Latest news with #ShropshireCouncil
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
More buses and drivers as Shrewsbury park and ride extended
Shrewsbury's park and ride service is being extended to have buses run more Saturday 28 June, buses into the town centre will set off every 12 minutes at peak times, rather than every 20 changes will be made at all three sites - Harlescott, Meole Brace and Oxon - in an effort to reduce Rob Wilson said it will mean people in Shrewsbury will have a "more reliable service." Between 08:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday, and between 10:00 and 16:00 on Saturdays, the buses will run every 12 Sundays, and outside those times, they will be setting off every 20 minutes. To make this happen, the council is bringing in four extra buses and drivers to operate all three routes. The change is being funded from Shropshire Council's allocation of bus improvement funding from the Government. The local authority said the money "will also be spent on improvements to the three park and ride sites", as well as changes to other bus services around the county. Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said it will result in "a better, more reliable service"."People using park and ride won't have the worry of finding or paying for a parking space," he said, adding that it "will help to keep the town centre free of congestion and unnecessary traffic". Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Shropshire Council warns of new waste tax it 'cannot afford'
A council has warned that a new carbon tax on incinerated waste would be "an additional financial burden" that it "cannot afford".All of Shropshire Council's non-recyclable waste is burned at the Battlefield Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Shrewsbury, which generates electricity in the government has said expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to include incinerators from 2028 will cut emissions and improve nine-in-ten local authorities have said they will not be able to meet these additional costs within their existing waste and recycling budgets. Last year, BBC research found that burning household rubbish to make electricity was now the dirtiest way the UK generates power. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, predicts that the ETS could collectively cost councils up to £747m in 2028, rising to £1.1bn in Council owns the Battlefield ERF but it is operated by waste management firm site generates enough electricity to power 10,000 how much cost will be passed on to the council is unclear. But it is likely to be millions of pounds - money the council would struggle to LGA has argued that councils are not commercial operators and cannot refuse waste collections. 'Additional financial burden' Shropshire Council said the authority was assessing the cost of the proposed tax and would work with Violia to develop a strategy to reduce the impact on taxpayers."This is clearly an additional financial burden that Shropshire Council cannot afford," the authority said."The most sensible option would be to compensate councils as part of the finance settlement, though a more cost-effective option would be to not pass the costs on to local government in the first place."The expansion of the carbon tax, which currently applies to aviation and energy intensive industries, has been criticised by the County Councils organisation is calling on the government to focus instead on the industries creating fossil-based materials, such as plastic packaging, textiles, electrical items and furniture. 'Crazy behaviour by government' "Passing the cost on to councils when we're not in a position to control waste disposal to avoid incineration, or we're locked into extremely long contacts, is crazy behaviour by government," said Richard Clewer, a spokesperson for the County Councils Network and former Conservative leader of Wiltshire Council."The cost will literally push councils over the edge to bankruptcy."Almost all top-tier councils dealing with social care are facing very significant cost pressures . . . the government has got to be more thoughtful and joined up than this."The Battlefield ERF, which has been operational since 2015, burns about 100,000 tonnes of waste a year, including all of Shropshire Council's non-recyclables, plus waste from other areas, including Telford and waste has increased the tonnage of residual waste being burned at the Battlefield incinerator after a ban on scraps being put in green bins, rolled out from November when the £56 garden waste charge was all councils must provide a free weekly food waste collection by April next year. The leftover food will end up being turned into biogas rather than being government says it wants to manage waste in a way that works for communities and is fit for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said "expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include energy from waste facilities will cut emissions and drive investment in cleaner supply chains."We continue to engage with industry and local authorities on the detail of this scheme, including how costs will be managed to reflect emissions reductions and recycling efforts, and will provide further updates in due course." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
New Shropshire pothole filling team to launch within months
Shropshire Council is to launch a third in-house pothole filling team within the next few months, speeding up the process of repairing council leader Heather Kidd has made improving the state of Shropshire's roads one of her top priorities within the first 100 days in new Liberal Democrat administration said road maintenance over the past 20 years had not been good the group, which took control of the council following local elections earlier this month, admitted that the previous Conservative administration had begun the process of launching a third team. The poor state of the county's roads was an issue raised by residents across the county in the lead up to elections on 1 May."People have been complaining about potholes time and time again and often repairs have not been good quality," said Lib Dem councillor David Vasmer, the new portfolio holder for Highways and Environment at Shropshire Council."There is a huge backlog and catching up will be an enormous job." Mr Vasmer said the council was not putting a target on the number of potholes it intends to fill, but hopes residents will see "a bit of a difference" in key areas, like roundabouts and than 41,600 potholes were filled in 2023, with half being carried out within five days of being Council is funding its new team using some of the £33m it received from government last year to improve the county's road network. Council highways contractors Kier and Multivo are also part of the multi-agency effort to maintain Shropshire's 3,200 miles of contract, which has been worth about £28m a year since 2017, will end next April, following a 12-month extension. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Plans for personal use squash court in Shropshire rejected
Plans for a "personal use" squash court in a Shropshire village have been rejected by council Cadwallader has been told by Shropshire Council that using a unit at Top Farm in Woolston near West Felton would be "unsustainable development".Mr Cadwallader had already seen one application turned down on appeal on the site, and is facing enforcement action by the council to return buildings to agricultural St Oswald's councillor Joyce Barrow had asked that the application be decided by the council's planning committee, and it was supported by Mr Cadwallader's local parish council. Planners, in their latest rejection, said "provision of the squash courts and associated facilities" represented "unsustainable development."They said such developments should be focused in market towns and other key centres, adding that it would also be "incompatible with the farming activities and operations occurring in and around the squash courts."Planners said it also failed to demonstrate a functional link to the existing domestic Cadwallader's planning agent had said that the squash court was for the "personal enjoyment of the applicant" and adequate access and parking was already present on his private driveway associated with his property. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Social care focus as Lib Dems control council
A council has been formally handed over to the Liberal Democrats after 16 years of Conservative control. Shropshire Council held its first full council meeting on Thursday at the Guildhall in Shrewsbury and the Lib Dems took charge as they have 42 councillors following victory in the local elections. The Conservative group, which was previously in control ever since the council became a unitary authority in 2009, now only has seven councillors. Two-thirds of the councillors elected are new to their roles, including the 15 representing Reform UK which is the main opposition group. Heather Kidd is the council's new leader, with Alex Wagner as deputy. "We've got to have the enthusiasm and the innovation to use our offices to find ways through," Ms Kidd said. She added that the council must "not be afraid to shout at government when we need help." "That is not a [Section] 114 notice - the help we need is around funding social care." Such notices are admissions by councils that they can no longer balance the books, for example in Birmingham. Shropshire Council was given extra support earlier this year after the previous administration declared itself "unbelievably close" to bankruptcy. For the council, social care funding takes nearly four in every five pounds which the local authority spends. The care includes things like fostering children, residential care placements, homelessness and special educational needs. "It really is the big issue for the Labour government," Ms Kidd said. Duncan Borrowman, who won the Llanymynech seat, was elected chairman of the council in Thursday's meeting. He is known for being the landlord of the Bailey Head in Oswestry, which was named the Campaign for Real Ale's (Camra)'s UK pub of the year in January. "I moved to Shropshire just under 10 years ago and had given up this local government lark and now all of a sudden I find myself chairing Shropshire Council," he said. Mr Borrowman added that, as chairman, he had to be "fairly neutral" and "ensure all voices are heard". "I'm very keen that the council operates as a centre for a debating forum about the policies and not like some sort of reality TV show where people are trying to score points off each other," he added. Meanwhile, a coalition of climate and nature and anti-racism groups welcomed the councillors to their first meeting. The groups called for the new administration to use its power to tackle the climate crisis and build a more sustainable future. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council looks for way out of relief road scheme Five takeaways from Shropshire Council elections Lib Dems choose leadership team for authority Shropshire Council
