Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin
Unitary authority area, Borough
Telford and Wrekin shown within Shropshire and England
Coordinates:
Country	United Kingdom
Region	West Midlands
County	Shropshire
Area
• Total	112.09 sq mi (290.31 km2)
Population
• Total	166,800
• Density	1,500/sq mi (570/km2)
Time zone	GMT

Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. The district was created in 1974 as The Wrekin, then a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire. In 1998 the district became a unitary authority and was renamed Telford and Wrekin. It remains part of the Shropshire ceremonial county and shares institutions such as the Fire and Rescue Service and Community Health with the rest of Shropshire.

The borough's major settlement is Telford, a new town designated in the 1960s incorporating the existing towns of Dawley, Madeley, Oakengates and Wellington. The next largest population centre is Newport, a market town to the north of Telford.

The borough borders Staffordshire, but is mostly surrounded by the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire, whose unitary authority is Shropshire Council. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG21) and is one of four unitary authority areas that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region.

History

Before the creation of The Wrekin district, Telford was a new town run by the Telford Development Corporation (TDC) from the 1960s to the changes in 1974. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and covered Dawley, Newport, Oakengates and Wellington urban districts, Wellington Rural District and part of Shifnal parish in the Shifnal Rural District.

On 1 April 1998, as a result of the Local Government Commission for England's review, the district became a unitary authority, independent from Shropshire County Council.

All of the council houses previously owned by Wrekin District Council and the subsequent Telford and Wrekin Council were transferred to a newly created Housing Association, the Wrekin Housing Trust, in 1999 which now owns the majority of social housing in Telford.

Telford and Wrekin applied unsuccessfully for City status in 2000, but the district was granted borough status in 2002.

Towns, villages and other settlements

Telford and Wrekin (yellow) in the ceremonial and historic county of Shropshire.

Settlements in Telford and Wrekin -

• Coalbrookdale
• Crudgington
• Edgmond
• High Ercall
• Ironbridge
• Jackfield
• Newport (town)
  • Church Aston
  • Longford
• Roden
• Telford (new town)
  • Dawley (town)
  • Donnington
  • Donnington Wood
  • Hadley
  • Ketley
  • Madeley (town)
  • Muxton
  • Oakengates (town)
  • Priorslee
  • Stirchley
  • St George's
  • Trench
  • Wellington (town)
• Tibberton
• Wrockwardine

Divisions

Parishes

The borough is divided into 28 civil parishes and these are grouped into three areas: Telford, Newport and Rural.

• List of parishes
• Borough Council list, including the parishes' electorates, which gives a good indication of the populations of the parishes

Wards

For the borough council itself there is a system of 34 wards to elect councillors.

450px The borough divided into wards, with the Telford urban area highligted in Orange.

1 Apley Castle 2 Arleston 3 Brookside 4 Church Aston and Lilleshall 5 College 6 Cuckoo Oak 7 Dawley Magna 8 Donnington 9 Dothill 10 Edgmond 11 Ercall 12 Ercall Magna 13 Hadley and Leegomery 14 Haygate 15 Horsehay and Lightmoor 16 Ironbridge Gorge

17 Ketley and Oakengates 18 Lawley and Overdale 19 Madeley 20 Malinslee 21 Muxton 22 Newport East 23 Newport North 24 Newport South 25 Newport West 26 Park 27 Priorslee 28 St Georges 29 Shawbirch 30 The Nedge 31 Woodside 32 Wrockwardine 33 Wrockwardine Wood

Governance

Main article: Telford and Wrekin Council

Telford and Wrekin operates a cabinet-style council. It has 54 elected councillors who appoint the seven cabinet members, including the leader, each year. The cabinet members make decisions as a whole and meet every two weeks.

Telford and Wrekin is currently a Labour controlled council.

Policing

Telford and Wrekin is part of the West Mercia Police police area. The force is based in Worcester (outside Shropshire) and the borough's area is a Territorial Policing Unit in the force's organisation.

Economy

Telford Plaza in Telford Town Centre.

St Mary's Street in Newport

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Telford and Wrekin at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.

Year	Regional Gross Value Added	Agriculture	Industry	Services
1995	1,763	28	865	870
2000	2,072	20	773	1,279
2003	2,370	21	850	1,500

See also

• Telford and Wrekin local elections
• The Wrekin - prominent hill to the west of Telford
• 1990s UK local government reform
• Shropshire Council - the other unitary authority in Shropshire
• Healthcare in Shropshire

External links

• Telford & Wrekin Council