O woe, woe,
People are born and die,
We also shall be dead pretty soon
Therefore let us act as if we were dead already (Ode to Shropshire Council)
Housman
Introduction
For decades, Shropshire Council has been a stronghold of Conservative control, promising fiscal prudence and efficient governance. Yet, reality tells a different story: spiralling deficits, crumbling public services, and millions poured into vanity projects that have delivered little more than empty promises. As Shropshire prepares for the 2025 elections, the time has come for a reckoning—or at the very least, an intervention.
The Conservative Legacy: Waste, Deficits, and Decline
A defining example of this financial mismanagement is the North West Relief Road (NWRR) project—a supposed solution to congestion that has instead become a bottomless pit for taxpayers’ money. With over £40 million already squandered on planning alone and an estimated final cost ballooning from £87 million to £215 million, the project is less of a relief and more of a never-ending headache.
Meanwhile, Shropshire’s roads resemble a post-apocalyptic obstacle course, with potholes large enough to hold public meetings in. The council’s response? Spend millions on a road that doesn’t exist while ignoring the ones that do. Priorities, eh?
Public Services in Crisis: A Masterclass in Neglect
Shropshire’s social care system is another casualty of mismanagement. Despite receiving a significant chunk of the budget, services have been stretched to breaking point. Longer waiting times, dwindling staff levels, and deteriorating conditions have left vulnerable residents playing a cruel game of ‘survival of the fittest’—except, of course, that’s not how social care is supposed to work.
And while services are slashed, the council has been busy making “strategic investments” (translation: financial sinkholes). Their biggest gamble? Buying up three shopping centres for £51 million, now worth just £12.35 million. That’s right—if the council were contestants on The Apprentice, they’d have been fired before the first tea break.
The Housing and Economic Development Disaster: If You Build It… Where’s the Infrastructure?
The council’s approach to housing is akin to throwing darts at a board blindfolded. New developments are rubber-stamped without any thought for essential infrastructure like roads, schools, or healthcare services. It’s a bit like inviting thousands of people to a party without checking if you have enough chairs, food, or, well, a house to host it in.
Meanwhile, Shropshire’s economy has been left floundering under the weight of disastrous commercial investments. Ever heard of the shopping centre fiasco? The council certainly wishes you hadn’t. These losses could have been redirected into meaningful projects, but instead, they serve as a monument to poor decision-making.
Will it be any different with the Liberal Democrats in control?
Ah, the Liberal Democrats—the party that campaigns as the sensible, centrist alternative but exerts control with all the steely resolve of a malfunctioning satnav—constantly recalculating, invariably wrong, and somehow convinced it’s leading us somewhere important.
Let us look at Liberal Democrat recent history. And fortunately due to the wonders of technology: we can.
The Liberal Democrats’ time in government from 2010 to 2015 with the Conservatives is a goldmine of political U-turns and questionable decision-making. Here are some of their biggest blunders:
Tuition Fees: The Ultimate Betrayal
Before the 2010 election, the Lib Dems made a big, loud promise—they swore to oppose any rise in university tuition fees. Every one of their MPs, including leader Nick Clegg, signed a pledge saying they’d fight against an increase.
But once they got into government, they did the complete opposite—voting to triple tuition fees to £9,000 a year. The result? Students were furious, protests erupted, and the party’s credibility took a nosedive. This betrayal still haunts them today.
Electoral Reform: A Big Fat Failure
The Lib Dems have always wanted to change the voting system so smaller parties like them get more seats. In 2011, they pushed for a public vote on switching to the Alternative Vote (AV) system.
The problem? They ran a terrible campaign, failed to convince people, and got crushed in the referendum. It was a major embarrassment and showed how weak they were at getting things done in government.
House of Lords Reform: Another Broken Promise
One of their biggest demands when joining the coalition was reforming the House of Lords to make it elected rather than full of unelected lords. They got a promise from the Tories that it would happen.
Spoiler alert—it didn’t. The plan collapsed when Conservative MPs turned against it, and the Lib Dems were powerless to stop it. It was yet another sign that they couldn’t even deliver on their most important issues.
The Bedroom Tax: First They Backed It, Then They Opposed It
The government introduced what became known as the Bedroom Tax—cutting housing benefit for people in social housing who had spare bedrooms. The Lib Dems supported it at first, voting for the policy.
But when the public turned against it, they suddenly changed their minds, saying it needed to be scrapped. It was a classic example of political cowardice—first helping to pass a deeply unpopular law, then pretending they were against it all along.
The “Snooper’s Charter”: Flip-Flopping on Civil Liberties
The Conservatives wanted new powers to increase surveillance on people’s internet activity. The Lib Dems blocked it at first, saying it was an attack on civil liberties.
But later on, when a similar law was introduced, they went quiet, failing to properly fight against it. Once again, they talked a big game but ultimately let things slide when it mattered.
The 2015 Election: The Public’s Verdict
After five years in government, the public delivered their judgement—and it was brutal. The Lib Dems went from 57 MPs down to just 8. It was one of the worst wipeouts in modern political history, proving that voters saw them as untrustworthy and weak.
Conclusion
The Lib Dems loved being in government, but they didn’t know how to handle it. They broke promises, failed to stand up for their policies, and got walked over by the Conservatives time and time again.
When they weren’t betraying their voters, they were being completely ignored. In the end, they got what they deserved—a crushing defeat and a long, slow decline ever since.
In theory, their policies aim to balance the books while reinvesting in public services. In practice, history suggests something quite different. Where they’ve taken control elsewhere, councils have been riddled with endless reviews, increased taxes, and indecision so profound it makes the pothole problem look like a minor inconvenience.
It’s the political equivalent of trying to fix a crumbling house by hiring a decorator instead of a structural engineer. Will they cancel wasteful projects? Maybe. Will they replace them with more studies and commissions that never go anywhere? Almost certainly.
So, if the Conservatives are the reckless gamblers of local governance, the Liberal Democrats are the ones who spend months debating whether or not to even enter the casino.
An Alternative Path: Reforming Shropshire’s Governance
With the 2025 elections on the horizon, voters have a choice: continue funding absurd projects that serve no one, or demand a council that can manage a budget better than a university fresher on their first student loan.
By cancelling the NWRR and conducting independent audits of all major expenditures, the county could reclaim millions in wasted funds. A commitment to participatory budgeting would put power back in the hands of residents, ensuring that every pound is spent in alignment with public needs rather than political whims.
Conclusion: The Time for Change is Now
Shropshire cannot afford another decade of financial incompetence. The evidence is clear – years of Conservative rule have left the county in fiscal chaos. The ring road that goes nowhere, the shopping centres that lost millions, the potholes deep enough to store Shropshire’s missing budget—all of it paints a grim picture of mismanagement. Will the Liberal Democrats do any better; I suspect not.
In 2025, voters have the opportunity to demand common sense, accountability, and governance that works for them, not against them. The question is: will they take it?
Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget;
For we are the people of England, that never have spoken yet.
There is many a fat farmer that drinks less cheerfully,
There is many a free French peasant who is richer and sadder than we.
There are no folk in the whole world so helpless or so wise.
There is hunger in our bellies, there is laughter in our eyes;
You laugh at us and love us, both mugs and eyes are wet:
Only you do not know us. For we have not spoken yet.
The Secret People Poem, by Gilbert Keith Chesterton
The Alternative Council 