Stuart Anderson MP has welcomed the launch of a new community-led ‘road warden’ scheme in South Shropshire, hailing it as the kind of practical, local action he has been pressing for.
- Stuart Anderson MP launched his Road Safety Campaign in August 2024, urging key partners to take more action on road conditions.
- In August 2024, Stuart wrote to the Transport Secretary calling for the Government to prioritise rural roads in its Road Safety Strategy and for greater investment in rural road safety interventions.
- In February, Stuart met with Church Preen Parish Council and residents and discussed the benefits of the Road Warden Scheme.
- In March, Stuart wrote to Shropshire Council to express support for Shropshire Council’s adoption of an equivalent to Devon County Council’s ‘Road Warden Scheme’.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“I launched my Road Safety Campaign in August 2024 because residents were clear that our rural roads needed urgent attention. I urged key partners to take more action and wrote to the Transport Secretary calling for rural roads to be prioritised. After running numerous surveys and receiving consistent correspondence from constituents on this issue, I hosted a debate in Parliament to bring greater attention to the dire state of our roads. Residents in villages like Church Preen, Hughley and Kenley are fed up with potholes, blocked drains and delays to basic maintenance. I have met with this community and have been working with local parish councils to secure a Road Warden scheme for South Shropshire. This scheme puts local people in the driving seat to fix small problems fast, before they become big ones. I hope to see this rolled out to more parishes across South Shropshire once the pilot proves its worth. This road warden pilot is exactly the kind of practical, community-driven action we need.”
The pilot follows his visit to Church Preen to meet residents and the parish council, where this proposal was discussed. After similar conversations with Neen Sollars Parish Council, Stuart wrote to Shropshire Council on 18th March 2026 to request the adoption of the Road Warden Scheme in South Shropshire. He is delighted to see the pilot launched with Church Preen, Hughley & Kenley Parish Council, and looks forward to seeing this scheme rolled out to other communities.
In March, Stuart hosted a debate in Parliament titled ‘Road Conditions in Rural Areas’. As Stuart highlighted in Parliament, the concerns raised by residents are not limited to car damage or uncomfortable journeys, but extend to serious considerations of road safety. Communities have offered to help alleviate this situation by working within their area to take preventative measures to halt the spread of dangerous potholes and the deterioration of local roads. Stuart believes that this presents a golden opportunity for Shropshire Council to share the burden of minor repairs, bringing with it the potential to save a significant amount of money.
Stuart launched his Road Safety Campaign in August 2024, when he urged key partners including Shropshire Council and National Highways to take more action to tackle deteriorating road conditions. In the same month, Stuart called for the Government to prioritise rural roads in its Road Safety Strategy. In his letter to the Transport Secretary, he called for greater investment in rural road safety interventions to address the risks facing countryside communities. Stuart recently published the results of his latest pothole survey, where over 500 residents demonstrated the breadth and depth of the issue faced in South Shropshire.
The new pilot sees Shropshire Council working with Church Preen, Hughley & Kenley Parish Council to trial the scheme, based on the successful Devon Road Warden model. Trained local volunteers, coordinated by the parish council, will carry out low-risk activities including litter picking, sign cleaning, minor vegetation trimming, leaf clearance and reporting highway defects. In limited, approved circumstances, volunteers may also undertake very small pothole repairs on footways and quiet roads using cold lay materials. A key first priority is to ‘get the water off the roads’ by fixing ditches and drains to clear road surfaces, helping to prevent potholes and enabling maintenance work to be carried out.
Priorities have been identified through lane-by-lane surveys conducted by the parish council. The pilot will operate within a robust governance framework. Volunteers receive training, wear mandatory PPE, and work only within a tightly controlled scope. Activities involving live carriageways, working at height or power tools are not permitted unless specifically authorised. Residents can continue to report larger or safety-critical highway issues through Shropshire Council’s normal reporting channels, with parish road wardens acting as additional ‘eyes and ears’ at a local level.
Parishes that are interested in setting up their own road warden scheme should contact Shropshire Council.
