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Council Plan

Welcome to our Council Plan, which outlines our vision and priorities through to 2030.

Our ambition for a better Lancashire is built on our remarkable strengths – our sense of community, our natural environment and heritage, and our world-class industrial and commercial sectors make our county a great place to live and visit.

Our challenge is to use those strengths to create more economic opportunities for local people, help make our communities safer and respond to the increasing numbers of residents who need support. Throughout all of this, we need to keep delivering quality services at an affordable cost.

The county council will play its part by developing and innovating into the best council we can be. We will tackle the root causes of the challenges we face, with a relentless focus on delivery. But it’s not just about the county council. We are at our best when we work alongside residents, communities and other organisations to make change happen.

With this in mind, we invite everyone across our incredible county to work alongside us to build a better Lancashire.

Watch this quick summary video to find out about our Council Plan

Our plan

Download the full Council Plan to see how we will make it happen.

Council plan (PDF 7MB)

Moving the Dial

Our annual delivery plan for 2026 - 2027

Value for money

How we make sure we offer value for money on every penny we spend.

Our vision

We are building a better Lancashire where everyone can live their best life through stronger communities, a growing economy and high-quality public services.

Our ambitions

Better lives for all

We will ensure more children and young people have the best start in life, families are more resilient, adults are supported to live more independent lives, and that everyone can live a healthy and happier life.

Economic ambition

We will work with the business community to equip people with the right skills to secure rewarding work, invest in Lancashire, improve transport and digital connectivity, and grow the local economy.

Stronger communities

We will ensure our communities are safer and more resilient, encourage people to play their part, promote our rich heritage and culture, and protect our environment for future generations.

Thinking differently

We will focus on delivering high-quality public services, providing the right help at the right time, embracing digital and technological innovation and developing the best possible workforce.

Our values

  • Supportive

  • Innovative

  • Respectful

  • Collaborative

Working together

  • With residents

  • With partners

  • With councillors

  • With colleagues

Being accountable

  • Managing performance

  • Delivering our priority programmes

  • Balancing our budget

Better lives for all

We want Lancashire to be the best place to raise a family, to thrive as an adult and remain independent for as long as possible.

Our priorities are:

  • Each child can get the best start in life to help reach their full potential
  • Families are supported to be resilient
  • Residents enjoy independent and fulfilling lives in supportive communities
  • Everyone can have a healthy and happier life, regardless of circumstances or background

Success will look like:

  • More people living healthier and happier lives at home or closer to home for longer
  • Narrowing the gap in health and life expectancy between more and less prosperous areas
  • Higher levels of educational attainment and progress for all children and young people
  • Helping more people and families at an earlier stage, avoiding the need for more intensive services, such as being placed into the care of the county council
  • More inclusive and sustainable services that meet the needs of children with SEND

Economic ambition

We are committed to driving economic growth and prosperity for all. Building on Lancashire’s rich history of innovation, world-class industries and a £39.6 billion economy.

Our priorities are:

  • Residents have the right skills to secure rewarding work
  • Existing and new businesses invest in Lancashire
  • Places are better connected with well-maintained roads and good transport links
  • We collaborate with partners to accelerate economic growth

Success will look like:

  • Lancashire’s economy grows significantly over the next five years
  • More of the Lancashire workforce is engaged in high-quality, well-paying jobs
  • Expanding transport links to key employment, housing and education sites
  • Continuing to make Lancashire an attractive location for successful businesses to start, grow and stay
  • Shrinking the income gap between Lancashire households and the UK average
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Stronger communities

We are committed to celebrating and supporting our diverse communities and to building a strong sense of place we can all be proud of.

Our priorities are:

  • Our neighbourhoods are safe and resilient
  • We encourage local people to play their part in improving their communities
  • Residents and visitors enjoy our rich culture and heritage
  • Our environment is protected for future generations

Success will look like:

  • Low crime and anti-social behaviour
  • Less waste and higher rates of reuse and recycling
  • Fewer people killed or seriously injured on our roads
  • Increased footfall to our cultural and heritage attractions
  • Reduced carbon emissions from our estate and operations

Thinking differently

Building a better Lancashire means taking every opportunity to improve how we do things. We will build on our strong record of financial management and do more through technology and data, a dynamic, united workforce, and by targeting support where it’s most needed.

Our priorities are:

  • We deliver high-quality public services in an efficient way
  • We provide the right help at the right time
  • We embrace digital innovation to become more accessible and effective
  • We develop the best council workforce, attracting and retaining talented people

Success will look like:

  • We remain within our budget
  • Our services are accessible and user-friendly for residents
  • Residents can address their own challenges, with help if needed
  • Our costs and performance compare well with similar councils
  • We improve outcomes for residents and reduce costs through early intervention and prevention

Making it happen

We are determined that the ambitions and priorities within this plan translate into action and have a real impact. Here's what we are putting in place to ensure we are accountable and make our plan a reality.

We will continue to listen to residents, businesses, colleagues and other partners about our vision and priorities. Future decisions and plans will line up to the blueprint set out in this plan. This will ensure we have coherence and are pulling in the same direction. Much of what we do is delivered alongside other organisations in the public, private and voluntary sector. We will strengthen this collaboration so that we’re working together towards our common goals.

We will keep track of progress using data on our performance. This information will be published online and considered by our Cabinet. Where we are falling short of our ambitions, we will set out actions to bring things back on track. We will compare ourselves with other councils and organisations and strive to deliver the best and most affordable performance. We will understand the wellbeing of our communities through regular consultation, understanding their experience and by considering a range of data.

You said... We listened

Our proposed ambitions and priorities received broad support from all the audiences we engaged with before we developed this plan.

A survey of more than 1,000 Lancashire residents identified ‘Better lives for all’ as a top priority.

Initiatives like our Family Hubs and Living Better Lives in Lancashire shows how we are responding to these concerns.

We also heard from partners, who considered each of the four ambitions important. Again, 'Better lives for all' was a top priority, along with improving transport, safer communities and providing services to meet people's needs.

Councillors highlighted the importance of partnership and community engagement and how the county council can bring stakeholders together.

Our staff told us that promoting health for all and supporting residents to live independently were particularly valued, emphasising safe, sustainable communities and building a skilled workforce.

We will continue to listen to residents, businesses, colleagues and other partners about our vision and priorities.

Lancashire's Devolution Agreement

As part of our plans to unlock growth across our county, we are delivering our ambitious Devolution Agreement which will transfer funding and powers from central government to Lancashire, supporting us to further develop our regional economy.

The county’s 2024 Devolution Agreement and the establishment of a Combined County Authority (with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils) bring transformative potential, offering greater local control over funding and decision-making on skills, transport and economic development, to better meet residents’ needs.

Find out more about Devolution in Lancashire.