Shropshire Local is expanding its services to rural communities across Shropshire and in the south of the county by launching two further pilot schemes.
Shropshire Local Ludlow launched yesterday at Ludlow Library, and Shropshire Local Mobile will follow on.
Both schemes are aimed to make the council more accessible to people and make it easier for those in rural communities to find out more about local support services and how best to access them.
Shropshire Local Mobile will utilise the existing mobile library bus routes and will stop at specific rural locations across the county. The intention is to provide access to more remote and rural parts of the county without libraries or similar facilities, where residents may otherwise struggle to connect to council services.
Cecilia Motley, Cabinet Member for Communities, Place, Tourism and Transport said: “We know it’s so important for us to be as accessible as possible to our most rural communities. To respond to this challenge, we will be extending our Shropshire Local service by having Shropshire Local advisors at our Ludlow Library and on our mobile library vans in due course, to offer advice and information to those living in rural areas across the county.
“Shropshire Local will be visiting rural locations each week and will help put the council at the heart of our communities and helps us engage with more people.
“This will be a trial scheme and it’s hoped this will help the council reach more local people, make it easier for people to find out more about services provided by the council and its partners, and support them to access these.”
"As we develop the Shropshire Local programme we will look to include more locations in the next phase of our plans, and consider how we expand the service for wider reach into communities across the county. At a time when public sector finances are exceptionally stretched, our pilot stage will allow us to test the benefits of this approach, and how best to structure, equip and staff it, before taking it further. We therefore very much welcome customer views on the service as it develops.”
Shropshire Local Ludlow opening hours will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9.30am – 5pm.
Both schemes will run for 3 months after which Shropshire Council will review their use.
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