Dealing with the climate crisis and reaching carbon neutrality is the city council’s overarching priority. Recent extreme weather events have demonstrated urgent action is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change and the associated nature crisis.

We all need to play our part in tackling this challenge and hand our district to our children and grandchildren in a better state than it is now.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• The Winchester district to be carbon neutral by 2030
• Reverse the long-term decline in nature and biodiversity
• Reduce levels of waste and increased recycling, exceeding national targets
• Cleaner air than national targets
• Better protection against extreme climate events
• Increased proportion of journeys by public transport, foot or bike

We want all residents to live healthy and fulfilled lives, to feel safe and secure in their neighbourhood, and enjoy the recreational and cultural opportunities that the district offers.

We want to ensure the district offers the right facilities to support good physical and mental health for all ages and abilities.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• Support for those most affected by the cost of living
• Increase participation in physical activity for all ages and abilities including active travel
• Strong health and communiy infrastructure across the district
• improved health and wellbeing in our most deprived communities
• Access to attractive and well-maintained public facilities, green and natural spaces with space to play and gather for all ages
• Thriving local voluntary and community sector - tackling isolation, building community cohesion and supporting those in need

Our urban and rural areas are home to a host of successful businesses and enterprises. Following the pandemic, employment levels remain high but fresh challenges now face our business community.

The changing face of the high street, increasing costs, labour shortages and tackling climate change are forcing businesses to quickly adapt.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• Strong, sustainable business growth
• Strong footfall in all our centres with lower than regional vacancy rates
• Less fly-tipping and graffiti
• Increased investment in our district
• More young people living and working in the district
• Attractive, clean public spaces and facilities
• Improved facilities within 20 minutes of people's homes
• Full gigabit broadband and mobile coverage by 2030

Housing in our district is expensive and young people and families often struggle to find and retain suitable accommodation they can afford, particularly at a time when costs are rising steeply. 

We are focused on providing homes for all in the Winchester district – homes that are affordable, sustainable, with low energy usage and low bills, and built in the right areas for our changing communities.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• Continue to increase the number of affordable homes across the district, including our 2023 commitment to deliver  1,000 more council homes by 2032
• Every homeless person to secure a permanent home 
• Ensure all council homes are decent, safe, energy efficient and resilient to the effects of climate change
• Decarbonisation of district homes, consistent with our net zero goal
• Policy-led planning to deliver NPPF objectives without ‘planning by appeal’, ensuring the right mix of homes for all, including young people and key workers

We will continue to provide high quality, good value, resilient services that are continuously improving to address the changing needs and expectations of residents, tenants, visitors, businesses and not-for-profit organisations across our district – and are accessible to all whatever their circumstances.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• Improved satisfaction for our services
• High accessibility and usage of our services – with a strong shift to digital for those who prefer it
• Good value compared to other similar authorities
• A balanced budget and stable council finances

We will give all our residents the opportunity to make their voice heard and be able to understand how the council makes its decisions. We will continue to continuously improve services and systems.

WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE:

• Improved Residents’ Survey results for involvement, contact and response
• Above average Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
• Improved engagement with under-represented groups