Groups to descend on Shropshire Council HQ for privatisation demo

The protest has been organised by a cross-party campaign group that claims the out-sourcing of council services to private companies means less transparency and accountability.

About 50 members of Ludlow Campaign for Fairness will descend on Shirehall, for the first full Shropshire Council meeting of the new financial year.

They are inviting campaigners from other towns to join them in demanding answers. A group from Oswestry is among those expected.

The group, set up in October is concerned about cuts, and the transfer of council services to be run by ip&e Limited, a company set up by Shropshire Council.

Departments already with ip&e include council communications and marketing, planning, building control, land charges, street naming, trading standards, environmental health, licensing and parking enforcement.

Based at Shrewsbury Business Park, ip&e will concentrate on Shropshire services but also take on private contracts from elsewhere.

Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said plans for ip&e were part of the manifesto at the last local elections, so far from "secretive and undemocratic".

But the Ludlow campaign group said attempts to get answers to questions about ip&e had failed.

Daniel McDowell, speaking for the group, said: "We are protesting the massive privatisation of social services in Shropshire. We are going to ask why councillors are being denied access to information critical to representing their voters under corporate confidentiality."

Fellow member Michael Day added: "We have three major concerns. First, local democracy and accountability are disappearing before our eyes. We do not think the council has a mandate for the fearsome cuts they are now implementing.

"Second, these cuts will mean the end of public services as we have known them. Third, an economic policy is being implemented which neglects the public good."

Councillor Barrow said: "Everybody has a democratic right to protest, but I feel the comments made by Mr Day are somewhat misleading. We have met with Churches Together and other community groups in Ludlow – even as recently as March 30 this year. I also take issue with the accusation that our plans for ip&e were secretive and undemocratic.

"During the Council elections in 2013, the Conservative manifesto was hand-delivered to households across Shropshire, and ip&e formed a large part of this.

"It is our job to enact upon the promises made in the manifesto – this is what the public expect of us."