Tewkesbury Borough Council Plan
2025 - 2028 Our priorities

Caring for people

We will continue to keep people at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s providing essential services such as waste and recycling management, co-ordinating our emergency response to events such as flooding, or ensuring access to affordable housing, we prioritise people’s needs and wellbeing.

We understand how important it is to provide the right support, resources and opportunities for the people of our borough to thrive. We are committed to supporting the vitality of the communities we serve, from improving health to economic prosperity. In doing so, we listen to the voices of those who are marginalised and disadvantaged, and work towards building a fairer and more inclusive borough.

Caring for the environment

The issues caused by climate change are having a profound effect on our environment, wildlife and our lives. In recognition of this, we declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and set a target for council services to be carbon neutral by 2030. In May 2023, the scope of the declaration was extended to include a borough-wide Climate and Ecological Emergency. This commits us to take urgent action to address the causes of climate change across the borough and to do all in our power to make Tewkesbury Borough carbon neutral by 2030.

Our commitment was reflected in the appointment of a carbon reduction programme officer and a climate change officer. These positions enable the delivery of our carbon reduction programme and increased focus on ecology and biodiversity. This is supplemented by significant investment already made by the council in reducing emissions, as well as an acknowledgement of the future investment required -despite the challenging financial position for local government. A good example of this is our Public Services Centre solar car park canopy – which was recognised nationally and helped contribute to us winning Council of the Year in 2023 at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Regional Awards.

As we work towards becoming a unitary authority, we will continue to prioritise our carbon neutral goals, embedding sustainability in the foundations of the new authority. We have a unique opportunity to scale up action and drive more impactful, long term environmental outcomes.

Caring for place

Our goal is to create positive change that enhances the quality of life and opportunities for people across our borough. We understand that the challenges are different depending on the local area’s characteristics. This can include issues such as flooding, health inequalities, infrastructure and housing demands. To succeed, we need to work together with our partners and the communities, and use our resources wisely to handle growth, deliver good quality housing and support communities to become more resilient.

We will look to enhance our existing place approach, which divides the borough into three geographical locations. Building upon local knowledge and data, we will look to deliver services that are more joined up and rooted by local priorities. As part of the local government reorganisation, we’re teaming up with our neighbouring Gloucestershire districts to create an innovative place model for a dynamic unitary authority. Exciting changes are on the horizon!