Herefordshire is one of the UK’s most attractive counties, with a great cathedral city and beautiful countryside. Like the rest of the UK, however, it has serious problems – economic, social and environmental – many of which have worsened during austerity. Since it may take some time to change government policy, we decided to explore what the county could do for itself, without waiting.
We launched the Herefordshire 2030 Project with a team of around three dozen volunteers from within the county and beyond. The aim of this project was to develop a clear, compelling and fact-based picture of how Herefordshire in 2030 can be fairer, greener and more prosperous than today.
In March, Herefordshire Council released a Big Economic Plan for the county, developed with stakeholders in the Business Community and the Voluntary Sector.
While the Herefordshire 2030 Group welcomed this initiative, we believe that it falls significantly short of what is needed in a number of crucial respects. In the paper, Where’s the beef?, we have identified concrete ways to develop it into a credible and impactful strategy.
We are now drawing up an exciting list of speakers, from inside and outside the county, to participate in our Herefordshire 2030 Group forum, “How to fix the future”, on Friday 15th September. This forum will engage the Council, the Business Community and the third Sector in an insightful discussion with experts from other parts of the UK, and help to set a future structure for a new paradigm of collaboration in the County.
If you would like to help, or just to know more, please contact Jeremy (stanyard54@gmail.com) or Christian (christian@trigpointpartners.com).