About the Council

Covering 1,235 square miles, Shropshire is England’s second largest inland Council. And though our population is similar in size to an urban centre such as Dudley we occupy a space that is 33 times its size. Our population of 343,000 is evenly dispersed throughout the county and this rurality presents added complexity to service design and delivery. And an ageing population (around 30% above national average) means we face increasing demands on our services. 

In September 2025 our Cabinet declared a financial emergency due to a forecasted year-end overspend that would not be mitigated by our current resources. We have responded quickly in setting out an Improvement Plan that focuses on three key priorities: 

• Being financially stable and sustainable 
• Having clear priorities and purpose 
• Supporting and enabling our workforce to excel 

The Plan also identifies our ‘Future Council Principles’ that will be the foundations on which we will become a stable, modernised and pioneering rural council. These include: 

• Agility and adaptability 
• Early intervention and prevention 
• Working with others in partnership 
• Digitally enabling and automation 
• Resident and customer focus 
• Data, insight and demand management 

Moving forward, the Council’s Financial Sustainability Strategy will outline how we plan to reduce its reliance on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS). The strategy will focus on:  

• Strengthening early help to reduce demand for services  
• Delivering more in partnership with others  
• Making better use of digital technology to improve services  
• Identifying opportunities to generate additional income  
• Reducing the overall cost of services  
• Continuing to make the case for fairer funding from Government.  

We have also developed a new Corporate Plan 2026/2030 approved by Full Council in May 2026, sets out a clear vision for “rebuilding Shropshire together” over the next four years. The Plan provides the strategic framework for the Council’s priorities, decision-making and use of resources, with a strong focus on financial sustainability, organisational improvement and delivering better outcomes for residents. It highlights key ambitions including supporting connected communities, safe and inclusive places, improved health and wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and a thriving local economy underpinned by partnership working and a high-performing workforce.

Political structure: 

The current political administration is made up as follows: 

• Liberal Democrats: 42 
• Reform UK: 15 
• Conservative: 7 
• Green Party: 4 
• Labour: 4 
• Green and Progressive Independent: 1 
• Independent: 1 

The Leader of the Council is Cllr Heather Kidd. ​​​​