Mandate for change DRAFT July 2011

Contents

A Mandate for Change 4

Make Stoke-on-Trent 6 the place to bring business

Support and develop 8 existing business

Work with people 10 to promote independence and healthy lives

Make Stoke-on-Trent a 12 great city to live in

Develop an eff ective 14 and confi dent council Above image: Distilling equipment, Ceram Research,

Lower image: Cauldon Ceramics Limited, Tunstall

Top left and main image: Bringing skilled work to Stoke-on-Trent

Previous page: City Waterside by Derick Carss

A Mandate for Change

Stoke-on-Trent is facing a • Make Stoke-on-Trent the Working with our partners, challenging economic period place to bring business. we will deliver this plan over and needs a clear plan • Support and develop the next four years and we focusing on “a working city”. existing business. are starting now. We want to This booklet sets out our • Work with people to share this exciting journey mandate for change, based promote independence and with you and we want you to on four strategic aims all healthy lives. get involved. underpinned by an effective • Make Stoke-on-Trent a and confident council. great city to live in.

4 ...make Stoke-on-Trent the place to bring business ...make Stoke-on-Trent a great city to live in

Make Stoke-on-Trent a Great Working City

...support and develop ...work with people to existing business promote independence and healthy lives

Stoke-on-Trent has a proud More jobs mean: If we create more jobs industrial heritage of hard • more income for the city working people producing and its residents, in Stoke-on-Trent, first-class products to a world • better standards of living things will get better - market. But the industrial and better quality of life, landscape has changed and • better choice of places to it’s as simple as that. the city is now suffering from live, and We need to make a lack of job opportunities. • more things to see and do Stoke-on-Trent a GREAT WORKING CITY.

5 Main image: Etruria Valley, potential Enterprise Zone site

Middle left image: Keele University Science and Business Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Lower right image: Hadleigh Park,

Make Stoke-on-Trent the place to bring business

The best way to create more with an attractive offer of We will make the gateways jobs in the short term is to incentives and support. We to the city loud and proud - encourage businesses to will continue to improve the you will know when you have locate here. The city has a City Centre, promoting our arrived in Stoke-on-Trent! tremendous amount to offer. retail offer and the Central Business District. We have a diverse range of We need to target big land and buildings available businesses and show them We want to be a leader in the for development. Come and why they should come to green revolution encouraging talk to us. We want to do Stoke-on-Trent. This means businesses by promoting self- business with your business. improving the way the city sufficient, sustainable low looks, marketing ourselves on carbon energy across the city the international stage and with the aim of offering stable working hard to develop a energy prices. world-class Enterprise Zone A ‘red carpet’ approach to inward investment 6 Stoke-on-Trent can provide: • An extensive and available workforce. • Plentiful brown-fi eld land available for development. • Excellent connectivity to the rest of the UK with quick and easy access to major motorways and rail networks. • Green low-cost energy provision. • A possible Enterprise Zone which provides incentives for businesses to trade here.

Glasgow Edinburgh

M1 M6 Leeds Liverpool Manchester M62 M1 Stoke-on-Trent A50 Nottingham M6 Birmingham

Within 1 hour travel distance to M1 Stoke-on-Trent by road M5 M40 Within 2 hours travel distance Bristol to Stoke-on-Trent by road M4 London

Unparalleled rail links connect Stoke-on-Trent to London in only 90 minutes.

7 Main image: Vodafone, Etruria Valley

Top left image: , City Waterside

Support and develop existing business

We need to support our existing coaches and recruitment. We We will boost the North businesses and help them to will also provide support to Staff ordshire economy by giving grow which will create more people who want to set up local businesses the support, jobs for our local people. This new businesses and help those information and contacts they means making it easier for looking for work to develop need to pitch for and win major businesses to operate by having their skills to fi t the needs of contracts. an open approach to planning. local employers. We need to ensure that We will also support businesses Working closely with local businesses can reach their by ensuring they have access agencies such as the Chamber customers. We need to improve to good advice and fi nance of Commerce, we will identify the fl ow of traffi c through our packages as they look to and support fast growing road network and invest in better expand and by off ering a range enterprises by helping to linkages from our major railway of diff erent accommodation remove barriers to success. station to the City Centre. options, access to business

8 Top left image: Wade Ceramics, Etruria Valley

Top right image: International, We need to focus on developing Middle right image: Michelin, skills by setting children on the right path, helping people back Middle left image: Screwfi x National Distribution Centre, into work and enabling those Trentham Lakes already working to grow to their Lower right image: potential. This means aligning Sixth Form College, UniQ our schools and universities to focus on the skills that local businesses want.

9 This page

Top left image: Working towards a healthy lifestyle

Middle image: Enabling independent living

Lower image: Supporting our vulnerable children to reach their full potential

Opposite page

Top right image: Providing green healthy spaces

Middle left image: Improving our education facilities

Work with people to promote independence and healthy lives

With fewer resources available By tailoring our care services we we need to make sure that can help people to take more money and services are targeted responsibility for their own at those most in need and to needs. work with people towards greater levels of independence. Our off er will include access to personalised services which Creating new job opportunities meet individual needs and will mean that more people can our aim will always be to have be fi nancially independent. people back in their own homes as quickly as possible.

We need to help our communities work together to improve their own lives

10 But we need to get tough too. We will no longer tolerate: • Anti-social behaviour • Crime and disorder • Benefi t fraud • Council tax arrears • Housing rent arrears • Fly tipping

Above image: Sandon Business and Enterprise College, Meir

Middle right image: High School, Hanley

Lower image: Promoting a healthy lifestyle

Working closely with our Through education and partners, sharing information support we will work with and resources, we will continue parents and families to ensure to protect the most vulnerable that children reach their in our communities. potential. A secondary schools modernisation plan will deliver Tackling child poverty and new schools and upgrades supporting our older people across the city. towards greater independence will remain key priorities. We will work to ensure that families of all ages are encouraged to live healthy lives.

11 Top right image: New housing development, Tunstall

Middle right image: Regent Theatre, City Centre

Middle left image:

Lower right image: Artist impression of East West Precinct, City Centre

Make Stoke-on-Trent a great city to live in

We want to make Stoke-on- We are the World Capital of created to get people out on Trent a great city to live in. Ceramics and residents and their bikes. Our commitment to We can do this if we create a visitors can enjoy our factory cycling has seen the city host better choice of housing to suit tours, world class museums, the Tour of Britain - the biggest everyone’s needs, improve our shops and city parks. We are free-to-view professional open spaces and the look and home to the Staff ordshire Hoard sporting event in the UK - for feel of the city and if there are - the country’s largest and most the past three years, and will be exciting things for people to do valuable collection of Anglo- back in 2011. in their free time. Saxon gold ever found.

Stoke-on-Trent is home to two In 2008 Stoke-on-Trent was football clubs – the 2011 FA awarded cycling city status for Cup fi nalists Stoke City FC and its network of greenways and Port Vale FC, winners of the beautiful countryside. New Football League Trophy in 1993 cycle routes, bike hire centres and 2001. and training courses have been

12 Main image: Stoke City FC fans at the FA Cup Final 2011 Image courtesy of Staff ordshire Sentinel News & Media

Above right image: Port Vale FC, Burslem Image courtesy of Staff ordshire Sentinel News & Media

Middle left image: In May 2012 we Tour of Britain, Stoke-on-Trent 2010 Lower right image: Artist impression of the new will be a host city City Centre Bus Station for the Olympics Torch Relay and evening celebration – a wonderful opportunity for Stoke-on-Trent.

13 Top right and middle left images: Cleaning and Greening Stoke-on-Trent

Top left: Winter gritting programme

Lower right: Section of the Centenary oil painting of the Council in 2010 by Rob Pointon

Develop an eff ective and confi dent council

In order to deliver our four We have already begun to make strategic aims and to support the council leaner and more Working together the fundamental changes to effi cient. We need to continue the city, the council itself needs the journey by being careful with our partners to change. It needs to deliver about the way we spend every more for less in diff erent and penny of public money and by our Mandate for innovative ways. using the right technology to Change means support our services. we will do the best we can for Stoke-on-Trent.

14 Thank you for reading this Mandate for Working in partnership with private, Change for Stoke-on-Trent. public and voluntary organisations, we have a dedicated team of We now have a four year period of councillors and offi cers in place to stable political leadership which will transform our city. Now we need you. be crucial in shaping Stoke-on-Trent We have to get this right and we need and what the city can off er to its to know what you think. communities and its businesses. So tell us! Our aim is to bring the economy of Here’s how you can get in touch: Stoke-on-Trent alive again. We’ve included a postcard – please fi ll Our journey has begun and in the face it in and send it back to us for free. of signifi cant fi nancial challenges we have successfully reduced our costs You can also email us at: whilst protecting the most vulnerable [email protected] in our society. Or you can fi ll in a form on line at: Work has started on the new city stoke.gov.uk/mandate centre bus station, our University Quarter is expanding, a new Thank you for taking the time to share sixth form college has been built your thoughts with us. We will publish and development continues at your views over the next few months. City Waterside (new housing developments). We also have a Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CoRE - a unique scheme showcasing best practice in refurbishment) and we ………………………………….. are also creating a central business Councillor Mohammed Pervez district and a new shopping centre Leader of the Council aligned to the bus station.

………………………………….. John van de Laarschot Chief Executive

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