Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their support during the campaign and for lending me their vote. I have completed an induction this week and will continue to work with other County, Town and Parish Councillors to improve the area.
The previous leader of Shropshire Council, Peter Nutting, lost his seat during the last election. The majority group is now going through the process of electing a new Leader and Deputy Leader. I have spoken to the candidates and they have agreed that the Council’s main priority should be to improve the County’s highways. I have also once again expressed residents’ concern about poor amenities and the Council’s Local plan. The new leader will be sworn in at the next meeting on Thursday 20th May.
As part of the induction, councillors were provided with a sheet of key facts which I have shared here. Shropshire is a geographically large county, with 25% of residents over the age of 65. Most residents live in rural areas. The budget is near £600 million. The largest departments (by spend) are Adult Services and Children’s services. Despite these pressures the council has managed a balanced budget in 6 of the last 7 years.
The Town Council will also meet for the first time since the election at 7pm, in the Old Police Station on 20th May. It will also be seeking a new leader after the previous Mayor, Robert Harrop stepped down.
Please contact me at ebirdshropshire@gmail.com to raise issues and follow me on WordPress for regular updates, which I will continue to provide on a weekly basis (or more regularly depending upon events). I am also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EdwardBirdShrop.
Edward Bird - Councillor for Shifnal South and Cosford 