Misplaced Pages

52°37′41″N 2°45′32″W / 52.628°N 2.759°W / 52.628; -2.759

Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shown within Shropshire non-metropolitan county
History
• Origin	Borough of Shrewsbury Atcham Rural District
• Created	1 April 1974
• Abolished	31 March 2009
• Succeeded by	Shropshire
Status	District, Borough
ONS code	39UE
Government	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
• HQ	Shrewsbury
• Motto	Floreat Salopia

Shrewsbury and Atcham was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, between 1974 and 2009.

Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former Atcham Rural District. Other notable villages included Alberbury, Bayston Hill, Bomere Heath, Condover, Cressage, Cross Houses, Dorrington, Ford, Hanwood, Minsterley, Montford Bridge, Nesscliffe, Pontesbury, Uffington and Westbury.

The Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham covered 602 square kilometres (232 sq mi), which was 19% of the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire. To the north of the borough was the North Shropshire district and the Borough of Oswestry and to the south were the South Shropshire and Bridgnorth districts. The borough lay in the middle of Shropshire and on the border with Wales. A 2006 estimate put the population of the borough at 95,900 (this accounted for approx 40% of the total population for the non-metropolitan county).

The district and its council was abolished on 1 April 2009 when the new Shropshire unitary authority was established, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.

History

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 covering the area of the two former districts of the municipal borough of Shrewsbury and the Atcham Rural District, to form a new non-metropolitan district. The new district was initially called "Shrewsbury", but was renamed Shrewsbury and Atcham on 12 June 1974 by the new council. The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor.

The borough unsuccessfully applied for city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions.

The borough and its council were abolished on 31 March 2009, with the area becoming part of the new Shropshire Council unitary authority from 1 April 2009, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. The Central area committee of the new Shropshire Council covers exactly the same area as the borough did. The population for this area was 102,383 in 2011.

Population

Headquarters

In the 19th century the headquarters of the borough council were at the Old Guildhall in the Market Square in Shrewsbury. The council moved to Newport House in Dogpole in 1917 and then to modern building on Frankwell Quay in Frankwell in March 2004. After Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council was abolished in 2009, it became surplus to requirements and was converted for use by the University Centre Shrewsbury.

Property

The borough council owned much land and property in the Shrewsbury and Atcham area. Shrewsbury Castle was owned by the borough council, as was the town museum and art gallery, which is located in the 'Rowley's House' building. The council also owned various car parks, offices, some public conveniences, large areas of parkland and a number of the town's bridges. Ownersrship of two main entertainment venues was also held by the council: The Music Hall, which holds the town theatre, its tourist information centre and a cafe, and The Old Market Hall, which was recently renovated to house a small cinema and cafe. The Bear Steps buildings were also owned by the council, although they are occupied by the town's civic society. The council once owned the Clive House Museum, but this was sold off and is now no longer a museum.

The borough council's housing stock was sold off in 2001 to a private social housing company, Severnside. The council earned some £60 million from this sale and this money has been used in part to buy and build their new Guildhall, build the new sports facilities at Sundorne and other large projects around the town, which were either under way or proposed when the borough council ceased to exist.

Parishes

The rural part of the borough (the pre-1974 Atcham Rural District) was always parished but the urban part of the borough (the pre-1974 municipal borough of Shrewsbury) was an unparished area. A town council for Shrewsbury was established on 1 April 2009, being the same day that the new Shropshire unitary authority took over from the old Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.

Mayors

There has been a continuous succession of Mayors of Shrewsbury since 1638. In 1974, after the local government re-organisation, the style changed to "Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough", and any Shrewsbury and Atcham borough councillor could be appointed to the post; they did not have to represent Shrewsbury itself. The last mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham was Anne Chebsey. Since the abolition of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham in 2009, the mayor of Shrewsbury has been the chairman of the new Shrewsbury Town Council, a parish-level authority.

Political control

The first elections to the enlarged council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:

Leadership

The last leader of the council was Peter Nutting, a Conservative.

Council elections

Elections were generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council elected each time.

• 1973
• 1976 (New ward boundaries)
• 1978
• 1978
• 1980
• 1982
• 1983
• 1984
• 1986 (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
• 1987 (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
• 1988 (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
• 1990
• 1991
• 1992
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2002 (New ward boundaries)
• 2003
• 2004
• 2006
• 2007

By-election results

External links

• Official website
• List of all Mayors of Shrewsbury and Mayors of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough
• List of borough councillors
• Parishes of Shrewsbury and Atcham

References

1. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 18 September 2022
2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 18 September 2022
3. "Shropshire". Database of Local Government Orders. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
4. "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
5. "The Shropshire (Structural Change) Order 2008", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2008/1866, retrieved 18 September 2022
6. "Newport House (the Old Guildhall), Dogpole, Shrewsbury". Discovering Shropshire's History. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
7. ^ "Shrewsbury Guildhall transformed into seat of learning for university". Shropshire Star. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
8. "The Shrewsbury and Atcham (Parish) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/1321)" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
9. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
10. "Leaders split on shake-up". Shropshire Star. 27 October 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
11. legislation.gov.uk – The Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
12. The Shropshire (District Boundaries) Order 1985
13. The Shropshire (District Boundaries) Order 1986
14. legislation.gov.uk – The Shropshire (District Boundaries) Order 1987. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
15. legislation.gov.uk – The Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham (Electoral Changes) Order 2000. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
16. "Pimhill Ward By-Election". Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.

v t e Council elections in Shropshire
Shropshire Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Telford and Wrekin Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Bridgnorth District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
North Shropshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
Oswestry Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council	1973 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 Abolished
South Shropshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

v t e 2009 structural changes to local government in England
Bedfordshire Abolished districts Bedford Mid Bedfordshire South Bedfordshire New districts Bedford Central Bedfordshire Existing (1990s) Luton
Cheshire Abolished districts Chester Congleton Crewe and Nantwich Ellesmere Port and Neston Macclesfield Vale Royal New districts Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire East Existing (1990s) Warrington Halton
Cornwall Abolished districts Caradon Carrick Kerrier North Cornwall Penwith Restormel New districts Cornwall Existing (1890s) Isles of Scilly
County Durham Abolished districts Chester-le-Street Derwentside Durham Easington Sedgefield Teesdale Wear Valley New districts Durham Existing (1990s) Hartlepool Darlington Stockton-on-Tees
Northumberland Abolished districts Alnwick Berwick-upon-Tweed Blyth Valley Castle Morpeth Tynedale Wansbeck New districts Northumberland Existing (1990s) None
Shropshire Abolished districts Bridgnorth North Shropshire Oswestry Shrewsbury and Atcham South Shropshire New districts Shropshire Existing (1990s) Telford and Wrekin
Wiltshire Abolished districts Salisbury West Wiltshire Kennet North Wiltshire New districts Wiltshire Existing (1990s) Swindon

• Shrewsbury and Atcham
• Districts of England established in 1974
• English districts abolished in 2009
• Former non-metropolitan districts of Shropshire
• Former boroughs in England
• Council elections in Shropshire
• District council elections in England