Delight as Ludlow won't be able to take over part of neighbouring village just yet
A councillor has expressed her delight that residents in a small village being eyed up by a bigger market town won't see their council tax bills increase from "£30 to £218".
Ludford is so close to Ludlow in the south of Shropshire that people could be mistaken for saying that they cannot see the join where one community starts and the other ends.
Some in Ludlow wanted to see parts of Ludford closest to them swallowed up by the bigger town.
For them so-called The Ludford Question needs resolving because residents in Ludlow pay to provide services that residents in the much smaller parish next door use but don't pay for, or so the argument goes.
Now Ludlow South Councillor Viv Parry, who also represents Ludford, says she is pleased that proposals to hand over part of the village to the market town won't happen until after the elections in 2025.
Councillor Parry said: "Ludford parish was not informed that they would have part of their council given to Ludlow Town Council.
"A meeting was held first at Ludlow where we where told that this needed to go through quickly because of the forthcoming elections.
"Ludlow agreed that they only wanted the new houses and would leave the old Domesday part with Ludford."
Councillor Parry said after a meeting between Shropshire Council and Ludford the smaller parish "decided to fight against it."
She added that a meeting was held last week at Shirehall where it was decided not to carry on but to look into all parishes in the county after the next 2025 elections.
"It was said that it would cause people who only pay £30 in this parish for band D for it to go up to £218 they would not be at all pleased," she said.
"As their councillor I agreed with them and was the only councillor that did."
