West Lancashire Borough Council is making good headway in achieving the aims of its Council Plan.



The Authority adopted the plan in October last year and a report to the Council meeting on Wednesday 20 July highlighted the progress made.
The three main priorities as detailed in the Council Plan are being:

· Ambitious for our economy

· Ambitious for our environment

· Ambitions for health and wellbeing
Councillor Ian Moran, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council and portfolio holder for Transformation and Economic Regeneration, said: "It is a privilege to lead this Council to deliver our ambitions for West Lancashire. Of course, progress and development in West Lancashire is not all down to the Council and we work closely with our partners, agencies, other organisations and volunteers to make a difference for all."

In terms of the economy the Council aims to retain and grow the number of local jobs, increase skills levels and encourage business and growth. Projects to boost the economy that the Council is working on include the Skelmersdale Town Centre Regeneration Scheme which took a step forward in 2015 with the approval of the planning application from St. Modwen. The scheme will create a new high street link between West Lancashire College and the existing town centre, a multi-screen cinema, restaurants, bars and retail facilities and bring in excess of 500 new jobs. The scheme, which the Council is working on with St. Modwen and the Homes and Communities Agency, is currently subject to a legal challenge. However, the commitment to Skelmersdale Town Centre Regeneration continues.

The Council has adopted the Ormskirk Town Centre Strategy which promotes a vibrant and successful future for the town. A Town Centre Management Group made up of the Council, Ormskirk Community Partnership, representatives of the business community, Edge Hill University and Edge Hill Students Union has been created to have oversight of the project.

In terms of the environment, the Council has worked with Lancashire County Council to complete the Moor Street improvement scheme, and with community regeneration specialist Keepmoat the building of 42 new homes on the Firbeck estate commenced. The Council has also worked with community safety partners on initiatives such as the Mischief Night/Bonfire Night programme to help ensure our borough remains a safe place to live work and visit. The success of community safety initiatives is highlighted by Citizens' Survey findings which show that 79% of residents feel safe and secure within West Lancashire.

The Council has also taken several significant steps it believes will help improve the health and wellbeing of West Lancashire residents. These include committing £150,000 to the refurbishment of Park Pool and creating a £2.3 million strategic investment reserve for work on major projects, including assisting in developing a new sports centre in Skelmersdale.

More information about the Council Plan 2015-18 is available at www.westlancs.gov.uk/councilplan.