Shropshire
Main towns: There are six main towns, Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Newport, Bridgnorth and Ludlow.
Demographics: More than 60 per cent of the population administered by Shropshire County Council live in Shrewsbury and the market towns, which represents just 1.7 per cent of the area. The rest of the county consists of scattered villages and farms.
Less than 1 per cent of the population is from a black or ethnic minority background.
Many of the private companies are small. Shropshire County Council is the largest employer with 8,000 staff. Fourteen per cent of residents are self-employed compared with 10.2 per cent in the West Midlands.
The county is popular for retired people and this has coincided in recent years with an outward migration of young people. The number of people aged over 85 years is projected to increase by 33 per cent in the next 10 years. The number of children entering primary education is set to decrease by 12 per cent over the next five years.
The shire county and its districts were due to be replaced by a unitary authority on April 1, 2009. Telford and Wrekin became a unitary authority in 1998. The population
is forecast to grow to around 200,000 by 2026, with a 40 per cent increase in the existing housing stock, making it one of the 20 fastest growing boroughs in England.
About 5.2 per cent of the population is from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. The largest minority communities are Indian and Pakistani, though in recent years there has been an influx to the borough of migrant workers from Eastern Europe, mainly Poland.
The borough has historically had a young population, with 21 per cent aged
fifteen or less in 2006, against 19 per cent nationally. The older age population is expected to grow significantly by 2026, even faster than the national trend.
Deprivation is concentrated in South Telford new town estates of the ‘Radburn’ design such as Woodside, Brookside and Sutton Hill, which were built in the 1960s and 1970s.
The housing market in Woodside in particular almost suffered collapse in recent years, with house prices significantly below the national average.
Population: Shropshire has a population of 452,600 (280,000 in the area administered by Shropshire County Council). Pensioners make up an increasing proportion of residents.
Places of Interest: The county is essentially rural with almost one third designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. The Shropshire Hills cover about a quarter of the county, mainly in the south. The Wrekin is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the county. The River Seven, Britain’s longest river, runs through the county before passing into Worcestershire. Wenlock Edge is another significant geographical and geological landmark. Landlocked with an area of 1,346 square miles (3,490 km2), it is England's largest inland county.
House/Flat Prices: The average property price in Shropshire today is £241,000. The average price five years ago, in 2004, was £147,700.
Planning issues: Developers have submitted an outline planning application to North Shropshire District Council for permission to build a residential and commercial development at Heathwood Road, Higher Heath.
The plan includes 150 new homes, retail units and community facilities for the village in north Shropshire, near Whitchurch.
Plans have also been submitted for a new incinerator on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.
Veolia Environmental Services has submitted the application for the energy-from-waste facility it wants to build at Battlefield.
The facility is expected to generate enough power to supply electricity to 10,000 homes.