Recalibrating Warwickshire: Warwickshire County Council’s Council Plan 2026-30

Warwickshire County Council’s draft Council Plan for 2026–30 set out its overall direction and priorities for improving services and helping the county remain a safe, healthy place where people can thrive.  
 
To check that the plan reflected what matters most, the council gathered feedback via an engagement survey that ran from 17th March 2026 until 14th April 2026.  

There were 365 responses to the survey, 363 were submitted via the online survey whilst two were submitted via paper copies.  

Respondents 

• The majority (80.8%, n=295) of respondents responded as a resident with 15.3% (n=56) selecting that they work in Warwickshire.  
• Of the 295 residents, 59.7% (n=176) live in the south of the county, compared to 39.7% (n=117) that live in the centre and north of the county.  
• Of the 70 respondents that either work or represent groups, 47.1% (n=33) work county-wide, 32.9% (n=23) work in the south of the county, and 18.6% (n=13) work in the centre and north of the county.  
• Over half of respondents (60.3%, n=220) were aged 50 or above, with large representation from the 50-59 and 60-64 age groups. Around one quarter (26.0%, n=95) of respondents were aged 49 or under, with low representation from the under 18, 18-24 and 25-39 age groups. 

Feedback 

The survey feedback showed broad agreement with the proposed outcomes and identified the objectives people rated highest and lowest in each section. Key headlines are below.  

People – areas of focus and outcomes: agreement was above 75% for all three proposed outcomes, with highest agreement for Healthy, happy and independent lives (86.6%) and lowest for Educational opportunities, sufficient places and SEND (77.8%). 

Places – areas of focus and outcomes: agreement was above 80% for all three proposed outcomes, with highest agreement for Vibrant places, safe communities and environment (85.7%). 

Other outcomes suggested: the themes with the highest number of comments were natural environment and climate change; equality, inclusion and community cohesion; housing, planning and development; active/sustainable travel; public transport; roads & highways maintenance; services for children and young people; community safety and crime; and regeneration of town centres. 

Fit for the Future goals: agreement was above 65% for all four goals, with Value for money (75.8%) highest and Optimising technology and innovation (66.3%) lowest. 

Key objectives overall: the highest-rated objectives were apprenticeships, skills and trades (92.3%), community safety (90.8%), and protecting green spaces and biodiversity (90.6%). The lowest-rated were new homes and commercial development (45.1%), rural cycling connectivity (61.6%), and reviewing Home to School Transport eligibility (63.8%). 

People – key objectives: highest-rated objectives were investing in workforce development for children and families (87.7%), supporting vulnerable adults to live independently (89.3%), and apprenticeships, skills and trades (92.3%). 

Places – key objectives: highest-rated objectives were supporting vulnerable groups into employment (82.7%), improving road condition (88.8%), and community safety (90.8%). The lowest-rated was new homes and commercial development (45.1%). 

Fit for the Future – key objectives: highest-rated objectives were financial efficiency and commercial performance (75.9%), easy access to information and services (83.8%), community voice and leadership (70.5%), and growing local talent and apprenticeships (85.3%). 

Final comments: respondents asked for clearer priorities, delivery detail and measurable indicators, and highlighted natural environment and climate change, equality, inclusion and community cohesion, and transport as important cross-cutting themes. 

Following conclusion of the engagement process, the feedback gathered from both the public engagement survey and elected members through the Overview and Scrutiny process was considered. 

Key changes to the draft Council Plan included amendments to wording such as replacing ‘short-term objectives’ with ‘key deliverables’, rewording of the mission and Areas of Focus, and new references to global uncertainty and the Casey Commission in Adult Social Care. Additional updates include new wording under Areas of Focus, a new bullet to ‘Strive to reduce child poverty in Warwickshire through a multi-agency approach’, and consolidation of objectives in ‘Optimising technology & innovation’ 

A final version of the Council Plan was approved by Warwickshire County Council on May 14, 2026.  

Click here to see the papers and webcast for the meeting on May 14th. 
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