shropshire

1.1. On the 3rd September 2021, the draft Shropshire Local Plan was submitted for examination. Stage 1 Hearings were held in July 2022 and January 2023.

1.2. Subsequently, on 15th February 2023, the examining Inspectors issued their Interim Findings (reference number ID28) and supplemented this with further correspondence related to their Interim Findings on the 4th October 2023 (reference number ID36) and 16th January 2024 (reference number ID37).

Following an overwhelming response in March, this highly successful grant scheme will open again for applications on 7 May 2024.

The UKSPF Small Business Grant Scheme offers grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 to purchase new equipment or make improvements to business premises.

Gary Spence, Shropshire Council’s external funding and technical lead officer in the business growth and investment team, said:

Shropshire Council has begun an important public consultation regarding the emerging Local Plan for the county.

When adopted, the draft Shropshire Local Plan will set the overall growth strategy for the county to 2038, and will provide the policy framework for how the council takes decisions on planning applications.

Shropshire Council submitted the draft Local Plan for examination in September 2021, and public hearings, led by appointed planning inspectors, were held in 2022 and 2023.

Shropshire Council has now launched a consultation into the future of the School Library Service. Consultation closes on 7 June 2024. Schools receive funding provided directly through central Government grants to ensure children and young people have access to books and other suitable education materials necessary to support the curriculum. SLS does not sell books to schools, and schools run their own libraries independently. 35% of Shropshire schools choose not to use the service, using alternatives already. Like many other councils, we face a very challenging financial position and must find £62m of savings this year.