A Green Party councillor is calling on Labour and Reform councillors to get behind the Shrewsbury Moves strategy ahead of a controversial motion on Monday night.

A Shrewsbury Green Party councillor is calling on Labour and Reform councillors to get behind the flagship Shrewsbury Moves strategy ahead of a controversial motion at Shrewsbury Town Council on Monday night.

The motion, proposed by Councillor Alan Mosely from the Labour Party, is calling for an ‘independent review’ of the town’s flagship Shrewsbury Moves strategy following the chaotic implementation of the train station gyratory.

However, Councillor Julian Dean from the Green Party is calling on Labour to ‘stand firm’ on the strategy and ‘not buddy up with Reform’ to trash it.

Councillor Julian Dean says:

‘Everyone agrees Shrewsbury has traffic issues, but Labour’s call for a long-winded “independent review” into the movement strategy is a sure fire way of ensuring nothing happens to address congestion this side of the next local elections in 2029. Do people really want to be stuck in worsening traffic for another three or four years? With the North West Relief Road dead and buried, progressive parties need to get behind the only plan left – the Shrewsbury Moves initiative – and make it work. Shrewsbury residents won’t forgive councillors if we ditch this plan and start navel-gazing for another four years.’

The Shrewsbury Moves strategy is a 10-year vision to transform movement and public space across the town by creating an integrated transport system. The strategy was carefully developed over several years by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership (Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council, and Shrewsbury BID). The call to reconsider it comes after the disastrous implementation of the new gyratory system beside the town’s train station.

Says Councillor Dean:

‘Yes, the train station gyratory was badly implemented by Shropshire Council’s previous Tory leadership. It was a fiasco. But ripping up the whole Shrewsbury Moves initiative because of it would be a total disaster. The Green Party wants Shrewsbury to have fully functioning public transport and more cycling and walking to free up space on our congested roads. Without the NWRR, Shrewsbury Moves is the only solution left. The plan has already spent years being developed and reviewed and Government funding for transport should allow the council to introduce it – reviewing it and changing it in practice rather than sending it back to consultants. Now is not the time to ditch it. It’s the time for councillors of all parties to roll up their sleeves, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and respond accordingly. Going back to the drawing board for another four years means abandoning change and condemning the town to gridlock.’