Month: <span>July 2014</span>

Although legal/practical access to the Wetlands was established earlier this year, a decade of lack of access/neglect meant that parts of the original paths around it had become overgrown and nettle infested.
Shropshire Council’s Outdoor Recreation dept recently arranged for a work party from the Probation Service to heavily strim and cut back vegetation around the site, and the route is now transformed, see pictures below.
 

A circular walk is now very easy, and further visits are planned through the year to uncover the original chipping paths.
The more people use the paths the clearer they will remain, so if you’ve not been before, why not try it now?
Maybe you’ll see some of its special wildlife, as below.
 

See Walk Leaflet 5 for how to get there from Wollerton – follow this LINK
 

Shropshire Council have announced their plans to implement the new Individual Electoral Registration (IER) scheme. In a post on the Shropshire Newsroom website published on Friday, July 18 they announced that during August the Electoral Registration Officer will write to approximately 230,000 people throughout Shropshire. The letter will explain that a new, more secure, system of Individual Electoral Registration is being introduced to replace the previous system where the ‘head of household’ registered everyone living in a property. Under IER each individual will be responsible for registering themselves.
The article states that many Shropshire residents will automatically move onto the new electoral register. However, some will need to take action to remain on it or to join, which they will now also be able to do for the first time by registering quickly and easily on-line. Residents who do not receive a letter during August should contact Shropshire Council’s electoral services team on 0345 678 9015 or by email.
Further information on the changes which have already begun to be implemented can be found here on the Government’s website. It explains that the new system is intended to help to tackle electoral fraud and improve confidence in the electoral register. The new system requires people to register quoting their date of birth and National Insurance number, which will then be checked against government records to verify that registrations are genuine.
Though not highlighted on the main web pages describing the new system, guidance to Local Authority Electoral Registration Officers states that people can either apply on-line or in writing and that councils can also choose to offer registration by phone or in person. (See page section 5.3 on page 35 of this document.)
Below is a Government video demonstrating the on-line registration procedure.