Oswestry residents asked for ideas to improve town

Residents living in Oswestry are being asked to suggest ways that the town could be improved, ahead of the next meeting of the new Action: Oswestry Town local joint committee in September.

'Action: Oswestry Town' is a pilot series of meetings being held four times over the next year. Each meeting will give local people a chance to get involved in decisions affecting the area and to help decide how the committee spends its budget of £25,000.

At its first meeting, held last week (7 May), people had the chance to express their views about parking enforcement and speeding in Oswestry. There was also a general question and answer session, as well as updates from the Primary Care Trust and West Mercia Police on community safety issues.

Joyce Barrow, Shropshire County Councillor for Oswestry, who has been elected as chairman of the committee, said: “I was pleased to see so many people at our first meeting and would like to encourage more people, both young and old, to come our next meeting on 8 September.

“At each of our meetings we will discuss local matters that affect local people. I would therefore ask people or groups in the Oswestry town area to let us know what issues they think should be on the agenda for our next meeting, and what they would like us to spend our £25,000 to help make a difference to the area.

“Action: Oswestry Town has been set up to enable local people to have their say, so it is very important that people come along and get involved.

“I have already received some useful feedback about how we could make the meetings less formal, and I hope that we will achieve this at our next meeting.”

12 May 2008