Shropshire and Telford super-council 'could save £14m a year'

Daniel Kawczynski has called for a referendum on the issue, saying the money could be spent on libraries and other leisure services.

He also said a single "super county" authority would be in a stronger position to attract funding from both the Government and private sector.

However, the idea has been dismissed by Telford & Wrekin Council leader Kuldip Sahota, who said it would not benefit from a merger with its neighbour.

Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow also thought such a merger was unlikely.

He said: "I'm all in favour of closer co-operation between the two authorities, but I don't think there is a will to go anywhere beyond that."

Mr Kawczynski, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury, said: "Independent financial reports suggest that such a merger would save approximately £14 million per annum in running costs.

"That money could be ploughed back into libraries, leisure facilities and all the other important projects which Salopians require.

"At the very least it would be a very interesting and democratic procedure to allow people to decide for themselves whether they wish to have the two councils merge in order to bring about this level of efficiency savings.

"We are one county and ought to be doing everything possible to promote the whole county collectively to government to maximise investment."

He said a combined council would have more resources at its disposal.

He added: "By having two separate councils we are diminishing our ability to promote Shropshire as a whole in these perspectives."

Councillor Sahota, who leads Telford's Labour group, said there were many areas in which the two councils already worked together successfully, including policing, youth offending and adoption services.

But he said it would not benefit from merging with Shropshire Council.

He said: "There is absolutely no plan for us to merge with Shropshire or any other council.

"We have an economic growth rate almost 50 per cent above the national average, have halved youth unemployment, and offer great initiatives such as the Telford Loyalty Card and free swimming for over half our population."

Councillor Sahota said the authority had also been able to keep all of its libraries open, was rebuilding or upgrading all of its secondary schools, and had huge investment going into its town centres, creating hundreds of jobs.

He added that the authority also had one of the lowest council tax levels in the West Midlands.

"Being part of a broader Shropshire authority would mean, for example, parking charges being introduced in all our borough towns," said Councillor Sahota.

"Our hospital services would become more vulnerable.

"Telford & Wrekin has a very different economy, population with very different needs and challenges and most importantly very different opportunities compared with Shropshire. Opportunities that we are now exploiting that will benefit the borough, its residents and this council.

"Indeed, when Telford & Wrekin demerged from Shropshire County Council and became a borough council, it was found that Telford was losing out in investment. Iin effect Telford was subsidising rural Shropshire.

"These very stark differences between the two councils only underline the many reasons why any idea of merger is, as long as we are here, simply not going to happen.

"Considering all this, I am not surprised that that Mr Kawczynski looks enviously at Telford & Wrekin as a solution to his and Shropshire Council's problems especially now with the success of Southwater and Telford & Wrekin winning the MoD Fulfilment Centre bid for Donnington, which will bring £60 million into local economy."

He added that the Conservative group leader on Telford & Wrekin council, Councillor Andrew Eade, had himself last year tabled a motion saying Telford was best served by having its own council.