Shrewsbury - Governance

Governance

The Borough of Shrewsbury's first Charter was granted by King Henry I allowing the collection of rents. King Richard I granted another early charter in 1189 and from that time the town’s regional importance and influence increased, as well as its autonomy from the county of Shropshire. Further charters were granted in 1199 (King John), 1495 (Henry VII), 1638 (Charles I), and 1685 (James II). In 1974 a charter from Queen Elizabeth II incorporated the Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for the new Shropshire Council, the unitary authority covering most of Shropshire (but does not include the Borough of Telford and Wrekin, a separate unitary authority area). Shropshire Council have their headquarters at The Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate, and the old Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council headquarters at The Guildhall, on Frankwell Quay, is now one of the many offices and customer service points around the county used by the council.

Shrewsbury is in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency and is the only large settlement in the constituency. At the most recent general election, in 2005, Daniel Kawczynski of the Conservative Party was elected with a majority of 1,808. Previous MPs for Shrewsbury have included former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.

Shrewsbury has been twinned with Zutphen in The Netherlands since 1977. The town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army's regional 143 (West Midlands) Brigade (as well as the 5th Division which disbanded in April 2012), having its administrative HQ at the Copthorne Barracks.