.