Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed the proposed ‘County Plan 2020-2024’ and associated Capital Programme, Medium Term Financial Strategy and Treasury Management Plan. These strategic policy documents will now be put forward for recommendation to Full Council on 14 February 2020.

The ‘County Plan’ commits the council to improving “…the sustainability, connectivity and wellbeing of our county by strengthening our communities, creating a thriving local economy and protecting and enhancing our environment”.

The plan sets out the policy priorities for the council for the next four years to address the county’s key challenges. The plan also responds to the issues identified during a four month consultation with local residents, businesses, partners, parish councils and stakeholder organisations.

The plan addresses the issues and concerns raised during these consultations and proposes a number of exciting new initiatives including:

· Investment in climate change action, green energy and low carbon transport solutions

· Delivery of additional affordable homes for local people, bespoke accommodation for students/key workers in health and social care, a comprehensive revision of the county’s Core Strategy and an updated planning policy framework

· Increased funding for highway improvements, new footpaths and cycleways and support for parish lengthsman schemes and a city transport hub

·Transformational family-centred change programme for children’s and adults’ social care and investment in community support hubs throughout the county

· More balanced investment in sustainable development, in new employment sites across the market towns, in supporting local further and higher education providers and in closer working with parish councils

· Funding for cultural projects, support for Library, Museum and Archive services, investment in tourism and support for small and micro-businesses

The plan also proposes to continue to deliver a number of the service improvement and investment programmes initiated under the previous four year programme.

During the four years of the plan it is proposed to make capital investments of around £415m; only around 25% of these investments may require funding from prudential borrowing:

· £131m on major infrastructure projects

· £75m on public realm improvements

· £99m on economic development

· £45m on schools and children’s services

· £26m care facilities and community hubs

· £36m on rural broadband and fibre networks

· £3m on IT equipment and service support

The proposed 2020/21 detailed budget takes into account the provisional local government finance settlement announced by central government on 20 December 2019. This includes Revenue Support Grant funding of £0.6m and a New Homes Bonus Grant funding of £2.2m. The New Homes Bonus will be treated as one-off funding to be spent on the delivery of new houses throughout the county.