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4th May 2024

Following an overwhelming response in March, this highly successful grant scheme will open again for applications on 7 May 2024.

The UKSPF Small Business Grant Scheme offers grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 to purchase new equipment or make improvements to business premises.

Gary Spence, Shropshire Council’s external funding and technical lead officer in the business growth and investment team, said:

“Since we first launched the scheme, we’ve received nearly 80 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for grants, and 61 of those were asked to submit a full application.

“We must adhere to a rigorous and robust selection process because we are delivering public funding, but our aim is to help as many Shropshire businesses as possible.

“Applications have come from a wide range of small businesses with a diverse range of requests. For example, among other things, we have funded a swimming pool hoist for a tourism company, a heat press for a workwear company, agility equipment for dogs and helped towards improvements to a café.”

Businesses from one to 49 employees can apply for a grant if their business is physically located in the Shropshire Council local authority area.

Applicants will need to demonstrate how the grant will help them create new employment opportunities, or develop new products, processes, or services within their business. They will also be expected to match-fund the amount of grant applied for by at least 50% of the total investment.

All applicants will need to complete a simple online Expression of Interest (EOI) form which will go forward for assessment. Projects successfully passing this initial stage will then be invited to submit a full application

https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2024/05/applications-for-the-ukspf-sm...

27th April 2024

Clubs, Societies and Weekly Activities

26th April 2024

Shropshire Council has begun an important public consultation regarding the emerging Local Plan for the county.

When adopted, the draft Shropshire Local Plan will set the overall growth strategy for the county to 2038, and will provide the policy framework for how the council takes decisions on planning applications.

Shropshire Council submitted the draft Local Plan for examination in September 2021, and public hearings, led by appointed planning inspectors, were held in 2022 and 2023.

This consultation, which runs until 11 June 2024, focuses on a number of new documents the council has been asked to prepare by the appointed examining inspectors following the publication of their Interim Findings in February 2023.

The documents Shropshire Council is now inviting comment on are:

  • an updated Sustainability Appraisal.
  • new topic papers relating to housing and employment land requirements and matters relating to the proposed release of some Green Belt land.
  • a proposed new policy relating to how the housing needs of older people and those with disabilities and special needs will be met.

As part of these documents, and having assessed a number of options, the council is proposing an increase to both the overall housing and employment requirements for the county to 2038, but that no new site allocations are required in order to deliver this proposed increase.

The consultation documents and other information relating to the consultation, including how to respond, can be found on the Shropshire Council website.

21st April 2024

Shropshire Council has now launched a consultation into the future of the School Library Service, with schools and members of the public invited to share their thoughts. In Shropshire, the School Library Service (SLS) operates as a traded service, which schools can buy into, and around 65% of schools in Shropshire choose to do so. Schools that subscribe to the service can borrow books and artefacts relating to school topics and receive training for staff and pupil librarians. Schools can use the service to supplement their own stocks of books and resources. Schools receive funding provided directly through central Government grants to ensure children and young people have access to books and other suitable education materials necessary to support the curriculum. SLS does not sell books to schools, and schools run their own libraries independently. 35% of Shropshire schools choose not to use the service, using alternatives already. The service has been operating at a loss for the last two financial years and the council cannot continue to fund any future deficits by SLS. Any future service, if retained, would require more schools to subscribe to the service and to pay more. Like many other councils, we face a very challenging financial position and must find £62m of savings this year. This is due to ever rising demand for social care, which now accounts for almost £4 in every £5 the council spends, and rising costs from continuing high levels of inflation. This means we now have some very difficult decisions to make, including reducing some services, particularly non-statutory ones. In some cases, this means stopping services altogether. SLS is one such service that councils do not have to provide by law and which many other councils have already stopped operating. The scale of the financial challenge the council faces means there will be many decisions that we have never wanted to make, so that we can continue to prioritise statutory services that support the most vulnerable people. As part of the council’s savings plans, we propose to stop the SLS from the autumn if no other solution can be found. We have invited schools to respond to a consultation to capture ideas, including whether they would be willing to pay more for the service, or start using the service if they don’t already, to make it financially viable for the future. Families and the public are also able to respond to a survey to share their thoughts on the plans. All possible options to continue the service will be explored and we welcome all suggestions.

Members of the public can share their feedback here: https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/school-library-service/ Consultation closes on 7 June 2024.

16th April 2024

Anyone voting at a polling station will need to show photo ID before they can be given their ballot paper. It’s important that everyone understands what types of ID they can use, and how to apply for free ID if they need it.

Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport or drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online at www.voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ or by completing a paper form.

The full list of accepted ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, along with more information about the new requirement and details of how to apply for the free ID, at electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID.

To apply for the Voter Authority Certificate, voters will need to provide a photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance number. The deadline to apply is 24 April.

If you have any questions please email our elections team – elections@shropshire.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Andy Begley

Shropshire Council chief executive and local Shropshire returning officer