The local authorityCouncil · Unitary · England · 1 of 63 unitary authorities

Shropshire.

Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled unitary. £353m net revenue. 63 wards across 4 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats74 councillors · 63 wards
Last election6 May 2021
Websiteshropshire.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£353m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,319
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
43/74
Conservative and Unionist Party 58%
Westminster
4
constituencies overlap · 3 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Conservative and Unionist Party chamber, 3-party MP geography.

Shropshire is a unitary controlled by Conservative and Unionist Party (43 of 74 seats). Net revenue is £353m for 2025-26. It covers 63 wards spanning 4 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 3 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.74 seats · last contested 6 May 2021

Who sits in the chamber.

Con 43LD 14Lab 9Green 4Independent Berwick Hills Resident 4

Conservative and Unionist Party 58% · last contested 6 May 2021

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Mary DaviesLDAbbey2021
Nigel Peter LumbyConAlbrighton2021
Elliott LynchConAlveley Claverley2021
Garry BurchettConBagley2021
Dean CarrollConBattlefield2021
Rosemary DartnallLabBayston Hill Column Sutton2021
Ted ClarkeLabBayston Hill Column Sutton2021
Tony ParsonsLabBayston Hill Column Sutton2021
Kate HallidayLabBelle Vue2021
Ruth HoughtonLDBishops Castle2021
Alex WagnerLDBowbrook2021
Christian LeaConBridgnorth East Astley Abbotts2021
Showing 12 of 74·All 74 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

62%
Council tax
£218.0m · median 59%
29%
Central grants
£103.1m · median 30%
9%
Business rates
£32.0m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the unitary authorities median: 62% council tax, 29% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£1,807
County / upper-tier£0
Police£292
Fire & rescue£119
GLA precept£0
Parish average£101
Total Band-D£2,319

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 62 other unitary authorities

How does Shropshire split its revenue across services, compared with peer unitary authoritie-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Adult Social Care33.8% of net spend · cohort median 27%
3 of 61+24% vs median
Education32.3% of net spend · cohort median 36%
37 of 61-10% vs median
Children's Services14.7% of net spend · cohort median 15%
32 of 610% vs median
Waste & Recycling5.1% of net spend · cohort median 6%
46 of 61-12% vs median
Highways & Transport3.4% of net spend · cohort median 3%
20 of 61+31% vs median
Corporate & Central2.9% of net spend · cohort median 3%
29 of 61+2% vs median
Public Health2.9% of net spend · cohort median 4%
43 of 61-22% vs median
Culture & Leisure1.8% of net spend · cohort median 2%
40 of 61-16% vs median
Planning & Economic Development1.6% of net spend · cohort median 1%
25 of 61+16% vs median
Housing & Homelessness1.5% of net spend · cohort median 2%
41 of 61-20% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.63 wards split across 4 parliamentary seats

Shropshire’s territory crosses 4 Westminster constituencies, with 3 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Shrewsbury2032% Julia BuckleyLab
South Shropshire2032% Stuart AndersonCon
North Shropshire1829% Helen MorganLD
The Wrekin58% Mark PritchardCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 2 Ind, 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Conservative and Unionist Party-controlled unitary — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 62 other unitary authorities
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Shropshire
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level