 The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 when the municipal borough of Shrewsbury was merged with Atcham Rural District, to form a new non-metropolitan district.This was initially called Shrewsbury, but was renamed Shrewsbury and Atcham on 12 June 1974 by the new council.In 2004, when the borough council moved to their new Guildhall, it was suggested that it revert its name to simply "Shrewsbury Borough Council" - this never happened though, as the borough covered a wide area of countryside beyond the town of Shrewsbury and many felt that it should keep its historical name too.