Shropshire Council welcomes feedback on a draft Community and Rural Strategy

Shropshire Council is inviting feedback on a draft strategy designed to reflect the rural nature of our county, and to set out shared priorities for the future.

In the summer of 2019 Shropshire Council started work with a range of partner organisations to develop an evidence base and identify shared priorities. Workshops were held with town councils, parish councils, councillors, voluntary and community sector groups and organisations and Shropshire Business Board to consider the issues most important to our local communities. The data, information and feedback obtained from across the county has been used to inform the draft Community and Rural Strategy.

Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for communities, place planning and regulatory services said:

“The draft strategy proposes a model where Shropshire Council will be an enabler, either through delivering projects and initiatives itself, or through finding the best way that it can assist local areas to deliver their own actions in their communities. The draft strategy provides an opportunity to refresh how the council and local areas work together.

“Since starting work on the strategy, Shropshire has seen significant flooding and the coronavirus pandemic. These events have had considerable social and economic impacts, but they have also highlighted how effectively local communities have responded to provide the right type of support and services where they are most needed across the county.

“Our key outcome focus will be around our priorities contained in the strategy. How these will be delivered will alter in each place dependent on need. Inclusivity across the whole county is the key message, whether rural or urban or whatever your community may be.”

The draft Community and Rural Strategy is a high-level framework strategy. It highlights many of the priorities that will be built into other local strategies and delivery plans (for example, Shropshire Council’s developing Leisure Strategy and draft Cultural Strategy).

This consultation is open for 8 weeks and is due to close on Sunday 6 December. The consultation aims to build on the engagement work undertaken to date, and allow the public and a wider range of local stakeholders to comment on the draft document.

All feedback will be considered, and any changes proposed, to allow a final document to be formally agreed by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet in early 2021.

Feedback will be collected through a survey or email/post. You can find out more about how to have your say here:

https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/community-and-rural-strategy-2020/