Three Ways Starmer Can Lose the Countryside Labour’s farm inheritance tax changes have now reached the High Court, not because anyone in Westminster suddenly discovered a conscience, but because farmers say the Government failed to consult properly before meddling with family succession. For Shropshire, where farming is woven into the county’s economy and identity, theContinue reading “The Great British Farm Tax Fudge”
Tag Archives: history
Cornovii and the Comfort Blanket Committee
Cornovii Developments Ltd is Shropshire Council’s wholly owned housing company, set up in 2019 amid talk of housebuilding, quality control and financial return. It was presented as a bold instrument of delivery and a sensible bit of municipal enterprise. It has since acquired the more familiar local-government aroma of opacity, mission drift and soothing quarterlyContinue reading “Cornovii and the Comfort Blanket Committee”
Which Hat will Your Councillor Wear Today?
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?”
Transparency at the Local Council
Now With Added Devolution, Fewer Services, and Even Less Memory Local councils are, we are endlessly assured, champions of transparency. This is said often, confidently, and usually just after something significant has happened without anyone quite noticing. Transparency, in the modern council sense, does not mean visibility. That would invite questions. Instead, it means thatContinue reading “Transparency at the Local Council”
Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy: How to Look Solvent While Running Out of Road
The Calm Voice at the Edge of the Cliff There is a particular tone councils adopt when the numbers stop adding up. It is not panic.It is not honesty.It is reassurance. Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy for 2026–31 is written in that tone. Calm. Managerial. Responsible. The kind of document that wants you to feel thatContinue reading “Shropshire Council’s Financial Strategy: How to Look Solvent While Running Out of Road”
£195 Million, No One Responsible: How Shropshire Council Learned to Forget
Yesterday, Shropshire Council finally said the number out loud. £195 million. A four-year funding gap so large it should have triggered resignations, emergency scrutiny, and a public explanation of who authorised what. Instead, residents were offered spreadsheets, inevitability, and silence. Still no meaningful mention of Cornovii Developments Ltd.Still no ownership.Still no accountability. Then came theContinue reading “£195 Million, No One Responsible: How Shropshire Council Learned to Forget”
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”
WHY SCRAPPING THE PCC WON’T SAVE US
There comes a moment in every great British farce when you realise the people in charge are no longer even pretending to steer the ship — they’re simply rearranging the deckchairs and congratulating each other on their boldness. That moment arrived the second Westminster announced its latest stroke of governance genius: abolish the one electedContinue reading “WHY SCRAPPING THE PCC WON’T SAVE US”
THE INVISIBLE HAND THAT BUILDS SHROPSHIRE (AND IT ISN’T THE COUNCIL)
There’s a strange rumour doing the rounds in Shropshire’s housing circles:“Homes England has taken over Wrekin Housing Group.” Now, this is only partly true — but the truth it reveals is far more interesting than the rumour itself. Because once you dig beneath the polite announcements and the PR gloss, a picture emerges that’s lessContinue reading “THE INVISIBLE HAND THAT BUILDS SHROPSHIRE (AND IT ISN’T THE COUNCIL)”
THE £37 MILLION CIL QUESTION
THE GREAT SHROPSHIRE CIL SWINDLE (ALLEGEDLY, BUT YOU KNOW…) You’ve hopefully had a good chuckle during The Elephant in the Room series — the vanishing FOIs, the disappearing councillors, the council-owned companies that behave like Russian dolls with a drinking problem. But now, dear reader, the humour gives way to the hard questions. Because behindContinue reading “THE £37 MILLION CIL QUESTION”