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Potholes and shops priority for Shropshire voters

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC A man is smiling and looking into the camera. He's wearing an orange t-shirt with a black gilet puffer jacket over the top. He is standing on a sunny, bright street in Market Drayton with shop fronts behind him.BBC
Resident David Cooper said he would like to see Market Drayton become a "thriving town"

On 1 May, voters in Shropshire, as across the country, will be heading to the polls to vote for councillors in the local elections.

All 74 seats are up at Shropshire Council, which is currently controlled by the Conservatives.

That's not all authorities within the county - Telford and Wrekin Council is next due an election in 2027 - but the candidates who are set to face public choice will be scrutinised over several issues in particular.

In Market Drayton, for instance, residents said potholes and supporting the high street were the biggest issues for the community and would shape their voting.

"We seem to be losing a lot of really good shops," said resident David Cooper.

He added he would like the council to help not only small businesses, but "support for big businesses to entice people into the town centre".

"I want a thriving town, really," he said.

Another voter said: "When I go round the block here, the rubbish in the doorways is just amazing.

"I think that's disgusting - but I know Birmingham has got it far worse."

A man pictured smiling and looking into the camera. He is wearing a blue collared shirt with a beige jumper over the top. He is standing on the pavement on Market Drayton's high street - the sky is bright blue and clear, and there is lots of sunshine.
Ian Walch said more funding could help fix Market Drayton's roads

Retired businessman Ian Walch said he thought Shropshire Council did "a good job".

He added that while roads were "in a bad way", he believed it was a "national phenomenon".

"It's not a council issue, it's a funding issue," he said.

But while in January the authority said it had repaired nearly 36,000 potholes in 2024, some voters took the view that roads remained a big problem.

One woman said her back injury made going over potholes in the town "very, very painful".

She added it would make more sense if the council "did a better job in the first place" with its roads.

"The roads are terrible," said another resident.

"Potholes in [Market] Drayton are everywhere - it's unacceptable, really."

Others interviewed by the BBC said they were not intending to vote at all.

One woman said she would not be taking part because of "the way the country has been run - we're just going to pot".

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