The Shropshire Council meeting on 25 September 2025 was scheduled to cover a range of topics, including the SEND and AP Strategy 2025 – 2029 and Outcomes Framework, the Children's Social Care Ofsted Report and Next Steps, and proposed improvements to Bishop's Castle Arts and Leisure Centre. The council was also scheduled to discuss motions relating to carers, councillor allowances and fraud investigation.

Children's Services Ofsted Report

The council was scheduled to consider the recent Ofsted inspection of Shropshire's Children's Services, which achieved an overall rating of 'Outstanding'. Inspectors' comments included:

Children in Shropshire achieve positive outcomes and demonstrate measurable progress due to effective services that comprehensively address their needs and mitigate risks.

The report also noted that senior leaders had taken purposeful action to implement a wide range of evidence-based improvements across the service since the last inspection in February 2022, and particularly since a focused visit in November 2023.

The council was asked to acknowledge this achievement and the commitment to sustaining it. The report also noted that maintaining these high standards would help to avoid the risk of a future 'inadequate' or 'requires improvement' judgement, which could lead to significant additional spending requirements.

The report stated that a new Ambitions Board for Children in Shropshire is being established, which will be chaired by the Chief Executive, the Director of Children's Services, the Lead Member and attended by multi-agency senior leaders and specialised services.

Ofsted made two recommendations for improvement:

• Ensuring meaningful and sustained participation of children, care leavers and their families in the strategic planning, development and evaluation of services across all areas, including the fostering service.
• Strengthening the response to the emotional well-being and mental health needs of care leavers.

SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy

The council was scheduled to consider and approve the final draft of the SEND and AP Strategy 2025 – 2029 and adopt the Outcomes Framework as a 'live working document'. The SEND and AP Strategy is designed to support children, young people and their families to achieve their best life, and seeks to provide a coherent and consistent direction for practitioners, providers and partners who support them.

The strategy builds upon the previous strategy, national and local developments, plus feedback from children, young people, families and professionals. The Outcomes Framework aims to take a single, unified approach to improving outcomes for children and young people, including tracking impact across all the services that are part of the SEND and AP Area Partnership.

The report stated that the strategy and outcomes framework had been developed with, and is fully endorsed by, the Shropshire Parent and Carer Council (PACC), SEND Independent Advice Support Service (SENDIASS), alongside children, young people and families with lived experience, early years settings, schools, colleges, frontline practitioners, elected members, the voluntary and community sector, and the NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System.

The report also noted that several respondents to a public consultation felt more information was needed about how the outcomes would be monitored, and that some respondents noted the need to not confuse outcomes for the child and young person with those of the parent carer.

The strategy outlines seven system-wide priorities:

• Develop local, high quality, inclusive provision across the system.
• Enable early identification and the right help at the right time, including reducing waiting times for speech and language therapy and neurodiversity assessments.
• Enable children and young people to communicate confidently, contribute to decisions, and feel visible and valued members of their community.
• Develop a proactive, supportive and clear alternative provision offer.
• Develop a system that makes sense and works together, improving co-production, communication and engagement with families and professionals from all services.
• Develop a data informed and intelligence rich approach.
• Enable children and young people to feel visible and valued members of their community, ensuring they are supported to be as socially and economically independent as possible to achieve their next steps in life.

Bishop's Castle Arts and Leisure Centre

The council was asked to approve a programme of essential repairs and improvements to Bishop's Castle Arts and Leisure Centre (SpArC). The proposals included a project to decarbonise the facility and a second project to refurbish the pool, its plant and install easy access steps.

The total value of improvements was forecast to be £3.939 million, with funding from the following sources:

• £680,000 from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
• £2.454 million grant aid from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme¹
• £250,000 donation from the Bishop's Castle Trustees
• £505,000 from the council's capital repairs programme

The report stated that the result would reduce carbon emissions by 70%, reduce running costs and increase expected visitor numbers and income.

SpArC serves the communities of the many settlements which make up the large rural area in the southwest of the county, including Bishop's Castle, Clun and Chirbury. It shares a site with Bishop's Castle Community College and is centred around a 20 metre swimming pool, with later additions including a sports hall, fitness gym, arts studio, and gallery space.

The centre is currently heated by an aging oil-fired boiler, which is expensive to operate. The pool hall roof has been severely damaged by recent storms and needs repairs. The pool tank and pool plant also need substantial repairs and improvement.

The report stated that SpArC is well supported by its local community, with the Trustees having raised over £250,000 to provide enhancements to the site.

Motions

The council was scheduled to consider the following motions:

• A motion from Councillor Duncan Kerr, Group Leader - Green Group, to support the campaign by Carers UK to make having caring responsibilities a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act, and to treat carers in Shropshire as though they had a protected characteristic.
• A motion from Councillor Rosemary Dartnall, Group Leader - Labour Group, to cancel the proposed member allowance increase with immediate effect, in order to save £44,500 in the current financial year.
• A motion from Councillor Harry Hancock-Davies to establish a permanently dedicated and resourced Fraud Investigation Team, tasked with the detection, investigation, and recovery of monies lost through fraudulent activity.

Other Matters

The council was also scheduled to:

• Receive the Corporate Peer Challenge Report and Response.
• Consider A New Direction for Shropshire.
• Receive the report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority.
• Approve changes to committee membership.
• Consider public and member questions.