Dear All
We have had a busy month as Unitary Councillors.
Training
All 15 mandatory councillor training courses have been completed by both of us.
Parish Council Meetings
We have attended most of the Parish Council meetings. Any issues that have been brought to our attention have been taken forward.
Cleobury Mortimer Farmers Market
We have attended the Farmers market alongside the Town Council, so that we are available to meet with local people to discuss any concerns they have. There were a few issues, one being the 292 change of bus route, another was the Cleobury Country Centre service contract, also the wall to the rear of the Talbot carpark.
292 bus route
This service operates from Ludlow to Kidderminster via Cleobury Mortimer. In April 2025 Diamond Buses amended the timetable to include new areas at the request of Worcestershire County Council. The number of journeys remained unchanged, the pick-up and drop off times in Shropshire were slightly adjusted to accommodate these changes. This has been reported to Shropshire County Council who have contacted Worcestershire County Council and we are still waiting to hear from them.
Wall Behind Talbot carpark
The wall behind the Talbot car park has a serious crack in the brickwork. This has been reported and Peter Gould – Bridges and Structures Engineer Highways has been back in touch to say that someone from the council is going to do a “special inspection”.
Cleobury Town Council
I had a meeting with Dorothy, Clerk of Cleobury Town Council to inform myself of local issues which I found very helpful, and I thank her very much for being so kind in helping me to understand the problems being experienced.
Cleobury Manor House
I enquired to see if the owners of the Manor House pay their council tax and the reply I had was that this information is not available to me because of confidentiality.
Neen Savage Roadworks
Happy to report finally about the road between Picklebatch to Stonehouse crossroads. We have been assured, and I quote ”currently the road works are scheduled to be completed by 28th November 2025.”
Clee Hill Common
We both attended a meeting with a representative from the local farmers about the speed across the common. There have been several accidents where sheep have been killed. It was agreed to monitor the situation in the first instance.
Full Council Meeting Shrewsbury
We both attended the Full Council Meeting on 17th July. The main issue was that of the Biochar and carbon plant in Ludlow. 15 members voted against. The Ludlow councillor abstained along with another 2 members. The remainder voted for spending another 1.3 million pounds on top of the already 2 million pounds to continue. It was quite a heated meeting.
Cleobury Country Centre
A very informative meeting was held with Simon and Clare about the service contract or rather lack of it for the Cleobury Country Centre. I have written to Rawden Parslow, Principal – Library Operations and development, with the help and knowledge of both Simon and Clare to request a service contract which will hopefully take account of the cost of wage increases, national insurance, and utility expenses all having risen. I am yet to hear a response. Having worked myself in a library for some 18 years, I appreciate how important this venue is to the local people, both young and old. This is a very valuable community resource.
Cleobury Primary School
I have had conversations re the proposed fence to the primary school. Unfortunately I could not attend the meeting at the church, but I believe it was overwhelmingly in favour of not having a fence.
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is beginning a review of how responsibilities and relationships are shared between town and parish councils and the unitary authority. This aims to generate stronger partnership working and clarify how best to collaborate for the benefit of our communities.
Your input is always appreciated -please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any concerns or suggestions. If you need support or would like to raise something with us, we can be reached on:
Pamela.davies@shropshire.gov.uk
David.davies@shropshire.gov.uk
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