MANY people in the county will breathe a sigh of relief that the number of households in Shropshire is only projected to grow by 16%, compared to an England average of 23%. That will protect our green fields and prevent over development of villages and market towns.

But these numbers also suggest that we are at risk of becoming a retirement county.

Only one quarter of Shropshire’s households have any children at the moment (25%). That’s going to drop to just above a fifth by 2039 (22%). Other statistics suggest that one-third of Shropshire residents will be aged 65 or over by 2039, up from 23% now.

Over the next 20 years, it looks like many towns and villages in Shropshire will be drifting towards becoming retirement settlements. That means that many rural schools will have to close. We also will struggle to provide older people with the health and care services that we need.

What worries me most is that our county could soon be approaching a tipping point. We could be a county that becomes dominated by retirement and servicing of retirement needs.

I don’t want to put off retired people moving to Shropshire. Around the county, so many older people work flat out for charities, communities and good causes. But we really need to think about what kind of county we want to be in 20 or 30 years’ time.

I hope we will be an economically dynamic county. A county where we have enough affordable housing for young people. A county that inspires and support young entrepreneurs.

This is a big ask. I am not certain that we have the right planning and economic policies in place in Shropshire to achieve that.