PLANNING for the future of Bradford is "more important than ever" according to Bradford Council's leader.

Earlier this year the Council began its 2040 Vision, a joint-initiative between the Council and partners across all sectors – business, public services, the voluntary and community sector.

The purpose of the vision is to set out what all residents of Bradford want the district to look like in 20 years’ time, and to then work together towards achieving that.

The lockdown put a halt on the public consultation side of the scheme, and residents are now being asked to take part online by emailing 2040vision@bradford.gov.uk

People will be asked what they love about where they live, and what they have missed most during lockdown, as well as what they want Bradford to look like in 20 years' time.

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The Council has said: "We don’t just want to adapt; we want to come back better than before and to see the District thrive.

"To achieve this, we need to listen to people across the district. The people who live in, work in, or visit Bradford district are who make it what it is, and listening to their voices is essential in planning for the future.

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"At the moment we can’t get out to meet people in person, face to face as we had planned, but we’d love to hear your thoughts on our ‘Let’s Talk Bradford District’ website. Initially we’re asking two main questions:

"Question 1: Tell us what you love about where you live – this might be one of your long-time favourite places to visit in your local area, somewhere you perhaps miss and can’t wait to go back to, or somewhere you have recently discovered as we all explore closer to home; it might be your family, your neighbours, or your wider community; it could be your favourite restaurant, shop or gym.

"Question 2: What do you want the Bradford District to be like as a place to live, work, learn and play in 20 years’ time? We want to know what people think about subjects such as how we will travel, commute, work, learn, enjoy our leisure, and think about things like the environment, technology and the economy.

The Leader of Bradford Council, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, said: “Despite it being just a few months ago, the world already seems like a very different place to what it was when we first launched the 2040 Vision.

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“Our lives have all been impacted in some way by the pandemic. Some of the long-term effects are yet to be felt but it will undoubtedly have a major impact on aspects of the future at a local, national and global scale.

“This is why it’s more important than ever that we do all we can to set our own narrative for the future. I want people in the district to help us shape our plans for the future. If the plan is to work it has to be based on the thoughts and ideas of the people who live and work here.”