Liberal democrats promise "bold" new era as they take control of Shropshire Council

Their landslide victory in the local elections on May 1st saw the party secure a commanding majority, winning 42 of the 74 seats and drastically reducing the previous Conservative administration to just 7.

Councillor Heather Kidd, a long-standing County Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen and former Leader of South Shropshire District Council, has been formally selected as the Liberal Democrat Group Leader. With her extensive experience, Councillor Kidd is now poised to assume the leadership of Shropshire Council at its first meeting of the new term today.

Councillor Kidd's electoral triumph was particularly notable, as she secured an impressive 71% of the vote in her ward – the largest vote share of any councillor elected across Britain in the recent polls. An MBE recipient for her services to rural communities, Councillor Kidd has a well-established record of fighting for residents on critical issues, from NHS access to the condition of rural roads.

Joining Councillor Kidd in the new leadership is Councillor Alex Wagner, who represents Quarry and Coton Hill. Elected as the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, he will also fill the role of Deputy Leader of Shropshire Council. Councillor Wagner has been a prominent local campaigner in the Shrewsbury area for several years and was instrumental in the successful campaign of Helen Morgan MP in the North Shropshire by-election in 2021. He is also Mayor of Shrewsbury.

The new administration has pledged a "bold, ambitious, and reforming agenda" to bring fundamental changes to the way Shropshire Council operates. This includes a strong emphasis on a "devolution agenda" for service delivery, signaling a move towards empowering local communities.

The administration has set out three key priorities for its first 100 days in power:

- Fixing more potholes and improving the state of Shropshire’s 3,200 miles of roads.

- Improving customer service across the council, making it more responsive and easier to do business with.

- Better and closer working with town and parish councils who can help take on some service services from Shropshire Council or may be better placed to find simple solutions to issues in their area.

Councillor Heather Kidd, reflecting on the party's mandate, stated: “The Liberal Democrats are determined to deliver a bold, ambitious and reforming agenda for Shropshire. I’m honoured to have been elected as Leader and can’t wait to get started on delivering the change that people have voted for.

“Shropshire Council cannot go on as it has been. The organisation has to be more transparent, more efficient, and more positive about working with others – residents, businesses, town and parish councils and all sorts of voluntary organisations. We have to make people’s money work better. Change starts now.”

In a significant change for the council's political makeup, Reform UK has emerged as the majority opposition party, having secured 16 seats in the recent elections. This places them as the second-largest group on the council, setting the stage for a new dynamic in council debates and decision-making.