Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Vision and Strategy

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is leading the transformation of our Borough. Consistently strong ambitions, focus, leadership and desire to achieve have modernised the council with the clear aim to transform local lives. Our drive is to promote achievement and tackle disadvantage, making Stockton a vibrant borough where local people realise their potential. Through a consistent focus since 1996, significant progress has been made – though we know there is more to do. A vision of this scale cannot be achieved in just ten years. We are determined to achieve our ambition, embracing our leadership role working at a national, regional, sub-regional and local level to make the borough a destination of choice to live, work and study.

We have set a clear and challenging long term ambition for the area and its communities. The Community Strategy’s aim of promoting achievement and tackling disadvantage underpins our three part vision for the borough:

Stockton-on-Tees driving economic renaissance at the heart of a vibrant Tees Valley city region.
An enhanced quality of place, including renewed town centres and improved local neighbourhoods.
Enhanced well-being and achievement for all adults, children and young people.

Economic Renaissance

Achieving economic renaissance for Stockton is part of a wider city region approach to improving economic prosperity. We are at the forefront of the city region agenda. We have led the development of the highly successful Tees Valley city region concept and governance structure (Tees Valley Unlimited) and this has produced an investment strategy to transform the local economy over the next 20 years. TVU Multi-Area Agreement was one of the first to be agreed with the Government in 2008.

Our strategy is to continue to build on the city region’s economic assets such as:

Our world class chemicals industry and research base and its’ potential for further development both for chemicals and as a national centre for energy development.
Our logistics infrastructure which includes major trunk roads, the River Tees and its port and the Durham Tees Valley airport.
Our partnership with local universities (University of Durham Queen’s Campus Stockton and the University of Teesside) strengthening opportunities for local people to develop advanced skills and promoting inward migration.

Enhanced quality of place

Improving urban competitiveness and liveability is a vital part of our vision. Without it we will not attract economic investment or attract and retain skilled people. We are focusing on:

Regenerating our urban core through the Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative (SMI).
Improving liveability within our more disadvantaged communities through community engagement, housing and neighbourhood renewal schemes.
Improving our town centres and making environmental improvements.

Well-being and achievement

Enabling and celebrating well-being and achievement is a fundamental part of our vision:

Top class education from early years to graduation enabling children, young people and adults to achieve their full potential and contribute to the economic success of the borough and ensuring no child is left behind.
Reducing health inequalities, narrowing the gap between our most disadvantaged areas and the rest of the borough through tackling core issues such as smoking, drugs and alcohol misuse, obesity, sexual health and teenage conceptions.
Strengthening our communities through empowerment, engagement and consultation, increasing social cohesion, raising expectations and improving pride in the borough and the Tees Valley.
Meeting the needs of our ageing population through enabling active, independent lifestyles.
Making the borough safer through targeted policing and neighbourhood enforcement, the introduction of neighbourhood policing, designing out crime and working with local communities to identify hotspots.