Annual Report 07/08: Overview and Review of the Year

Overview

About the district and the District Council

North Shropshire

North Shropshire is a large, sparsely populated district, located in the north east of Shropshire. It shares borders with Cheshire, Staffordshire, and the boroughs of Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Telford and Wrekin and Wrexham. There is a population of just over 59,500 in an area of 262 square miles. Half of the population lives in the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, the other half in the rural hinterland.

North Shropshire District Council

In May 2007, 40 local people were elected to become councillors and to represent the people of North Shropshire. Meetings of the Council are used to make the important decisions concerning the services we provide, when and how we spend our money.

The current Council is made up of:

• 26 councillors in a Conservative group
• 12 councillors in an Independent group (one of whom stood for election as a Liberal Democrat)
• 2 councillors in a Labour group.

Review of the year

April 2007

We started the year with praise from the Audit Commission who declared us the most improved district council. Auditors also said that residents were getting better value for money from the Council. It was a great month for business in North Shropshire with the launch of our business grant scheme offering grants of up to £5,000 per organisation to support investment in local enterprise.

May 2007

May saw a new Council being elected. For the first time in the Council's history a single political group (the Conservative Party) took overall control. The new administration's manifesto declares the Party is committed to promoting the principles of one planet living.

June 2007

The first district youth summit was held at Hawkstone Park giving council staff and councillors the chance to listen to the views of young people on what the council should be doing. The Council working with local partners successfully obtained a grant of £200,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to support play projects. Young people from across the district played a huge part in the successful Shropshire Youth Games held at RAF Cosford.

July 2007

We learned that the proposal to re-organise local government to create one council for Shropshire had been accepted and committed the Council to working towards a smooth transition. The new Council will come in to being in April 2009.  The Council signed a landmark deal to transfer its housing to Meres and Mosses Housing Association in a deal which will see huge investment in tenants properties and an increase in affordable housing.

August 2007

Local residents were encouraged to give their views on Council services as part of the annual survey the Council undertakes. Satisfaction with council services had increased once again. The Council ran a series of activities to keep young people active and occupied during the summer break and provided transport to ensure those in the more rural areas were not disadvantaged.

September 2007

The award of a grant to Tension Control Bolts in Whitchurch brought to £100,000 the amount of money invested through the Business Grant Scheme. As a direct result of this £100,000 of private investment has been brought in to the economy and 64 jobs have been created. The Council began inviting people to apply for the new national bus pass. The North Shropshire scheme has several enhancements beyond the normal offering with no time restrictions and the ability to travel into Wales on some routes.

October 2007

The government gave a big vote of confidence in the Council by formally ending the supervision (called Engagement) that the Council had been subject to since 2004. Council inspections proved that the district streets were amongst the cleanest in the country. The Council thorough the Shropshire Waste Partnership entered into an ambitious deal to link waste and recycling collection with disposal. Veolia has now been charged with continuing to increase recycling across almost all of Shropshire.

November 2007

The Council's annual budget consultation exercise "Worth the Tax?" visited a range of locations across the district learning more about the priorities of local people. The first of a series of roadshows letting people know about housing, benefits and homelessness took place in Market Drayton.

December 2007

The Council organised a national pilot project with the Post Office. Information about crime levels appeared on post office vans, post boxes and in post offices across the district. The campaign aimed to remind people that North Shropshire is a very low crime area and the scheme was so successful it is being rolled out nationally. The Council's successful puddle duck walk for toddlers and their parents added carol singing to their usual activities.

January 2008

For the very first time local residents could view planning applications on-line at any time of the day or night as the Council launched its e-planning service. On a more sombre note the Dog Warden received an unusually high number of calls over the Christmas period and national research suggested this was a general trend across the country. Sophie Wojda, a sixth form student at Sir John Talbot's Technology College designed a winning birthday card which will be sent to North Shropshire residents as they turn 18. She won an ipod.

February 2008

The Audit Commission confirmed what North Shropshire residents already know: that they are served by a Good Council. In 2004, 233 of the 238 district councils had been rated higher now only 41 are. The Boundary Committee began a consultation on the electoral arrangements for the one council for Shropshire. The Council had to respond to emergencies in Market Drayton where earthquake damage threatened public safety and Grinshill where a very protracted power failure led to concerns for residents' welfare.

March 2008

North Shropshire District Council used its efficiency drive to deliver a 0% increase in Council Tax. The social event of the year: the Chairman's Ball went with a swing and the annual State of the District debate found that huge strides had been taken to improve the quality of life for communities across the district. The early Easter kept our leisure staff busy with football coaching, roller discos and other schemes to get people out and exercising.

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