Nearly 200 people today walked the streets of Shrewsbury to mark the end of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.

The huge parade received a police escort as people gathered along the route to show their support for the authority, which will cease to exist on March 31.

The parade was followed by the borough’s final civic service at the church to mark the life of the authority from 1974 to 2009.

Shropshire has just 10 days to go until it makes its switch to unitary status. It will result in the county – excluding Telford & Wrekin – being run by a “super”council which will be responsible for all public services.

Nine new unitary authorities will be created nationwide in what is described as “one of the biggest democratic shake-ups in 30 years”.

Starting today, the Shropshire Star looks at the history and achievements of the six authorities which will become the foundation of the new Shropshire Council on April 1.

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Today as the final countdown begins to Shropshire’s historic switch to unitary status on April 1, the influence of the county council continues to touch the lives of most people within its boundaries.

About 80 per cent of the local authority public services are currently directed from the Shirehall. Under the unitary system virtually every service will be under the Shirehall’s control.

The Council of the County of Salop was created by the Local Local Government Act of 1888 but since its actual birth in 1889, it has evolved into a bigger and far different entity.

Record

And changes will continue as the new Shropshire Council develops and begins to flex its muscle.

Elections will take place in June and many of the 74 seats up for grabs will be contested by the political parties.

How different things were in 1889 when only 16 of the 51 divisions represented on the new county council were contested. This was one of the lowest proportions in the country and only two were fought on party lines.

Apparently most candidates appealed to their record of public work and promised to protect the ratepayers, few made specific promises on matters within the council’s responsibilities.

Of the 51 councillors returned, there were 25 Conservatives and 10 Liberals.

County magistrates were returned in 17 of the 35 uncontested divisions. And in the 10 divisions where magistrates faced competition, five were successful.

According to a centenary history of the council, up until 1974 the overwhelming majority of councillors sat as Independents and successive chairmen insisted that party politics should play no part in the debates.

Few local issues were felt to lend themselves to debate on political lines and the arrangement seemed to suit all parties.

However most of the Independents were all, but in name, Conservatives. Most were in safe seats and had nothing to gain by adopting a political label at election time.

Struggles

The official Labour and Liberal members, if they ever attempted to press their party views, were inevitably cast in an unsympathetic light.

The achievements of the county council since its formation are far too many to recount here and the services it provides, for example education and social care, are among the most highly rated in the country.

It is officially recognised as an “excellent” council. But there have been incredible struggles down the years to reach the high standard of service of today.

Take schools for example. There has been great controversy in the past 18 months or so over plans to amalgamate or close some schools. And the issue will no doubt be high on the agenda for the new authority.

But few can imagine what things were like in the early years of the council.

In 1900 secondary education for boys was provided by 10 endowed, one proprietary and 18 private schools. For girls there was one proprietary and 78 private schools.

In England in 1904 it was estimated that 48 per cent of boys capable of benefiting from secondary education were receiving it. But in not one of Shropshire’s 15 registration districts did provision reach that level.

Moves within the council the following year to build six boys’ schools and eight dual schools with boys and girls in separate classrooms met with a lot of opposition. There was a feeling that boys would be better off learning practical farming and education was blamed for the loss of good labourers.

From 1889 to 1944, the council called itself the Council of the County of Salop in its minutes, and less formally Salop County Council. The latter was used formally in the minutes from 1944 to 1980 and the administrative county received the name Salop’ in 1974.

In 1980 the name was changed to Shropshire’ in response to a public campaign and the authority afterwards called itself Shropshire County Council.

Shropshire was one of five counties whose administrative boundaries were preserved in the major local government reorganisation of 1974 which saw the introduction of a uniform two-tier structure.

Nearly half the councillors elected the previous year were new and some of the “elder statesmen” disappeared with the aldermanic bench in 1974.

The statutory opening of committee proceedings to public and press in 1974 stimulated a keener interest in council affairs.

Memories

The old non-political consensus – what little had remained – was over. There has since been far more political heart generated at the Shirehall, which no doubt will continue into the unitary system.

Major Adrian Coles is the “father” of the county council, its longest-serving member having joined the then Salop County Council in 1972. He looks back with many fond memories.

It was a still a time when many of the members were “gentlemen” farmers, landowners or leading business people, not to mention retired military figures.

“The county council in those days represented the county, represented county life,” says Councillor Coles.

“Now its seems to me to be an organisation that carries out functions given to it by central government. I don’t think it represents the life of the county in the way it used to. Its make-up is different.”

For example, he said, the county flag is flown at Shirehall on what is known as Bligny Day but “quite a few” of his colleagues have no idea of what this means.

In fact is in honour of the gallantry of The 4th (Territorial) Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in seizing the important Bligny Hill on June 6, 1918, near the end of the First World War.

“Although people tend to scoff at what the county council used to be like, it was a happy place, and its members did achieve a lot of things for Shropshire,” said Councillor Coles.

“There were members of great experience and calibre.

“I am not saying that the councillors of today are not talented. They are in touch with the people of the county. They strive very hard for the good of the people.

“But despite what some might think, the councillors of years ago were no fools.”

Now in his 79th year, Councillor Coles has no plans to give up his council work and will be looking to gain a seat on the new authority on June 4.

By Dave Morris