Wyre Forest District
Wyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England, covering the towns of Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, and several civil parishes and their villages. Its council was previously based in Stourport-on-Severn, but moved to new purpose built offices on the outskirts of Kidderminster in 2012.[1]
Wyre Forest District | |
|---|---|
 Kidderminster, is the largest town in the district and its main administrative centre. | |
 Wyre Forest shown within Worcestershire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Non-metropolitan county | Worcestershire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Kidderminster |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Wyre Forest District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
| • MP | Mark Garnier |
| Area | |
| • Total | 75.4 sq mi (195.4 km2) |
| • Rank | 163rd (of 309) |
| Population (2021 Census) | |
| • Total | 101,600 |
| • Rank | 242nd (of 309) |
| • Density | 1,300/sq mi (520/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 98.2% White |
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 47UG (ONS) E07000239 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SO8264776847 |
| Website | www |
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974, as a merger of Bewdley and Kidderminster municipal boroughs, Stourport-on-Severn Urban District Council and Kidderminster Rural District Council.
Since 2011, Wyre Forest has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership along with neighbouring authorities Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Solihull and Tamworth.
In Wyre Forest, the population size has increased by 3.7%, from around 98,000 in 2011 to 101,600 in 2021.[2]
Governance
Wyre Forest District Council | |
|---|---|
| Leadership | |
Chief Executive | Ian Miller |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 33 Councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 2019 |
Next election | 2023 |
| Website | |
| https://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/ | |
The Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency, which covers most of the district, is represented by the Conservative MP Mark Garnier. He has held the seat since the 2010 general election, when he gained it from Richard Taylor of Health Concern, who had held the seat from 2001 to 2010.[3]
Elections to Wyre Forest District Council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the first election to the council in 1973 no party has held a majority on the council for most of the time, while the Conservatives, Labour and Health Concern have had periods in control. The Conservatives regained a majority at the last election in 2015. [4]
In 2019, the Conservatives lost 7 seats, while there were gains for ICHC, Independent and the Greens. Labour also lost one seat. The council is now run by an Independent-Liberal Democrat-ICHC coalition with the support of the single Green Party councillor.
Staff
Many of the council's staff are based at Wyre Forest House. The chief executive is Ian Miller.
Wards
The council is composed of 33 councillors, in 12 electoral wards of Wyre Forest.
- Aggborough & Spennells
- Areley Kings & Riverside
- Bewdley & Rock
- Blakebrook & Habberley South
- Broadwaters
- Foley Park & Hoobrook
- Franche & Habberley North
- Lickhill
- Mitton
- Offmore & Comberton
- Wribbenhall & Arley
- Wyre Forest Rural
Political make-up
Since 2019, elections are for the full council, with councillor having 4 year terms. The Progressive Alliance, a political grouping which includes Health Concern, Independent and the Green Party has minority control of the council after Liberal Democrats resigned from the group in 2021.[5] Until then, the Progressive Alliance had a majority control.
The council is controlled by the Progressive Alliance and led by independent councillor Helen Dyke.
| Year | Health Concern | Labour | Liberal Democrats | Green | Conservative | Liberal | UKIP | Independent | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2018 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||
Parishes
Schools
There are five secondary schools within the district.
Media
References
- "New £10.5m Wyre Forest District Council HQ to open its doors". The Shuttle. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- "How the population changed in Wyre Forest, Census 2021 - ONS". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- Klensch, Sabine (7 May 2010). "General election 2010: Tories gain Wyre Forest from independent Taylor". politics.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- "Wyre Forest Tories tighten grip on council". Evesham Journal. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- "Councillor Fran Oborski dropped as deputy leader of Wyre Forest District Council". Kidderminster Shuttle. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
