Wyre Forest District

Wyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. The district includes the towns of Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, along with several villages and surrounding rural areas. The district is named after the ancient woodland of Wyre Forest.

The neighbouring districts are Bromsgrove, Wychavon, Malvern Hills, Shropshire and South Staffordshire.

History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:
Bewdley Municipal Borough
Kidderminster Municipal Borough
Kidderminster Rural District
Stourport-on-Severn Urban District
The new district was named after the ancient woodland of Wyre Forest, much of which lies within the area.

Since 2011, Wyre Forest has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

Governance

Wyre Forest District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control
The council has been under Conservative majority control since the 2023 election.

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council is based at Wyre Forest House, which was purpose-built for the council and completed in 2012. The building is in the parish of Stourport-on-Severn, but lies on the outskirts of Kidderminster and has a Kidderminster postal address. Prior to 2012 the council was based at the Civic Centre on New Street in Stourport-on-Severn, which had been completed in 1966 for the old Stourport-on-Severn Urban District Council.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 33 councillors representing 12 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Wards 

The wards are:

 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

Wider politics
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.

Demography
In Wyre Forest, the population size has increased by 3.7%, from around 98,000 in 2011 to 101,600 in 2021.

Parishes 

The whole district is divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport-on-Severn take the style "town council".

Areley Kings
Bewdley (town)
Broome
Chaddesley Corbett
Churchill and Blakedown
Kidderminster (town)
Kidderminster Foreign
Ribbesford
Rock
Rushock
Stone
Stourport-on-Severn (town)
Upper Arley
Wilden
Wolverley and Cookley

Schools 

There are five secondary schools within the district.

Baxter College
The Bewdley School
Wolverley C E Secondary School
The Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre
King Charles I School

Media 
The Shuttle

See also 
Wyre Forest District Council elections

References

External links
 Official District Council web site.

 
Non-metropolitan districts of Worcestershire