About me:
I have been a County Councillor since July 2018 following the sad passing of Stuart West. Since that time, I have also been a member of Shifnal Town Council, as well as a member of its employment committee and movement management committee. I have also attended Tong parish and Donington with Boscobel parish council meetings as part of my role.
During the last three years I have learned a great deal about the people, processes and policies of local government. It has been my privilege to serve the community and to help others.I have lived in Shifnal for 12 years, married at Tong church and have two young children. I work in education as a senior manager, helping others to achieve their potential, in Colleges, Universities and Special Educational Needs settings. My original vocation was in computing and I hold master’s degrees in computer science and an MBA.
I pride myself in my organisation and conscientiousness and anyone who has had dealings with me as a councillor will know that I always follow up their concerns even if sometimes their problem cannot be resolved easily. I hope to continue my work for Shifnal, Tong, Cosford and Donington by working with local parish councils, residents, and volunteer groups to improve the facilities and services in the local area.
As a local resident myself, living near the centre of Shifnal and having family living near Tong, the people in my district come first. Being a member of the majority Conservative group on Shropshire Council gives me an opportunity to directly lobby cabinet and have my say on policy and planning committees.
I have won victories on Junction 3 Tong developments, protecting Shifnal Town Council’s Neighbourhood fund and securing investment in the Town Centre, working with our local MP Mark Pritchard to deliver a new GPs surgery (building should start at the end of this year). I am supporting the Town Council working with the Police and Crime Commissioner John-Paul Campion to ensure that we have police located at the Community Hub, have addressed flooding in Albrighton where work has started near the Newport road and have expedited planning on behalf of staff at Boscobel House, Donington.
I will always prioritise residents and local issues in the the Town and parish councils. In my opinion and the opinion of the Town and parish councils, this district has taken its fair share of new houses, and we must protect the green belt and our borders. I understand the need for development and housing for the next generation, however, this should be set against previous developments and the opportunity to build on brown field sites first. Therefore, I will be voting FOR the green belt and AGAINST Shropshire Council’s local plan if I am fortunate enough to be re-elected.
My official Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/edwardbirdshrop and I also tweet at https://twitter.com/EdwardBirdShrop
I try to post regular council updates on a blog at https://edwardbird.wordpress.com/ where you can read up on what has been going on in Shifnal, Tong, Donington and Albrighton.
If you have any questions or concerns that you want to raise with me, you can email me at ebirdshropshire@gmail.com
Edward Bird - Councillor for Shifnal South and Cosford 