Horsham District Council has now fully adopted its Annual Plan for 2026/27.
The draft plan identifies four main themes:
- Supporting local people and communities – providing help in tough times and building an environment where our people can flourish.
- Inspiring greener futures – aiming to be carbon net zero as a council by 2030 and as a District by 2050.
- Building a thriving economy – making us known as an easy place to do business and keeping our high streets thriving.
- Always listening, learning and improving – involving communities in our decision making and always striving to be better.
An overall Council Plan setting out a fresh vision and corporate priorities for the Council for four years until 2027 was adopted in October 2023.
At this time the Council announced a new process which introduced the development of an Annual Plan to detail the year-on-year actions it would undertake to deliver on its long-term objectives. The 2026/27 Annual Plan will be the fourth Annual Plan to be adopted.
Leader of the Council Cllr Martin Boffey commented: “From the outset, we’ve been committed to creating a culture of listening, learning and continuous improvement for the Council, where community input plays a vital role in shaping our decisions. So, thank you to the many of you who took part in our consultation to help shape our latest Annual Plan.
“Your feedback helps ensure our Plan stays responsive to the evolving needs and challenges we face, for our communities, our environment and our local economy.
At the core of our updated Plan our vision remains the same, which is to prioritise the wellbeing of our communities to give our residents the best quality life possible, whilst retaining a prudent approach to managing our finances.”
Key priorities which will be delivered from the 2026/27 Annual Plan include:
- Developing our Active Wellbeing Strategies which will modernise provision, encourage active lifestyles and ensure residents of all ages and abilities can access high-quality health and fitness opportunities
- Construction of new affordable homes in Dukes Square, central Horsham
- Implementation of weekly food waste collections to reduce landfill and support environmental sustainability
- Continued progress towards adopting the Horsham District Local Plan providing planning certainty and sustainable new homes delivery with supporting infrastructure
- Building upon our successful Wilder Horsham District initiative with strengthened engagement with parish councils across the District to enhance biodiversity and support thriving communities
Further details on our Annual Plan benefits can be viewed on the Council website.