Somerset deserves the best services, opportunities and investment possible and this business plan sets out how we will look to achieve these ambitions.

The plan gives our residents, businesses and communities a clear view of our strategic direction for the next two years, and provides the organisation with a single point from which all further strategic planning can flow. It describes the outcomes we are setting out to achieve and our key priorities that will enable this, how we will deliver on the plan and how we will evidence this delivery.

First, among some of the major initiatives on the horizon and issues we face, we will be dealing with the Coronavirus and its impacts for years to come. Our strategy to invest to boost the local economy is important and ambitious. Climate change is an issue that must be addressed and the public rightly expect us to take a lead on this. Local Government Reform is coming to Somerset, disbanding councils and creating a new approach to running services. This plan describes what we will begin and continue to do to serve the residents of Somerset over this time. To work locally with our communities to build resilience within our county, to invest to support business and the economy through this difficult period, to build social value into all that we do, and to serve as a focal point for all strategic planning for the organisation.