Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after a prominent hill to the west of Telford. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin", which remains part of the Shropshire ceremonial county and shares institutions such as the Fire and Rescue Service and Community Health with the rest the county.

The borough's major settlement is Telford, which was designated a new town in the 1960s and incorporated the towns of Dawley, Madeley, Oakengates, and Wellington. After the Telford conurbation, which includes the aforementioned towns, the next-largest settlement is Newport which is located in the northeast of the borough and is not part of the original new town of Telford. The borough borders Staffordshire, but is surrounded by the unitary district of Shropshire which covers the area previously administered by Shropshire County Council.

History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 covering the area of five former districts, plus a small part of a sixth:

The district was initially called "Wrekin", but during 1974 the council changed the name to "The Wrekin". A significant part of the new district was within the designated area of the Telford New Town, which had been initially designated in 1963 as Dawley New Town before being enlarged and renamed to Telford in 1968. The Telford Development Corporation existed alongside the elected councils until it was wound up in 1991, running various functions such as town planning which would otherwise have been council responsibilities.

On 1 April 1998, as a result of the Local Government Commission for England's review, the district became a unitary authority, independent from Shropshire County Council. On the same day the district's name was changed from "The Wrekin" to "Telford and Wrekin".

All of the council houses previously owned by Wrekin District Council and the subsequent Telford and Wrekin Council were transferred to a newly created housing association, the Wrekin Housing Trust, in 1999 which now owns the majority of social housing in Telford.

Telford and Wrekin applied unsuccessfully for city status in 2000. The district was granted borough status in 2002.

Wards

As of 2025, the borough is divided into 32 wards for the election of 54 councillors.

Admaston and Bratton Apley Castle Arleston Brookside Church Aston and Lilleshall College Dawley and Aqueduct Donnington Dothill Edgmond and Ercall Magna Ercall Hadley and Leegomery Haygate Horsehay and Lightmoor Ironbridge Gorge Ketley and Overdale Madeley and Sutton Hill Malinslee and Dawley Bank Muxton Newport North and West Newport South and East Oakengates and Ketley Bank Park Priorslee Shawbirch St Georges The Nedge Woodside Wrockwardine Wrockwardine Wood and Trench

Election history

Borough elections are held every 4 years.

Governance

Telford and Wrekin operates a cabinet-style council. It has 54 elected councillors who appoint the seven cabinet members, including the leader, each year. The cabinet members make decisions as a whole and meet every two weeks.

Telford and Wrekin is currently a Labour controlled council.

Policing

Telford and Wrekin is part of the West Mercia Police police area. The force is based in Worcester (outside Shropshire) and the borough's area is a Territorial Policing Unit in the force's organisation.

Towns, villages and other settlements

Map of civil parishes in Telford and Wrekin

The main towns of the borough are: Coalbrookdale, Dawley, Madeley, Newport, Oakengates, Telford and Wellington. The table below shows the civil parishes of the borough and their respective settlements:

#Civil parishSettlements in the parishPopulation
1ChetwyndChetwynd, Howle, Pickstock and Sambrook638
2Chetwynd Aston and WoodcoteChetwynd Aston, Pave Lane and Woodcote674
3Church AstonCheswell, Church Aston and Longford1,260
4Dawley HamletsAqueduct, Doseley, Horsehay, Lightmoor, Little Dawley and Spring Village8,008
5Donnington and MuxtonDonnington, Donnington Wood and Muxton13,950
6EdgmondAdeney and Edgmond2,033
7Ercall MagnaCold Hatton, Ellerdine, High Ercall, Osbaston, Roden and Rowton1,810
8Eyton upon the Weald MoorsEyton Upon The Weald MoorsN/A
9Great DawleyDawley and Malinslee12.134
10Hadley and LeegomeryApley Castle, Hadley and Leegomery16,188
11Hollinswood and RandlayHollinswood and Randlay6,132
12KetleyBeveley, Ketley and Red Lake5,270
13KynnersleyKynnersley300
14Lawley and OverdaleDawley Bank, Lawley, Newdale, Old Park and The Rock12,173
15LilleshallLilleshall and Pave Lane1,370
16MadeleyHill Top, Madeley, Sutton Hill and Woodside18,774
17NewportChetwynd End, Lower Bar and Newport12,922
18OakengatesBeveley, Hollyhurst, Ketley Bank, Oakengates and Wombridge9,012
19Preston upon the Weald MoorsKinley and Preston upon the Weald Moors204
20RodingtonIsombridge, Longdon-on-Tern and Rodington883
21St George's and PriorsleeCentral Park, Priorslee, Redhill, Snedshill and St George's12,372
22Stirchley and BrooksideBrookside and Stirchley10,446
23The GorgeCoalbrookdale, Coalport, Ironbridge, Jackfield, Preens Eddy and The Werps3,803
24Tibberton and CherringtonCherrington and Tibberton940
25Waters UptonCrudgington, Great Bolas and Waters Upton949
26WellingtonDothill, Shawbirch and Wellington22,881
27WrockwardineAdmaston, Allscott, Aston, Bratton, Leaton, Nash, Walcot and Wrockwardine4,182
28Wrockwardine Wood and TrenchTrench and Wrockwardine Wood5,642

Demography

Ethnic Group2001 census2011 census2021 census
Number%Number%Number%
White: Total150,01494.8%154,41592.7%163,63888.2%
White: British147,31493%149,096153,93683%
White: Irish1,061729723
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller––166203
White: Roma––––187
White: Other1,6394,4248,589
Asian or Asian British: Total5,1283.2%6,99110,0675.4%
Asian or Asian British: Indian2,6233,0764,559
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani1,5981%2,2433,368
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi98162207
Asian or Asian British: Chinese542647818
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian2678631,115
Black or Black British: Total9280.6%1,7795,3512.9%
Black or Black British: African2631,0233,962
Black or Black British: Caribbean567607748
Black or Black British: Other Black98149641
Mixed: Total1,7281.1%2,9834,844
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean9351,4232,083
Mixed: White and Black African108278676
Mixed: White and Asian4520.3%7991,315
Mixed: Other Mixed233483770
Other: Total5274731,643
Other: Arab––86–242
Other: Any other ethnic group5273871,401
Non-White: Total8,3115.2%12,2267.3%21,90511.8%
Total158,325100%166,641100%185,543100%

Economy

Telford Plaza in Telford Town Centre.
St Mary's Street in Newport

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Telford and Wrekin at current basic prices (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.

YearRegional gross value addedAgricultureIndustryServices
19951,76328865870
20002,072207731,279
20032,370218501,500

Freedom of the Borough

The following people, military units and organisations have received the Freedom of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin.

People

  • Iris Butler: 2002
  • Richie Woodhall: 2002
  • Lee Carter: 2005
  • Elizabeth Holt: 2008
  • Peter Gibbons: 2009
  • George Whyle: 2011
  • Corporal Ricky Fergusson: 2012
  • Mickey Bushell: 2014
  • Alan Olver: 2015
  • John Alfred David Gill: 2017
  • Liam Davies: 2023

Military units

Organisations

  • Telford Crisis Support: 11 June 2022
  • The Wrekin Housing Group

See also

External links