Suffolk County Council's Policy Development Panel (PDP) has set out 20 recommendations to help Ipswich "maximise its potential".
The proposals, which will receive £2million in funding, include supporting a new city bid, making Ipswich a destination of choice for residents and boosting employment opportunities for young people.
The recommendations are as follows:
1. To help define and communicate a collective vision for the future of Ipswich and co-ordinating all activity centred around the future prosperity of the town, including the support for Ipswich to become the first City in Suffolk.
2. To commission projects that celebrates the town.
3. Commission work to a ‘One Public Estate’ project to review the opportunities around how the public sector estate uses its space in Ipswich.
4. To support the commissioning of a report of how best to strategically grow our arts, culture and leisure offer in Ipswich.
5. To work with partners to consider ambitious projects to make Ipswich a destination for choice for residents and the wider eastern region.
6. To support the Chamber of commerce in exploring opportunities with 5G tech providers to enhance Ipswich as a 'Tech leader'.
7. To actively support the Priority Investment Area in Ipswich, and to explore where we can provide additional support to Ipswich schools to increase reading attainment.
8. To ensure apprenticeships and employment opportunities in SCC are accessible for young people across all sections of our communities.
9. To instigate a mapping exercise of existing youth service offerings in Ipswich and consider how best to promote them to young people. Explore how SCC can ensure young people from a diverse mix of communities and backgrounds in Ipswich are involved and participate in developing the policies and service offerings in the town.
10. To build on the strong Ipswich schools network by exploring opportunities for SCC to support schools with enhanced head teacher training and support, a focus on better retention of talented deputy head teachers and enhanced pastoral support for students mental health.
11. Consider projects to enhance our sustainable travel offer across Ipswich.
12. To support the Towns Fund 'Greener Ipswich Project' and to lend support to ensure the trail meets its full potential.
13. To create opportunities for residents to reduce their carbon footprint and save on fuel bills by facilitating finance options for "able to pay" market to undertake energy efficiency retro-fit to older properties and for SCC to lead by example to provide EV infrastructure on its land to encourage use of electric vehicles
14. Look at opportunities to improve the look and feel of neighbourhoods and the town centre in Ipswich by identifying opportunities to create better lit areas, improved management of traffic, and influencing utility companies to re-instate our pathways after works are carried out.
15. Channel further Covid recovery funding into Ipswich specifically to address inequalities and the wider determinants of health, and to work collaboratively to attract further investment into Ipswich.
16. To support and facilitate the mapping of cultural, organisational and structural assets within the town to bring together for the benefit of our communities.
17. To explore opportunities to reduce the negative impacts of drug addiction on young people and communities in Ipswich.
18. To develop an implementation plan for the recommendations in the PDP, including the creation of a fund to facilitate delivery and oversight and monitoring by an SCC panel.
19. To establish an effective mechanism to use data and evidence to improve the decisions, policies, and partnership work SCC are involved in that directly affect Ipswich.
20. To define the role of the SCC Cabinet Member for Ipswich including its relationship with PDP recommendations.
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