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: writing
The Cornovii Web: Public Risk, Private Control
Architects Gone, Liabilities Remain There comes a point in any local controversy where the reader stops nodding politely and starts checking whether the page is upside down. This is that point. Because once the structure is laid out in full, even the most charitable observer is entitled to pause, rub their eyes, and say:“That can’tContinue reading “The Cornovii Web: Public Risk, Private Control”
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”
Abolish Shropshire Council
It Didn’t Fail. It Worked — Just Not for You Shropshire Council was sold as progress in 2009 One council.One vision.One streamlined authority delivering better services for less money. What we got instead was something far more efficient: a system that concentrates power, disperses blame, and exports failure. Let’s stop pretending this is a glitchContinue reading “Abolish Shropshire Council”
Cowards of the County: Planning by Fear, Silence by Design
This Is What Cowardice Looks Like There is a new planning doctrine stalking Shropshire. It is not written down. It has not been voted on. It comes with no consultation, no mandate, and no courage. It is called Pre‑Emptive Surrender. Its guiding principle is simple: if a developer might win an appeal, fold early, avoidContinue reading “Cowards of the County: Planning by Fear, Silence by Design”
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”
COWARDS OF THE COUNTY
How Shropshire’s Officers Lost the Plot, the Councillors Lost Their Nerve, and the Taxpayer Lost Everything Else There comes a point in every county’s slow slide into farce when you realise the people running the show are not merely incompetent — they’re proud of it. That point, in Shropshire, arrived some time between: 1. ShropshireContinue reading “COWARDS OF THE COUNTY”
Commissioner Watch (2): The Commissioner’s Purse
If money talks, then in West Mercia it positively shouts. The Police and Crime Commissioner’s office costs a fortune — and for what? Let’s count the purse strings. The Quarter-Million Pound Question Here’s the top of the food chain — the first dip into your council tax purse: • Gareth Boulton – Chief Executive –Continue reading “Commissioner Watch (2): The Commissioner’s Purse”
Smithfield Hotel: 22 Beds, One Big Red Flag
Once upon a pandemic, the government—bless their optimistic hearts—decided that handing out billions in Bounce Back Loans on the basis of nothing more than good intentions and a mildly convincing email address was a fine idea. And lo! A thousand pop-up “businesses” were born, many with names as imaginative as “ABC 2020 Ltd” or—wait forContinue reading “Smithfield Hotel: 22 Beds, One Big Red Flag”
Oswestry for Lease
How the Lib Dems Turned a Market Town into a Migrant Hostel Once upon a time, Oswestry was a market town—now it’s a market brand, traded like a cheap stock among absentee landlords and watched over by a Liberal Democrat hierarchy so detached you’d think they were governing by astral projection. We used to beContinue reading “Oswestry for Lease”
The Alternative Council 