Telford and Wrekin


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. After the Telford conurbation, which includes the aforementioned towns, the next-largest settlement is Newport, a market town separate to the Telford built-up area, located in the northeast of the borough.
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 and is one of four 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 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. The district was granted borough status in 2002.

Towns, villages and other settlements

Settlements in Telford and Wrekin -

Parishes

The borough is divided into 29 civil parishes.
For the borough council itself there is a system of 30 wards to elect councillors.
1 - Admaston and Bratton
2 - Apley Castle
3 - Arleston
4 - Brookside
5 - Church Aston and Lilleshall
6 - College
7 - Dawley and Aqueduct
8 - Donnington
9 - Dothill
10 - Edgmond and Ercall Magna
11 - Ercall
12 - Hadley and Leegomery
13 - Haygate
14 - Horsehay and Lightmoor
15 - Ironbridge Gorge		16 - Ketley and Overdale
17 - Madeley and Sutton Hill
18 - Malinslee and Dawley Bank
19 - Muxton
20 - Newport North and West
21 - Newport South and East
22 - Oakengates and Ketley Bank
23 - Park
24 - Priorslee
25 - Shawbirch
26 - St Georges
27 - The Nedge
28 - Woodside
29 - Wrockwardine
30 - Wrockwardine Wood and Trench

Election history

Borough elections are held every 4 years.
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 and the borough's area is a Territorial Policing Unit in the force's organisation.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Telford and Wrekin at current basic prices by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.
YearRegional gross value addedAgricultureIndustryServices
19951,76328865870
20002,072207731,279
20032,370218501,500