Latest news with #ShropshireCouncil
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Promised £4m funding for Whitchurch Civic Centre not found
Money that was supposed to be set aside to bring Whitchurch Civic Centre back into use has not been identified, Shropshire Council has centre has been closed since September 2023 after it was discovered to have used potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).In February, when the authority was run by the Conservatives, its cabinet agreed to commit up to £4m within its capital strategy towards the repair or rebuilding of the centre. But the council's current administration, run by the Liberal Democrats, confirmed that no funding was identified and put into the capital programme. The BBC has contacted the Conservatives for funding was due to be used to rebuild and redevelop the site or create a new roof for the centre, depending on whether or not government or external funding could be council said the likely aspiration was to redevelop the site and create a new, modern, fit-for-purpose and energy-efficient building. This was emerging as the preferred option, said the council, as opposed to replacing just the roof. 'Left in limbo' Andy Hall, who is both a Shropshire and Whitchurch town councillor, said he was "extremely disappointed" that the people in the town had been"hoodwinked into believing £4m had been set aside from the Conservative administration"."Money was set aside for this but it doesn't exist," said Hall."It leaves us in limbo until we have a finance meeting and identify where the money can come from."The North Shropshire Conservative Association has been contacted for Evans, the council's cabinet member for finance said: "I understand the expectation and the need for Whitchurch to have a functioning civic centre and promise that we will continue to discuss and share future plans".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.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Ludlow youth centre remains closed months after crash
A council has said a town's youth centre remains closed, three months after a lorry crashed into HGV crashed into parked vehicles, a railway bridge and the youth club building in Ludlow in the early hours of 28 Council, which owns the building, said it was awaiting further information regarding the repair and rebuild works for the of the community and family hub services held there were moved to Helena Lane Community Centre. "We are currently awaiting approval to extend Helena Lane's opening hours, which will allow us to relocate the remaining evening sessions," the authority club services, run by the Shropshire Youth Association (SYA), were suspended after the crash, but were looking to restart sessions at Helena Lane in September. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Powys County Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Plans for dozens of homes beside canal in Llanymynech
Dozens of new homes could be built in a village near Oswestry under newly-revealed plans. Bradford Rural Estates has revealed the plans for 48 homes on agricultural land in Llanymynech, in the north east of the village beyond Barley Meadows, which in turn lies off Station Road. The site is between an old coal yard, the Montgomery Canal, and the existing village. It was put forward for development through the council's call for sites to be developed as part of the current review of Shropshire's Local Plan. The application submitted this month is an outline application indicating the site would accommodate 48 properties, which is fewer than the 60 which had been put forward during a pre-application consultation in the village. Should the plan be backed by Shropshire Council, the developers would then need to come back with detailed proposals for the site. A planning statement put forward with the plans by agent Berrys reads: "The masterplan proposal has been developed significantly following the pre application submission. "At the time of the pre-application submission a layout was provided indicating a development of up to 60 dwellings. "Following feedback received from Council officers at the pre-application stage and having regard to the technical constraints and policy requirements of the site, a revised indicative layout has been provided as part of this application submission which illustrates the provision of 48 dwellings." The planning statement also notes the current lack of an updated Local Plan in Shropshire after a review by Government inspectors led to the current plan being withdrawn this week, but says the proposal fits national planning policies. A design and access statement also provided adds: "We envisage that the proposed development will be no higher than two storeys to match the scale of the surrounding residential developments." The developers also say they would provide a play area for children aged four to eight. The statement adds that hedgerows and trees around the site are intended to be kept where possible, and replace those that are lost. An indicative layout plan provided with the application shows that it would connect to the existing cul-de-sac at Barley Meadows, and would be separated from the canal by at least 10 metres to allow for the legal boundaries of a sewage pipe which runs alongside the waterway. The plans also include a strip of land connecting the planned homes with the nearby "recreation areas" - which include the village hall, playground and bowling club, which are all nearby. The application is due to be decided by October 6.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Shropshire Council sees increase in whistleblowing reports
There has been an increase in the number of whistleblowing reports made to Shropshire Council, a committee meeting has 2024-25, the authority received 28 reports compared with 23 the previous year. Whistleblowing provides a process for concerns to be raised in relation to work such as fraud, adult or child protection, or harassment and bullying majority of the reports in 2024-25 were received by email, with the most common theme being staffing. No cases were referred to an external third party. Other themes included council tax, non-domestic rates, safeguarding, tenancy fraud, theft or fraud, and planning or building these reports, 10 resulted in management action, with seven having "no case to answer", while 10 are ongoing and one has been listed as "not-applicable".Speaking at Shropshire Council's audit committee, Councillor Malcolm Myles-Hook asked what was going to change to bring the numbers down next year, and if members had learned the outcome of director James Walton said the council did not report what the management actions were, and they could be from "very minor to quite major"."There is an argument of whether more whistleblowing is good or not," he told the committee."It's about accessibility. If lots of people blow the whistle and no action is taken as a result of it, then there's something wrong. All we can do is report what it is."What we don't want going out is 'if you blow the whistle in some way, you're going to be identified'." Councillor Duncan Kerr, who was chairing the meeting, said that members needed to have some information about what the outcome was, "otherwise what's the point in having a policy?"He also asked if there could be an investigation into whether a call handling company could be used to handle reports over the phone, and if there could be some clarification to staff about what the policy was. That was approved by Councillor Kerr confirmed that in 2024-25, there were no whistleblowing reports related to the North West Relief Road. 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.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Scaffolding installed to make derelict Wem pub safe
Scaffolding has been installed on a building that a council says is causing "blight" to a town White Horse Hotel in Wem was bought by Shropshire Council in 2023 after standing derelict for a number of years.A conditions and options assessment for the building identified movement in part of the rear of the building, caused by a longstanding authority said the side alley would open to pedestrians after the scaffolding has been installed, which will make the building safe. "This is a long-standing problem building in Wem that residents have been concerned about for many years," said Roger Evans, cabinet member for finance."The council is now looking for a long-term solution for it, and this latest work to put scaffolding in place is part of us ensuring it remains safe and the public is protected."Alan Holford, councillor for Wem, added: "Councillors are working with officers to explore funding opportunities for a scheme to repurpose this listed building and bring it back into use.""We'd also like to thank residents for attending the engagement event in the library back in March and providing their views on the options that our architects have proposed." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
