Shaun Davies, Member of Parliament for Telford, used a speech in Parliament recently to pay tribute to and highlight the hard work of several Telford organisations and individuals.
In the speech, which came in a debate on the contribution of New Towns, Shaun spoke about Telford’s history both as a New Town and before, stretching back to the Industrial Revolution. He gave credit to Marcus Keane of Telford Memories, Steve Bowers of Dawley Memories and Dennis Athersmith of Telford Ultimate Guide.
He then described the many ways in which Telford is a unique town today, in part thanks to its status and design as a New Town. For example, he cited Telford’s impressive housebuilding record and its high concentration of nature and green spaces, for which he credited Richard Shaw’s role in conservation of the town.
He drew attention to Telford’s status as a hospitable environment for business and manufacturing and gave Bridge Cheese and Besblock Ltd as examples of major employers who have made their homes in Telford.
He also spoke about the challenges Telford faces in the modern day, as a result of ageing population, housing stock and infrastructure, and under-investment in recent years. He praised the work of community groups such as Telford Crisis Support, Telford Community Support and the Anstice in Madeley, as well as Dan Blasczyk, in making Telford a thriving community in the modern day.
He called on the Government to pay attention to existing New Towns, in terms of both their needs from central Government and what they have to contribute to the Government’s housebuilding agenda. He asked the Minister for Housing, Matthew Pennycook MP, to meet with him or visit Telford.
Shaun Davies MP said: “Telford is a thriving New Town, and I am so proud to call it my home. It was a privilege to be able to give some recognition to a few of the people and groups who have helped make Telford great – I only wish I could have spoken for much longer and named about 30 more. Whilst the Governments quest to build more new towns, like ours, is a great move, I urge them not to forget about the pre-existing new towns who still need support to continue to grow – and I will work hard to make that happen for our town.”
