Local leaders have welcomed the publication of a report which sets out a new long-term vision for the area it calls Bath with North East Somerset.

The report is the result of a wide-ranging engagement exercise which involved more than a hundred local stakeholders in shaping the renewal and recovery of the local economy and communities in response to the Covid 19 crisis.

One Shared Vision sets out a new framework for fairer, greener, more creative and more connected communities. It proposes a new vision for a stronger, low carbon, more inclusive and diverse local economy as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

The report highlights that Bath, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Keynsham, Paulton, Peasedown, Chew Magna and many other villages and rural areas form a partnership of communities which it terms Bath with North East Somerset.

Councillor Richard Samuel, Deputy Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council and Chair of the Economic Recovery and Renewal Board, which led the development of the report, said: “One Shared Vision is the result of work which was started by the Board last summer in anticipation of the need to plan for post-pandemic recovery and renewal. Now that lockdown is easing- albeit with much uncertainty ahead - this forward thinking is now bearing fruit.

“The pandemic highlighted a number of weaknesses in our local economy and One Shared Vision sets out a new direction. We saw during lockdown the high dependency of our economy on visitors and tourism. As we renew and recover, we will also need to make sure our visitor economy feeds through into a higher-wage economy and also helps us meet our climate and ecological emergency goals – for example, by encouraging longer stays. We have learnt much over the past year and as we emerge from Covid we have the opportunity to build resilience.”

Alongside this work, the Council ran an online “community dialogue” on the emerging themes of the vision from the stakeholder interviews and workshops, allowing over 70 residents to comment and contribute their own ideas, which were taken into account in the development of One Shared Vision.

Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Leader of the Council and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel, said: “We have what is perhaps a once in a lifetime chance to build back greener and better, which will be crucial in helping us tackle the climate and ecological emergency. This is the beginning of a wider process that will for the first time bring together all partners in our area around a shared vison for our future. The overriding message has been that as well as setting out a long-term direction for renewal, we should ensure that our vision delivers real action.”