Today marks a watershed of sorts in Shropshire Council’s recovery journey. 12 months into running the council, the Lib Dem administration has agreed to a minor reshuffle and realignment of portfolios to tighten the focus on our priorities. Shropshire Council also announced that the interim Chief Executive had been appointed to the permanent role following a rigorous interview process. Today is the most confident I have felt about the future of Shropshire Council since last year’s election – there have been many highs and lows since last May, and there is still a lot of work to do yet. Today is a turning point, as we move from a position of crisis management to one of stabilising the council over the next municipal year, as we continue on a shared journey of Rebuilding Shropshire Together.
Cabinet Reshuffle
A year after the elections, the Lib Dems administration led by Heather Kidd has made some real progress in guiding the council through a significant period of crisis. To tighten the focus on the administartions priorites, which will soon be fleshed out in a new corporate plan. To better align with those, the administration has agreed to make some changes to the Cabinet and to the Scrutiny committees. More details of the changes are listed on Shropshire Live’s report: Lib Dems shake up Shropshire Council top team
Honoured to be continuing my role as Planning portfolio holder in the Cabinet as we see a gear shift to tighten focus on the next stage of recovering the financial position of Shropshire Council.
For me, the new Local Plan will soon reach a critical stage as we agree to give notice to commence the new 30-month plan-making process at the next Cabinet meeting. This will be the fastest plan-making process Shropshire has ever seen and is a stiff challenge given the Government’s mandatory housing targets and financial position/stretchedour resources. We’re determined that it will be a robust plan that serves the diverse needs of Shropshire. Cabinet Papers have now been published and I will pop another post up focused on that soon.
Tanya Miles appointed as Chief Executive
Tanya Miles has been announced as the new Permanent Chief Executive after doing a fabulous job in righting the ship as interim Chief Executive. We can now press the accelerator and make more progress to turning the council around. We have now arrested the growth of the ballooning budget problem and we have a much clearer path to secure stability this year and longer-term financial certainty for the years ahead.
https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2026/04/shropshire-council-appoints-tanya-miles-as-new-chief-executive
Rebuilding Shropshire Together
A new Corporate Plan is nearing completion and will be going to the May Cabinet meeting for approval. This, along with the local plan, will be a critical document for the council and for Shropshire. The only way Shropshire will succeed in the future, sustainably, is to work together for that future.
