Shropshire Liberal Democrats - fighting for fair funding for Shropshire schools and marching against Conservative education cuts
Three Shropshire Councillors in South West Shropshire have volunteered to join the lateral flow testing programme for pupils at the Community College in Bishop's Castle.
Ruth Houghton (Bishop's Castle Division), Nigel Hartin (Clun Division) and Heather Kidd (Chirbury and Worthen) last week joined the team of volunteers that regularly test pupils for COVID after the opening of the school on 8th March.
Heather Kidd, Lib Dem Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen said;
"Ringing residents during lockdown has been really rewarding and useful. But at times it has been shocking. Recently I found an 80-year-old lady had her Covid positive husband released to come home from hospital (and her daughter - a teacher - had then been forced to isolate). I was appalled. Talking to my fellow Councillors it became clear this was happening across South Shropshire. Positive cases are being released to homes with vulnerable people living there - diabetics, the elderly, and also NHS workers and other essential workers. Why?
South West Shropshire Local Joint Committee met on Wednesday (24th February). This is the first meeting in well over a year to demand action on the poor quality of our roads. The informal meeting was ably Chaired by Councillor Nigel Hartin ( Clun Division) and was really well attended on Zoom.
Eighteen councillors, Clerks and Shropshire Councillors, Nigel Hartin (Clun), Ruth Houghton (Bishops Castle) and Heather Kidd (Chirbury and Worthen) listened to a presentation from Andy Wilde (Head of Highways) and Mark Barrow, Director of Place, Shropshire Council. This was then followed by the Parishes and Shropshire Councillors raising a number of serious issues in our rural area.
Ruth Houghton, Shropshire Councillor for Bishop's Castle Division has submitted a question to the next Shropshire Council meeting on 24th February urging it to take action to bring any empty houses in the County back to the market either for sale or rent.
Ruth explained: "We have a major problem with the lack of affordable homes for local people in Shropshire, both in urban areas and in rural communities such as South Shropshire. Building more affordable properties for sale or rent is certainly needed but we also have a great many properties lying empty which could provide people in our local communities with a home".
