Questions for Shropshire Council’s Cabinet

This week I attended two cabinet meetings where I had the opportunitity to ask questions.

Cabinet Meeting 8th March:

Q: “I’m very pleased that full council approved the investment into Shifnal Town Centre, some £2.7 million which has been supported by the Town Council. However, residents have highlighted the state of the rural roads, some of which are in a shocking condition such as Evelith Lane, near Shifnal. Could cabinet confirm how they are going to tackle this and other lanes around the county 6 given its extensive road network as it poses a risk to damaging vehicles and a particular risk of physical harm to cyclists.”

Response: “The £2.7 m scheme to improve Shifnal town centre that is funded from developer contributions to address the infrastructure issues in the town will improve and transform the town centre. The scheme is agreed by Shropshire Council and Shifnal Town Council and construction is hoped to begin this summer. We can confirm that Evelith Lane (near Shifnal) is in our highway’s capital programme for 2021/22. We will continue to inspect this lane and address any safety defects until resurfacing work is carried out.”

Q: “Local residents have been doing a fantastic job of collecting litter in the district during lockdown. Given they are doing this fantastic work voluntarily can the council make a commitment to ensuring the timely collection of bin bags that have been filled by residents?”

“Under the current national lockdown restrictions, strictly speaking people who leave their home for anything other than essential purposes are breaking the rules which we all must adhere to, to help reduce the risk of transmission and spread of this deadly virus. Regardless of their good work and intentions, which under normal circumstances would be welcomed and supported by us, people should not be engaging in this type of activity until the restrictions are lifted and when it is safe to do so. That said we do take our responsibilities seriously. There is no expectation on anyone to volunteer their time to carry out work on land that we are responsible for maintaining. We know that many people as part of their daily exercise do collect litter, we are more than happy to collect bagged waste and remove as long as we are made aware that there is waste to collect.”

Cabinet Meeting 11th March (this was an extraordinary meeting to agree the proposed changes to the local plan review timetable. It’s now expected to be adopted July 2022 rather than May):

Q: “Regarding a recent article in the Shropshire Star, in which Dudley council leader, Peter Harley the leader of Dudley council has written to Shropshire Council objecting to its decision to withdraw backing for the developments at Junction 3 of the M54. Can the cabinet please provide assurances that its stance will not change and that the land at junction 3 will remain in the green belt?”

Response: Cllr. Macey stated that while Dudley & Walsall have objected, the Association of Black Country Authorities (ABCA) – which both councils are members of – has not. He went on to say that he fails to understand how they can “enter a contradictory position”. We continue to work to produce a local plan that meets our legal duties and is right for Shropshire. We will not be dictated to by other authorities.”

I was very pleased with the responses I received from cabinet. There is one further cabinet meeting planned towards the end of March and I will be submitting a question about the proposed new Medical Practice in Shifnal.