Councillors have warned of the dangers in not spending funds received through new developments.
Scrutiny members this week discussed the ongoing concerns of how funds delivered by developers as an incentive for new projects are not benefiting local authorities and leading to frustrations.
At the end of December 2017 the unitary authority had raised just over £17 million through the community infrastructure levy (CIL) since its introduction in 2012.
Other benefits include Section 106 agreements and the Government-funded New Homes Bonus (NHB)
Councillor Cecilia Motley warned: “The CIL has been an incentive to encourage particularly small areas to accept housing.
“But if they feel it is going to be of no benefit to them to help them with essential infrastructure in their areas they will batten down the hatches and opt out of clusters and then we won’t meet our housing targets.”
Councillor Gwilym Butler said the idea had been “sold” to local authorities, adding: “There has been a shift for communities to make themselves self reliant.
“Of course we provide statutory services, but it was all part of the Big Society idea to deal with austerity.”
Councillor Claire Wild, chairman of the Performance Management Scrutiny Committee, said communications between Shropshire Council and parish and town authorities must improve.
She continued: “We have got to communicate much better with town and parish councils over CIL and the place plans.
“We asked for that in May, but where there has been some talk there has got to be a lot more.”
Cllr Wild added that her views reflected those of the taskforce established to look at CIL, S106 and NHB, and that she would be willing to reiterate them to Cabinet at a future date.
Meanwhile, Councillor Roger Evans, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, called for great clarity of the policy.
He said: “I have been on the website and if one looks at the CIL income from 2012 to 2017 as members of the public can it shows we have collected £17 million.
“Further down it says we are going to be spending in in the communities where developments take place. But this is the big, big problem because there is a misinterpretation of parish councils in where it is being spent.
“There is a strategic requirement for it to be spent in the local plan area which is not always the same.”
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