Shropshire

This article speaks for itself…

Government plans to “level up” the country are ignoring rural areas like Shropshire, the local authority has said.

The scheme is designed to close the gap between rich and poor parts of the country.

On Wednesday, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced details of the government strategy.

But councillor Ed Potter said the plans meant “once again Shropshire has been overlooked”.

“At the moment we feel overlooked, unrecognised, taken for granted and completely undervalued,” the cabinet member for economic growth said.

Philip Dunne, Tory MP for Ludlow, echoed the council’s disappointment at failing to get anything from Wednesday’s announcements and said he would be arranging a meeting with Mr Gove.

Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, who took the North Shropshire seat from the Conservatives in December, said the plans showed the government was continuing to ignore people in the area.

“We are having our rural services cut left and right and we are facing [a] healthcare crisis. Yet the government chooses to turn a blind eye,” she added.

The secretary of state’s plans bring all existing government initiatives into 12 “national missions” which include improving “well-being” and increasing pay, employment and productivity across the UK.