Summer Update

Introduction

If you have not visited this page before, then welcome to the Shifnal South and Cosford Councillor Blog! This space is dedicated to keeping our vibrant community informed and engaged with the latest updates, events, and developments in our beautiful part of Shropshire. As your local councillor, my goal is to ensure that every voice is heard and every concern is addressed. Here, you’ll find insights into council meetings, community initiatives, local projects, and ways to get involved. Together, we can make Shifnal South and Cosford an even better place to live, work, and thrive. Join me in this journey to foster a strong, connected, and prosperous community!

New Mayor at Shifnal Town Council

I would like to congratulate Councillor Ellen Moore on her election as the new Mayor of Shifnal, taking over from Roger Cox who has also worked tirelessly for Shifnal.

Information on your Shifnal Town Council representatives can be found at https://www.shifnaltowncouncil.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/

The latest news from the Town Council can be found at https://www.shifnaltowncouncil.gov.uk/news-events/news/

Grass Cutting

I have recently received a briefing note from Shropshire Council’s Streetscene department which I wanted to share with you:

“The Street Scene Service is currently in the process of a service re-design project in support of Shropshire Councils ambition of becoming a more intelligent led service provider. The transformation project is reviewing the work streams as part of a data capture exercise, which has largely been completed and will establish a baseline to which we can use to measure efficiency gains
and added value opportunities going forward.
We have appointed a new service lead, who will take ownership of delivering these ambitions. We must all understand this is not a quick fix and will take time to deliver.
It has been recognised that there are areas of the service which have not been functioning as well as we would have liked. As you will appreciate, last year was challenging for our grass cutting service, However, we are working with our delivery partners within the Alliance Framework to improve communication and transparency across our communities and using our best endeavours to deliver
consistent and effective services with our available resources.

Out Ambition

We are commitment to creating and maintaining climate-resilient, biodiverse places where people and nature can thrive together through the way we will maintain public open spaces, road verges,
and roundabouts throughout the county. 
We will strive to create green spaces that benefit communities and protect and encourage biodiversity to flourish. Our efforts will also be directed towards ensuring safe travel for local communities on the Shropshire network, from maintaining green spaces and litter removal, to emergency responses.
The aim is to foster biodiversity in all green spaces we maintain and support a safe environment for all road users, residents, and wildlife inside Shropshire.”

Service Information

The grass cutting schedule across Shropshire can be found here: https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/roads-and-highways/highways-maintenance/grass-cutting-schedule-2024/

If the information is not available, then please contact Shropshire Council via one of the routes below:
1.            Call the  Customer Service Centre on 0345 6789006
2.            Report via FixMyStreet mobile APP

St. Andrews School

I am continuing to pursue additional road safety measures with Shropshire Council (based on my previous observations when visiting the School and correspondence from local residents) which include:

• An additional separate entrance on the Wolverhampton Road (for vehicles), separating vehicles from pedestrians (who would use Park Lane).
• 20 mph speed limit

“Speeds over 20mph are incredibly dangerous for our children, and the difference in survival rate between a collision at 30mph and 20mph is huge. 67% of parents across the UK say that cars driving too fast around their child’s school worries them from a safety perspective – and this isn’t without reason. In 2016, 2186 children aged 15 or under were injured or killed whilst walking during morning or afternoon peak times.

Under Section 6 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, our council has the power to make a traffic order reducing speed limits where people live, and where children walk and play. By implementing 20mph speed limits around our schools we can ensure that cars are driving at reasonable speeds which allow a much reduced stopping distance and a vastly reduced danger to our children.

As well as creating safe walking routes, we also need to encourage more families to walk to school across the local authority. WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge from Living Streets – is a low-cost and effective way for schools and local authorities to enable and encourage families to walk more. Schools that take part in WOW see an increase in the number of children walking to school and a corresponding drop in cars around the school gates. Behaviour change schemes like WOW are vital to ensure the smooth adoption of any street changes.”

• Controlled parking zones

“The creation of a controlled parking zone (CPZ) around a school, through which people are prohibited from parking on the streets around the school, can greatly contribute to the safety of our children. A CPZ can halt the risk of children running out between vehicles into traffic, and will make the environment around the school a much more pleasant space for children to start and end the school day.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – School Site Road Safety Information:

Click to access home-to-school-travel-guide.pdf

Nursery Closure

Shropshire Council officers have provided an update on their position with regard to the Kaleidoscope Nursery:

A decision has been made not to renew the lease agreement to Kaleidoscope Nursery and the nursery have been asked to leave the school site by August 23rd 2024. Preparations are being made for the new school rebuilding program and it is clear that the environment for those children will not be appropriate given the nature, timescales and scale of the building work which will need to be carried out directly adjacent to the nursery site. 

This decision has not been taken without a great deal of thought and careful consideration. The school are confirming the decision as far in advance as they can in order to give those parents affected by this, every opportunity of securing alternative provision and so as to impact as little as possible on those children who will be making the transition into school in September 2024.  

The Local Authority is supporting St. Andrew’s Primary School in the attempts to find new provision for all families affected and will remain in regular contact with both the school and the leadership team at Kaleidoscope.

We would like to reassure parents that St. Andrew’s Primary School will also be operating its own Wrap Around Care Provision, Before and After School from September 2024 and further details will be sent out to parents/carers in the Summer Term.

If parents and families would like any further information or support in relation to this decision, then please contact: ShropshireFIS@shropshire.gov.uk

I know this affects many local families, so please do voice your concern using the email address provided.

Questions to Shropshire Council from the Public

Questions from the Public 

Under Constitution Procedure Rule 14 the Council provides the opportunity for the public to ask questions or present petitions when it meets.  At a full Council meeting a maximum of 30 minutes can be set aside for this purpose. 

Each question must be in writing to The Chief Executive and give the name and address of the questioner and must name the member of the Council to whom it is to be put.  It must be submitted no later than 3 clear working days prior to the commencement of the Council meeting. 

Therefore, for the next meeting, the deadline for public questions is:  5.00 pm on Friday 12 July 2024

Please use your democratic rights to raise awareness of local issues and to hold Shropshire Council to account.