'It has been my absolute honour': Telford's new MP prepares to step down as Council Leader

The Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council will be stepping down from the role having been elected as the Member of Parliament for Telford in Thursday's General Election.

Councillor Shaun Davies, MP, will hand over the reins at the full council meeting on Thursday, July 18 when the new Leader of the Council will be announced.

He was first elected to the council in 2011 and immediately appointed to the Cabinet, where he led the transformation of the council into a cooperative council.

He became one of the youngest local authority leaders in the country when he was elected Leader of the Council in 2016 at the age of 30. He is currently the longest-serving leader in the council’s history.

Shaun said: “It has been my absolute honour to lead Telford & Wrekin Council over the past eight years, during which time I truly believe we have delivered upon our commitment to protect, care and invest and build a better borough.

“There’s so much I’m proud to have delivered for our borough that I can’t list everything, but there have been some real highlights for me.

“In 2020, our Children’s Services was one of the first in the country to move their OFSTED rating from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ and we were also the first council in the West Midlands to receive an ‘exceptional’ rating for our Adult Services too.

“Since the launch of our innovative, wholly council-owned Nuplace housing company in 2015 we’ve created 485 new high-quality properties, of which 124 are affordable homes. With a further 359 homes either planned or under construction not only is this raising the standards of private and rented homes in the borough, it’s generated an income of almost £10m for the council, and homes for more than 1,350 people. Following the success of Nuplace, we’ve also launched Telford and Wrekin Homes, through which we’re buying and renovating existing properties, to add to the homes available in the private and rented housing markets.

“We’ve also supported business and investment growth too, when we created the Telford Growth Package and the Telford Land Deal, which I believe this was one of the first partnerships of its kind between a council and Homes England.

“Looking further back, one of the first things I did when I was elected and became a Cabinet Member was to fight to save Telford Ice Rink at a time when the council was looking to reduce its estates and expenditure, so I’m really pleased that it continues to be a much-loved and used facility that this year celebrates its fortieth birthday.

“Throughout all of this investment, and despite a history of cuts to local authority funding by the previous government, I’m proud that Telford & Wrekin Council has not only shown financial resilience during this time, but our residents continue to pay the lowest council tax in the West Midlands for the excellent, award-winning services they receive.

“It’s not just me, our councillors and our residents who recognise these achievements; in 2022 the Municipal Journal crowned us Local Authority of the Year at the prestigious ‘Oscars’ for local government, giving external recognition of the difference we are making, the outstanding services we deliver, and the support we offer residents and businesses in our borough.

“I have had a truly rewarding time as Leader of the Council and am incredibly proud of all that we have achieved. It gives me great confidence that I leave the council with a strong and committed Cabinet who will continue our work to build a better borough.”

The now-MP has said he will remain as an elected borough councillor for the Dawley and Malinslee Ward.