The county’s town and parish councils are set to tell Shropshire Council what needs to change to improve how they work together.
Over the summer, all will be asked to say how they want to see their partnership with Shropshire Council improve, their experience of working with Shropshire and what they think the council can do better.
This call for information from town and parish councils is expected to be led by the council’s Transformation and Improvement Scrutiny Committee, subject to the committee’s agreement.
If backed, Chair David Minnery would start surveying all partner councils during June and bring recommendations back to Cabinet later in the year.
Suggestions from town and parishes which could be fast-tracked would form part of a pilot scheme to show how changes between the councils can be made quickly and simply.
Councillors Alex Wagner and David Minnery
The survey will also find out if there are services run by Shropshire Council which town and parishes wish to take on or share, helping to improve local services and wherever possible cut costs.
This will help identify any changes that may require budget plans for during 2025 or for more complex decisions, that may need more time over the next financial year.
If the council’s Transformation and Improvement Scrutiny back the proposals, town and parish councils’ responses would be needed by mid-August. A summary of their feedback and any recommendations would then go back to councillors in September.
Councillor David Minnery, said:
“The role of Overview and Scrutiny at Shropshire Council is refocusing on what it should be doing, which is information gathering and evaluating on behalf of Cabinet to enable sound, workable policy change to happen.
“As Chair I am delighted to be asked to undertake this important piece of work aimed at supporting the delivery of this major priority for the new council Administration. Subject to agreement from my committee colleagues, I’m looking forward to working with SALC and other partners to help bring this to fruition later in the year.”
Councillor Alex Wagner, Shropshire Council’s deputy leader with responsibility for communities, added:
“One of the new council’s key commitments in our first 100 days is to start to reset how we work with town and parishes, who like us, work for the good of their communities.
“We have to rebuild trust. The first step will be to listen, put things right where we can and reset the relationship so we are all working together for the people we represent.
“This is not about just splitting costs, it’s about getting the best value for our residents by truly working together.”
