Shropshire Council to retain 4,100 homes

Shropshire Council has decided to retain its housing stock of 4,100 properties following a review of possible future options.

The council’s cabinet met yesterday (3 July) to discuss the future of the council homes, which are currently managed by its arms-length management company, Shropshire Town and Rural Housing (STAR Housing).

The homes are mostly in the Oswestry and Bridgnorth parts of the county.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the council’s cabinet member for housing and strategic planning, Cllr Robert Macey and Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing’s managing director, Sue Adams, said: ‘Shropshire Council has recently undertaken a review to ensure that it has enough of the right housing for the people of Shropshire, both now and in the future.

‘This included exploring options with regards to the future arrangement of the council’s 4,100 council-owned homes.

‘It is now complete and, after considering all options as part of this, a decision has been made by cabinet today to retain the council’s housing stock. The homes will also continue to be managed by STAR Housing.

‘We understand that this review has caused some uncertainty, but we hope that tenants will be reassured now that a decision has been made. The management of their homes won’t change, and we will be working together to improve things even further.

‘These are exciting times as we look to work even closer with each other to explore new opportunities with regards to addressing unmet housing need, place shaping, regeneration and service development.’

At the same meeting, cabinet members also voted to undertake a countywide survey of businesses in Shropshire.

‘Irrespective of size and sector, the needs of our businesses have changed over the past couple of years, not least in light of Brexit and other economic challenges,’ said deputy leader, Cllr Steve Charmley.

‘A recent report by accountancy giant BDO has highlighted that the fastest-growing companies in the county represent eight sectors. Consequently, we want to gain a greater understanding of the strength and diversity of these sectors.

‘It is vital that our intelligence remains current and up-to-date to ensure that we can support our existing businesses effectively and attract businesses into the county going forward,’ added Cllr Charmley.

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