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South Shropshire
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South Shropshire is a local government district in south west Shropshire, England.
South Shropshire is the most rural district of one of the UK's most rural counties, the population of the district is 40,000 spread out over 1,027 kmē of forest, mountains, moors, hills and poor quality farmland. It borders Powys in Mid Wales, which it closely resembles, economically, socially, culturally and historically. 65% of the district is part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Only the towns of Ludlow and Church Stretton have populations in excess of 3000. Other towns in the district are Clun, Bishop's Castle, Cleobury Mortimer and Craven Arms.
The district was formed by the merger of the rural districts of Clun and Bishop's Castle and Ludlow in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972.
The district and its council will be abolished on 1st April 2009 when the new Shropshire unitary authority is established, as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England.
Economics and DemographicsEconomically the district is largely dependent on tourism, partly due to the decline in the economic significance of farming and also the decline and subsequent end of local lead and coal mining industry. In addition to tourism, some light insustry does exist in the borough, in the Church Stretton area.
Some statistics for the local area suggest that wages are "low", but also that the rate of unemployment is below average.
Addionally, the local demographics show a large gap, speaking economically, between affluent residents and poorer communities, many of the affluent residents being people who have moved into the area from other places. This continues an older trend whose root was initially in the imbalance of wealth associated with the farming economy previously prevalent in the area.
GeographyThe District of South Shropshire covers an area of 1,028 square kilometres, or 397 square miles, which is roughly one third of the administrative county of Shropshire.
South Shropshire is a land of mountains, valleys, hills, moors, forests and low grade farmland. The landscape is often rugged, with crags and rock outcrops very common, especially in the west and around the Clee Hills, and was for the most part gouged by glaciers during the ice age. It contains a myriad of rock types, and is widely regarded as the geological capital of the UK, with Wenlock Edge being especially highly regarded by geologists.
See the Shropshire Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) for more about the natural geography of the area.
HistorySouth Shropshire is littered with ancient monuments, with Mitchells Fold on the Welsh border being the most notable, and there is evidence of Neolithic quarrying in the Apedale.
The area seems to have been settled by the Ordovicii people in the last millennium BC, and was a stronghold of the Celtic chieftain Caractacus (Caer Caradoc is named after him).
The area was probably part of the "Military" division of the Roman occupation and locals claim that the Romans mined lead in the North West of the district.
In the Early Middle Ages, the area was a battleground between the Welsh and the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia and Offa's Dyke, which is partially in the district, is a permanent reminder of the areas border status.
In the Middle Ages, Southern Shropshire was part of the Welsh Marches, a lawless area ruled by tyrannical feudal lords, who had de facto independence from the King.
It has been remarked that the attitude of the time lives on in the areas mistrust of outside control.
During the English Civil War the area was generally spared from fighting, although there was a small massacre at Hopton Castle.
During the Industrial Revolution, coal was mined around Clee Hill and lead was mined near the border with Wales, eg at Snailbeach. Church Stretton was a centre of textile manufacture and Ludlow thrived on the malting trade, while the rest of the area was populated by smallholders.
The economy of the area was fragile, and most industry in the area had collapsed by 1900.
PoliticsAt present in South Shropshire, the local council is controlled by the Conservative Party, with the second largest party being the Liberal Democrats. A number of independent politicians also hold seats in the council. The Labour Party no longer run candidates in elections within the district.
Results of the elections to South Shropshire District Council, 1 May 2003
| Party | Seats
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| Liberal Democrat and Progressive | 11
| | Conservative | 18
| | Independent | 4
| | Green | 1
| | Total | 34
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- Senior Councillors
- Council leader: Cecilia Mottley, C,
- Deputy leader: ?
Energy policyIn May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in South Shropshire produced the 13th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,156 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.
- See also: Energy efficiency in British housing.
Various Statistics| Population structure | % |
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| 0-4 | 5.2 | | 5-15 | 11.8 | | 16-19 | 5.1 | | 20-29 | 7.7 | | 30-44 | 19.5 | | 45-retirement age | 25.3 | | retirement age+ | 25.2 | | Level of Employment 2001: | % |
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| Managers etc. | 14.7 | | Professionals | 10.1 | | Assoc. professional/technical | 10.2 | | Admin and secretarial | 9.5 | | Skilled manual | 20.3 | | Personal service | 8.1 | | Sales and customer service | 5.7 | | Plant and machinery operatives | 8.4 | | Elementary occupations | 13.1 | | unemployed males | 2.5 | | unemployed females | 1.1 | | Employment by industry 2001: | % |
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| agriculture and forestry | 10.2 | | energy and water | 0.9 | | manufacturing | 14.1 | | construction | 8.2 | | services | 22.4 | | transport and communications | 4.5 | | finance | 11.8 | | public sector | 22.7 | | others | 5.1 | | Sundry statistics 2001: | % |
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| In-migrants 1991-2001 | 10.2 | | Visible minorities | 0.7 |
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