Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin council merger calls shot down by the Government

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson and Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski have been pressing for the councils to consider merging, a move they say would save the region's tax-payer millions of pounds.

However, Marcus Jones, the Under Secretary of State for Local Government, has told Mr Kawczynski that any move to merger would have to be agreed by the councils first.

Given that earlier this month the leaders of both authorities publicly spoke out to voice their opposition to any merger, Mr Jones' intervention appears to kill the proposal for good.

The comments were made in a reply to a written question from Mr Kawczynski who had asked: "If the Secretary of State would make an estimate of the potential effect on staffing, administrative and other costs of replacing Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council with a single unitary authority."

In response Mr Jones said: "It is for the Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council to decide whether they wish to merge into a single unitary council to improve the local governance of the area and make it more sustainable, and if so to make an assessment of the potential effects on services, staffing, and costs which they would need to include as part of any formal governance change to be submitted to the Secretary of State."

Earlier this month both Malcolm Pate, leader of Shropshire Council, and Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, roundly rejected any suggestion of a merger.

Speaking at a meeting of Shropshire Council's cabinet Councillor Pate said: "I have told the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council there are no plans whatsoever to take over Telford & Wrekin Council.

"I hope we can work together to work for the benefit of us both. I have to say since we have spoken to them their willingness to work on joint services has been greatly advanced."

Councillor Davies also issued a statement saying: "This issue has been regularly aired and is firmly rejected by both councils, precisely because we represent very different areas. This has cross party support on this council. Telford & Wrekin has a principally urban population, while Shropshire has a much more rural focus over a very large area. Unsurprisingly both have very different priorities reflecting the respective differences and needs of their residents."