Calls on Shropshire Council to prioritse travel in 2026.

Shrewsbury Green councillors have called Reform’s approach to transport planning in Shrewsbury ‘medieval’ after a Reform UK leaflet branded Shrewsbury’s flagship movement strategy the ‘Big Town Scam’ and claimed it was imposing a ‘nightmarish’ and ‘anti-car’ vision on residents. The Shrewsbury Green Party is now calling on Shropshire Council to make solving the town’s transport issues its New Year’s resolution for 2026.

Shrewsbury Green Party councillor Julian Dean says:

‘Reform’s new leaflet takes a conspiracy theory approach to Shrewsbury’s Big Town Plan, labelling it “metropolitan”, “anti-car” and a “scam”, while failing to deliver any solutions to the congestion issues we’re facing. Reform says that Shrewsbury is a medieval town, without realising that this is why we need a modern, dynamic transport strategy to help ease congestion within the town’s historic layout. Reform seems to think that what was good enough for 3,000 Salopians in 1426 should be good enough for 77,000 residents in 2026! This is nonsense. With the disastrous North West Relief Road canned and hundreds of car-dependent new houses now being built around Shrewsbury, the traffic issues aren’t going away. We need to encourage alternative modes of transport – buses, walking, cycling – wherever possible. The Shrewsbury Green Party is fighting for a modern, dynamic transport strategy, not a return to the horse and cart. We are calling on Shropshire Council to urgently prioritise solving Shrewsbury’s transport issues in 2026.’

The Shrewsbury Green Party believes the controversy over the poorly-implemented Shrewsbury gyratory system is being used to attack the Big Town Plan, in particular the Shrewsbury Moves strategy. Shrewsbury Green Party councillors warn this attack could have a hugely damaging impact on residents following the cancellation of the North West Relief Road. Meanwhile, Reform’s leaflet falsely claims that the Big Town Plan was dependent on the North West Relief Road, when this was explicitly never the case.

Says Councillor Dean:

‘Everyone agrees that the gyratory system has been a disaster. The project was inherited from the previous Conservative administration and deployed without proper oversight leading to a total fiasco. But the separate Shrewsbury Moves initiative has been a huge success – with traffic-free weekends in the town centre offering a huge boost to local business and footfall in the town centre now at its highest since the pandemic. Meanwhile, the popularity of the recent night bus trial has shown there is huge appetite for better and more reliable public transport. Even with the financial crisis at Shropshire Council, detailed plans for improving the town’s transport network can still be developed. It's the only way we will access new money to improve things. What Reform needs to realise is this isn’t an anti-car policy, it’s a pro-people policy. Salopians want more choice on how to get around, not less. If Reform doesn’t want to support reducing congestion, cleaner air, more reliable buses, and safer walking and cycling, what do they want? More traffic chaos?’

In the leaflet, Reform UK also oppose developing town centre homes that have easy access to the station claiming that ‘the very character of Shrewsbury will change with a new architectural style imposed upon us’.

Says Councillor Dean:

‘Reform’s opposition to housing in the town centre will force yet more edge of town development on green field sites, with yet more car-dependent communities adding to congestion. We need homes for young workers and families, and if they can live in the town centre so much the better as they will be less dependent on cars. Reform opposes modernising the town centre to make it more attractive to younger people. But with Shrewsbury and Shropshire getting older, we desperately need to attract and retain young families to support our economy and our aging population. The Big Town Plan saw the highest levels of discussion, engagement and feedback of any initiative in the county since, well, medieval times! The priorities it follows – to reduce congestion, make the town centre greener and more pedestrian friendly, boost public transport and bring affordable living back to the town centre – are priorities the Green Party is championing. We are looking to the future, not the past and we want all parties on Shropshire Council to do the same in 2026.’