Call for information to strengthen partnerships with town and parish councils
Shropshire Council has launched an important call for information inviting town and parish councils to share their views on improving joint working arrangements, enhancing local decision-making, and exploring innovative ways to deliver services more effectively.
This initiative, which is being led by the council’s Transformation and Improvement Scrutiny Committee, aims to gather crucial insights to shape a new long-term policy for partnership working between Shropshire Council and town and parish councils.
Town and parish councils are encouraged to respond to the call for information by 18 August 2025, enabling the committee to prepare policy recommendations and facilitate cross-party discussions of the council’s future direction in this area. These will then be brought to Cabinet and Full Council later this year.
Some suggestions that can be fast-tracked may form part of a pilot scheme to demonstrate effective, quick, and simple changes.
The call for information also explores opportunities for town and parish councils to take on or share services currently run by Shropshire Council, with the aim of improving local services and potentially reducing costs. This collaborative effort will help shape budget plans for 2025 and beyond, identifying both immediate changes and more complex decisions that may require additional planning.
Councillor David Minnery, chair of the Transformation and Improvement Overview Scrutiny Committee and Councillor for Market Drayton South Division, said:
“This call for information marks a serious commitment to doing things differently. For too long, partnership working between Shropshire Council and town and parish councils has not been what it should be. That must change. We want to work more closely with them all to deliver services more effectively, support local decision-making, and rebuild trust that we know has been eroded over the years.
“The feedback we gather will help shape a new and long-term policy for joint working – one that acknowledges that no two communities are the same. What works for a sparse rural parish may not work for a large market town, and our future approach to working with communities across Shropshire must reflect that.
“However, we also want to hear about quick wins – ideas that could be trialled or implemented sooner.
“All contributions will be reviewed by the Transformation and Improvement Overview Scrutiny Committee, which I chair. We will use the views we receive to make formal recommendations to Cabinet and Full Council by the end of 2025.”
Councillor Alex Wagner, Shropshire Council’s deputy leader with responsibility for communities, added:
“As we’ve said previously, our aim is to reset our relationship with our town and parish councils so that we can work better together. This call for information is the start of that journey to forge stronger, more effective connections for the benefit of the county’s diverse communities.
“We look forward to hearing from them.”
