TOURISM promotion is not a top priority for residents in Stratford district.
A consultation on Stratford District Council’s latest budget proposals revealed residents would like to see a cut in money spent on attracting more tourists on top of the some 3million who already visit annually.
Nearly 1,000 residents on the council’s citizens’ panel responded to the budget consultation to help the Conservative-controlled council prioritise its services for the next financial year.
While tourism was not high on residents’ agenda, more CCTV and reduced crime was something most wanted to see.
And when asked which initiatives they most wanted to see backed with cash, the Fred Winter homeless centre project was the top choice, followed by a climate change strategy.
More than 60 per cent of residents agreed it was ‘ important for the council to maintain current levels of service, even if it meant increasing council tax by more than £5 a year’, while 85 per cent thought council tax of £139.12 for a Band D property was value for money.
More than 60 per cent felt the quality of council services was good overall.
District council leader Tony Jefferson said: “The results make interesting reading and support many of our initiatives.
“We are now completing the investment in the CCTV system which reflects the top priority of residents being CCTV and crime prevention. We are also pleased that our financial support for the Fred Winter project and climate change strategy funding is supported. We will also have to spend money on the waste contract renewal and the Core Strategy review. There are some areas where choices are constrained.
“The financial pressures we are under appear to be intensifying, which has meant that we have had to take some difficult decisions this year.”
