The Luton 2040 vision was developed with residents and partners across Luton in 2020, drawing together our shared ambitions for the future of our town, while building on our many collective strengths and overcoming the challenges that we face together.

The vision was developed in response to Luton’s independent Inclusive Growth Commission, which released its final report in 2019. This report outlined the 12 ambitions for the town based on the unique opportunities and most pressing challenges. In particular, this report identified overcoming poverty and inequality as a central mission that could enable everyone in Luton to thrive, as well as identifying many key assets such as our anchor institutions, our voluntary and community sector and key sectors within our economy such as manufacturing, digital and green industries.

Throughout 2020, Luton Council carried out an extensive consultation with residents and organisations across the public, private and voluntary and community sectors in the town to build on these recommendations and develop a shared vision for everyone to work towards. Throughout the course of this and the consultation with the Inclusive Growth Commission in 2019, over 700 residents and 191 organisations took part in shaping the Luton 2040 vision.

Throughout these consultations, residents and organisations considered the opportunities and challenges facing our town and told us what mattered to them. This included building a more inclusive economy, improving wellbeing, tackling the climate emergency, giving our young people the best start in life and tackling injustice and inequality. Each of these priorities link back to the central challenge set by the Inclusive Growth Commission around tackling poverty and inequality so that everyone in our town can reach their full potential.

The Luton 2040 vision was first published in October 2020, setting a long-term vision for the town with strategic priorities focussed on achieving this. It was agreed that these priorities, as well as our plans to deliver on them, would be updated regularly through continuous engagement with partners and residents throughout our 20-year journey.

Residents have the ability to shape these priorities and plans over time, through direct engagement with elected representatives and through participation in our Fairness Taskforce and citizen’s forums. Partners across the town are also able to shape the direction of the vision through representation on our partnership boards and involvement in a range of partnership networks that drive key work streams within each of our priorities.