The Swan Inn

23/10/2026

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07/10/2026

SPOTTED SOMETHING SHROPSHIRE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? SEND IT TO SHROPWATCH
A local resident alerted us yesterday to a BBC report in which Shropshire Council leader Heather Kidd said another Council Tax rise of more than 5% is likely for 2027/28 (and further FOI request submitted as a result).
We might easily have missed it.
The same is true of other stories we have followed recently. Important details about Weir Hill, developer infrastructure money and wider planning changes have sometimes appeared briefly in BBC reports, council papers or other sources before disappearing beneath the next news cycle.
That is exactly why local eyes and ears matter.
If you spot:
- a BBC/local news story that deserves a closer look;
- an unusual council decision or committee paper;
- a planning application affecting your area;
- an FOI response;
- a council email or document that raises questions; or
- something happening locally that you think is being overlooked,
send it to ShropWatch.
We will not publish allegations as fact, and where possible we will check the documents and evidence before reporting. But even a small tip can lead us to something much bigger.
Yesterday’s Council Tax story is a good example.
Local accountability works better when people share what they see.
ShropWatch is free to read and follow — and we intend to keep it that way. If you value our work and would like to help us keep it going, you can support ShropWatch with a paid subscription.

03/10/2026

ShropWatch is asking whether Shropshire Council can account for the records behind its decisions — and we want to hear from residents with their own examples

28/09/2026

This is happening all too often with Shropshire Council and the Ombudsman, and they are using it as a way to avoid answering complaints and explaining their mistakes.

A Shropshire resident repeatedly asked the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman a simple question: had it actually seen the evidence for his second complaint?

12/09/2026

https://shropwatch.substack.com/p/is-the-ombudsman-a-protective-shield?r=8zj10h

What happens when a disputed Ombudsman decision becomes the reason a council refuses to answer the complaint it was supposed to resolve?

06/09/2026

29/08/2026

Imagine spending substantial sums of public money on a major project that never happens — then, years later, discovering that some of the records needed to explain what went wrong may themselves have disappeared.

09/06/2026

Historic records search results just in and I still cannot find out anything about the pub. The record says it only became a pub in the 1960s. For people that know the area from back then, does that seem credible? Prior to that, the record shows a building and a former piggery which was demolished and then additions were made to the building.

20/05/2026

Call for sites submissions just in: