Telford to be included in West Midlands City Region

The Shropshire Star certainly seem to have bought into this whole City Regions crap. Nobody has asked me or anyone else that I know of if they want Telford to be included in a West Midlands City Region governed from Birmingham. Nobody asked me if I wanted yet another unelected, unaccountable and undemocratic regional government interfering in my life.

Why is nobody questioning why "Mr Miliband has made it clear that city regions will be the main focus for growth and government spending in the future" because even the British government admit that nobody in England actually wants regional government except those like Frater, Milliband and Prescott who that stand to gain from it financially and politically.

I like living in Shropshire, I don't want to live in the West Midlands. The West Midlands is an artificial euro-region and I have no affinity with it and nor will I until the day I die.

This is another part of Labour's regionalistation plan. Telford & Wrekin Council is, after all, a Labour controlled council and a collaborator like Frater is bound to go far toeing the party line.

Telford poised to reap huge benefits from West Midlands alliance

TOWN SEEKING
SUPERCITY LINK

By Peter Johnson

TELFORD IS poised to become part of the "metropolitan city" of the West Midlands - a move which could bring hundreds of jobs and millions of pounds of investment to the borough.

Borough council bosses say they are not turning their backs on the rest of Shropshire as the shake-up will mean a huge economic boost benefiting the whole county.

But today's announcement will help bring to fruition the borough's ambition to become the jobs, leisure and cultural capital of the region.

The seven West Midlands Metropolitan Council lead-era have agreed to include Telford in the Metropolitan City Region in the West Midlands.

A proposal is being sent to David Miliband, the minister for communities and local government, later this month to create a city region.

It will be a focus for millions of pounds to he spent on job creation, new homes, better transport links and shopping developments.

Impact

Telford is now set to win a share of this investment by joining forces with Birmingham and the metropolitan boroughs of Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Coventry.

The impact will not be felt immediately but the long-term benefits for Telford are potentially huge. And it will mitigate the potential harm of the Government's threat to axe more than 1,000 defence jobs in the borough.

Michael Frater, chief executive of the Borough of Telford & Wrekin, said today; "This is the most important decision in the long-term future success of Telford.

"It's a win, win situation for our urban areas and rural areas, and puts Telford in a much stronger position to negotiate with the Government."

Councillor Keith Austin, leader of the council, said Telford was the economic powerhouse of Shropshire and today's announcement would bring valuable spin-off benefits for all the county.

"We have not turned our backs on the rest of Shropshire and will remain as an independent borough with the metropolitan city of the West Midlands," he said.

Mr Miliband has made it clear that city regions will be the main focus for growth and government spending in the future, helping to halt the drift of population from cities to rural areas.