Or, how firmly are they clinging to the generous, multi-pocketed teat of Shropshire Council? In Shropshire, a notable number of councillors are proud owners of not one, but two hats. Because why settle for representing the county when you can also represent the village green, the high street, and occasionally what appears suspiciously close toContinue reading “Which Hat will Your Councillor Wear Today?”
Tag Archives: books
Before Cabinet Meets: Three Questions Shropshire Councillors Ought to Ask Tomorrow
Buried quietly on the Council website, published days before a Cabinet meeting and largely unread by the public, sit two documents that matter more than almost anything else Shropshire Council will consider this year: • The Draft Medium Term Financial Plan 2026/27–2030/31• The accompanying Capital Strategy These are not background papers.They are the blueprint. OnceContinue reading “Before Cabinet Meets: Three Questions Shropshire Councillors Ought to Ask Tomorrow”
Cowards of the County: They Broke It, You’re Paying
Localism, Lies – and the Great Parish Bill Shropshire Council has perfected a simple, cowardly trick: when something costs money, it stops paying for it and pushes the bill onto someone smaller. Then it smiles, calls it *localism*, and waits for parish councils to take the anger. This is not devolution, reform, or community empowerment.Continue reading “Cowards of the County: They Broke It, You’re Paying”
Cornovii: Behind Closed Doors
Transparency? Not under this council’s watch It began, as all grand civic delusions do, with a glossy brochure, a slogan, and a promise too good to question. Cornovii was to be Shropshire Council’s redemption — a home-building miracle that would prove local government could outwit the private sector. What it became instead was a textbookContinue reading “Cornovii: Behind Closed Doors”
Oswestry: Where Accountability Goes to Melt
The Great Oswestry Giveaway: When Scrutiny Left the Building In Oswestry, transparency isn’t so much a policy as a parlour trick. Ask a question, and the Council disappears behind the curtain in a puff of procedural smoke. Take my own letter to the Mayor, dated 7 October 2025, Letter to Mayor setting out very realContinue reading “Oswestry: Where Accountability Goes to Melt”
Commissioner Watch (3): The Complaints Carousel
Picture this: you’ve been wronged. You summon the courage to complain. You expect justice, or at least daylight. Instead, you’re ushered onto a fairground ride — the Complaints Carousel. It goes round and round, operated by the very people you’re complaining about, while a man in a hi-viz jacket assures you this is accountability. WelcomeContinue reading “Commissioner Watch (3): The Complaints Carousel”
Oswestry for Rent: 22 Rooms and No Shame
Sold Out by the Lib DemsOswestry for Rent: 22 Rooms and No ShameIs this town now the HMO Capital of Shropshire? There was a time—quaint and barely remembered—when The Smithfield Hotel in Oswestry offered weary travellers a soft pillow and a cooked breakfast. Now? It’s about to offer 22 lockable doors, each one a taxpayer-fundedContinue reading “Oswestry for Rent: 22 Rooms and No Shame”
Fireworks at the Guildhall
Transparency, Accountability and Democracy I’ll be stepping away from my usual ironic style for this post. The subject is too important for irony or levity. This is about Democracy, Transparency, and Accountability—principles you we are rapidly losing in this country. When Fireworks Become a Smoke Screen for Civic Evasion There’s something symbolically perfect about fireworks.Continue reading “Fireworks at the Guildhall”
The Alternative Council 