RESIDENTS in Powys are being asked to help shape a longer-term vision for the county council, which aims to future-proof the county.

Powys County Council has today (Thursday, December 10) launched its future-proofing Powys engagement exercise.

This exercise is focused on the longer-term vision for the county following the Covid-19 pandemic and the views of our residents are important to help us shape this.

In a joint statement, Councillors Rosemarie Harris and Aled Davies, leader and deputy leader of the council respectively, said: “This year we have had to deliver services very differently due to the global pandemic, focusing resources on providing essential services and protecting vulnerable residents.

“Emergency funding has been needed to care for older and vulnerable people while at the same time income has been lost from trade waste services, car parks, planning applications and many other areas.

“The estimated cost of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in additional spend and lost income during the first six months of the financial year will be close to £10m.

“The council is looking to get Powys on the road to recovery by looking at balancing short-term needs while safeguarding long-term needs for a sustainable future, recognising the potential long-term challenges and impacts of Covid-19. We need to understand your views on what the ‘new normal’ could look like for the council to deliver sustainable and effective services for the next five to 10 years.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty around the longer-term financial impact of the pandemic and the financial costs incurred as a result of Covid-19.

“As an open and enterprising council, we have embraced new ways of working and delivering services and we are committed to work with communities, residents, businesses and partner organisations to future-proof Powys.”

The survey covers areas such as the Covid-19 pandemic response, business and the economy, health and wellbeing, customer access to council offices, digitalisation and council tax levels.

The engagement exercise can be found at https://haveyoursay.powys.gov.uk/ and will close on January 20, 2021.