Council endorses Penrith Rising Strong Recovery Plans

Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Penrith City has taken another step towards economic and social recovery, with the adoption of the Penrith Rising Strong Recovery Plan at Monday night’s Council Meeting.

Over the next 12 months, the Plan will steer proactive efforts to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, shaping the future of our City and the communities who live, work, invest, study and visit here. The Plan continues to provide support where it is needed most, building on the initial package for our communities and businesses released by Council over March and June 2020.

Newly elected Mayor, Karen McKeown OAM, said the Penrith Rising Strong Recovery Plan was her top priority

“The Plan has been developed in collaboration with local businesses and community organisations, who are at the coalface of dealing with the fallout of the pandemic. Their experiences and their particular needs going forward are built into the foundation of the Penrith Rising Strong Recovery Plan,” Cr McKeown said.

Since May, Council has been leading two taskforces dedicated to guiding Penrith City’s recovery from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience and input from key local stakeholders are critical to a targeted recovery, so the taskforces were built as a coalition between Council and local businesses, educational institutions and sporting groups, economic representatives like the City Centre Corporations and the Chamber of Commerce.

Within the umbrella of the Penrith Rising Strong Recovery Plan are several targeted components. There are 30-day and 100-day recovery goals, a dedicated Social Recovery Plan which focuses on community capacity building and resilience, financial support and community engagement; while a dedicated Economic Recovery Plan addresses needs for marketing and promotion for local businesses, financial support and incentives, arts and cultural opportunities, and attracting investment to our City.

While providing a guiding blueprint for the coming 12 months, the Plan is also designed to be a living document, which can be amended and built-upon as needed. Given the unknown variables of how the pandemic will progress, it is critical that we continue to monitor the situation and adapt the Plans accordingly.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 30 September 2020.