CREATING PUBLIC SPACES TO COME TOGETHER, ENJOY YOURSELF & LEARN NEW THINGS

1. Labour will support the towns and city in our Borough by:

• Continuing to develop our regeneration projects, working with local people to shape our plans and deliver on their priorities.
• Supporting our markets, including building a new market hall in Chester.
• Developing incubator units for start up businesses.
• Establishing a register of landlords for empty shops and work with them to identify potential tenants or opportunities for occupancy.
• Creating co-working spaces so people who work from home have a place to work and meet others when they need it.

GETTING FROM A TO B WITH AN INTEGRATED TRANSPORT SYSTEM ON BUS, ROAD & RAIL

2. Labour recognises the importance of car parking in supporting local economies. With this in mind, we will continue to deliver our car parking strategy for the Borough, which improves the parking offer, spreads the cost of charges fairly and helps deal with government cuts to council services.

• Parking capacity at train stations in Winsford, Helsby and Frodsham will be increased and options for other sites such as Ellesmere Port and Chester will be explored.
• Offer-based technology will be launched to drive footfall at quiet times of the day and during specific seasons of the year.
• Investment in car and cycle parking infrastructure to improve safety, quality and accessibility will be a priority.

3. Working together with the Local Enterprise Partnership, we will continue to seek funding and progress for major infrastructure projects which will ease congestion on our roads, and make life easier for commuters, visitors and bus users. These include:

• The Winsford Southern Bypass towards Crewe via Nantwich Road.
• The Winnington Bridge route in Northwich, or an alternative route around the town.
• The Chester Western relief road study, creating a third River Dee crossing.
• Pushing for a new solution to the Hoole Bridge in Chester.
• A51 improvements from Tarvin to the Vicars Cross Roundabout in Chester.
• A road enhancement scheme for the A51. corridor through Duddon and Clotton areas.
• Investigations will begin into improvements to the A540.

4. Working together with the Local Enterprise Partnership and Transport for the North, we will integrate and improve public transport to meet local needs for employment, health, education, retail and culture. This could include:

• A smart ticketing system, so passengers will only require one ticket for bus and rail journeys.
• Subsidies for 14 to 25 year olds to enable them to access employment, education and to improve the viability of bus services in the evening economy.
• New bus services between towns and the city in our Borough.
• Building on the success of the Labour-led Growth Track 360 campaign for improved rail services across our region and North Wales, future improvements will focus on:
  • The Mid-Cheshire line through Northwich, two trains an hour between Chester and Manchester
  • From Winsford to Crewe and Liverpool, two trains per hour
  • A service from Winsford to Warrington
  • A new Hooton to Liverpool service via the Halton curve
  • A new Wrexham to Liverpool line

Back to the top

BOOSTING TOURISM BY INVESTING IN OUR HERITAGE, CULTURE & PUBLIC PARKS

5. Our borough is rich in heritage and history. Working with partners and community groups, we will find new ways to celebrate the heritage of our city, towns and villages. The Cheshire West Heritage Forum and the Heritage Festival will continue to be supported.

6. The planned archive facility in the borough will be delivered and linked more closely to our libraries.

7. The success of Storyhouse in Chester gives us the opportunity to put leisure and culture at the heart of other regeneration projects. More arts events and festivals across the Borough will be developed such as:

• Working with Action Transport Theatre and the local community to support the development of Whitby Hall in Ellesmere Port as a cultural centre. Phase one will be delivered and external funding for phase two will be sought.
• Investing in new library facilities in Northwich and working with the community to develop a vibrant arts hub for the town building on the success of the NOW Northwich street performance festival.
• In Winsford the plans to regenerate the town centre will be developed with the community and centred around a cultural offer the town can be proud of.
• We will create a new biennial arts festival. Further use of Chester Castle will be explored, building on the successful opening and events in recent summers. Working closely with partners, viable and sustainable solutions for the future of the Dee House, St John’s and amphitheatre area of the city will be explored.
• Cheshire Rural Touring Arts and other cultural and community organisations, that make our Borough a vibrant, diverse and interesting place to live and visit will continue to be supported.
• Support for our award winning museums will continue and develop.

8. Community buildings, parks, allotments and green spaces are important community resources and we will work alongside residents to maximise their use.

9. The success of the Winsford Hub model, which brings the services that people need under one roof to ensure easy access and reduce overheads will be built on.

10. Our award-winning library service will be developed to create modern and vibrant hubs of activity, rooted deep in the heart of local communities. To achieve this:

• Creativity, participation and engagement through activities such as storytelling across generations will be encouraged.
• Library membership and book loans numbers will be increased by:
  • Giving all children a library card, via the Bookstart programme.
  • Ending fines for children under 12.
  • Creating innovative ways to encourage library members to return books on time.
• Nurturing opportunities for lifelong learning and encouraging personal development.
• Mobile libraries will be supported and new ways will be explored to bring our library service to the far reaches of our borough, including the Home Library service for residents who cannot leave their homes.

Back to the top