Action: Underdale and Monkmoor committee to meet

People living in the Underdale and Monkmoor areas of Shrewsbury will be able to say how they think the area could be improved when the new ‘Action: Underdale and Monkmoor’ local joint committee meets for the first time on Wednesday 14 May at The Wilfred Owen School. The meeting starts at 7.00pm, and all people living in the area are invited to attend.

'Action: Underdale and Monkmoor’ is a pilot series of meetings to be held four times over the next year. Each meeting will give people in the area a chance to meet with local councillors and get involved in decisions affecting their community.

The committee has a budget of £40,000 that can be spent on local issues over the next 12 months. People attending each meeting will be able to help decide what the money is spent on.

Miles Kenny, Shropshire County Councillor for Underdale, said: ”Underdale and Monkmoor are great places to live, and are areas that people are rightly proud of. We have one of the most modern primary schools in the region, a falling crime rate, great neighbours and the best outdoor skate park in the country. This new series of meetings will give people living in Underdale and Monkmoor a chance to celebrate what is great about the area, but also provide a very real chance to make the area even greater.”

Shirley Sambrook, Shropshire County Councillor for Monkmoor, said: “Action: Underdale and Monkmoor’ will give local people a chance to tell their local councillors how they think the local area could or should be enhanced, and how the committee should spend it budget. It will help to ensure that important decisions about the area are made locally, and will also allow us to keep local people up-to-date about the issues that are important to them.”

'Action: Underdale and Monkmoor’ is one of six new local committees set up by the Shropshire Council Implementation Executive following the success of five local committee pilots that have been meeting in Shropshire for the past year.

It is the first to be set up in the Shrewsbury area, and will replace the Underdale Neighbourhood Forum which has been meeting regularly for the past year.

The 'Action: Underdale and Monkmoor’ committee includes local councillors from Shropshire County Council and Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council.

Future meetings are due to be held on 10 September, 19 January and 12 March, all at The Wilfred Owen School.

6 May 2008