A VISION for Ashford built on the needs and wants of local groups and communities is in the pipeline.

Organisations ranging from the council and health groups through to the police and a committee from the Stanhope estate have all contributed to a report which will become a community strategy for Ashford.

Surveys and public opinion polls have identified key areas that voters are concerned about and council officials will now be weaving these into the town's vision.

Main themes centre around transport, the environment and the local economy. But ward councillor for Singleton Alan Allcock has reservations about the plan.

He said: "I read the report twice and I suppose the more you read it, the more uncertainties that seem to come out of it. I think it was a pretty middle class affair and I do hope that we are able to get across classes and peoples if we are really to engage with the community and with the people who can't come into a council chamber and express their opinions clearly."

Councils across the country are having to produce their own visions and some councillors were concerned that Ashford was lagging behind in its production of a community strategy. But Cllr Jill Hutchinson said: "I would like to think that we are learning from everyone else's mistakes."

She added that she felt the report was inclusive and gathered a range of opinions.

A draft version of the strategy should be ready by November with the completed plan being adopted early next year.