"More jobs, better transport and affordable homes" council leader reveals what she wants to change in two years
Increasing employment opportunities is a major ambition in Gosport
More jobs, better transport and affordable homes are at the heart of ambitions to strengthen the economy in Gosport over the next few years.
Gosport Borough Council leader Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM said increasing employment opportunities is one of the changes she wants to see as the authority puts its new corporate plan into action.
She said Gosport has one of the lowest levels of job opportunities in Hampshire and believes better connections will be crucial to attracting and keeping employers.
Cllr Huggins said: “It is really important to understand that Gosport is made up of quite a lot of small to medium enterprises, so we have to think: how do we support them, and how do we support the larger employers?”
She said improving transport would be key to strengthening the economy and making it easier for businesses to establish themselves and stay in the borough.
Cllr Huggins added: “We don’t have that infrastructure here in Gosport, so we need to look at how to improve our walking and cycling, our rapid bus transport, and our road structures.”
She said the council also needed to consider water transport, including the possibility of a water taxi and working with the existing ferry service to provide alternative forms of travel.
Affordable housing would also have a role to play in ensuring businesses can find and keep workers in the area.
Cllr Huggins added: “We need to have good and affordable houses and good transport to make sure we have a workforce and businesses that want to start and stay here.
“We need to talk about how we connect and move people.”
The ambitions form part of the council’s new corporate strategy, which is intended to make Gosport a place where people and businesses want to live, work and invest.
The six priorities include growing the economy, regenerating the town centre and waterfront, improving council services, protecting the environment and heritage, and supporting healthier communities.
The strategy also includes improving connections between neighbourhoods and opportunities through walking, cycling and public transport.