Wyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. It is named after the ancient woodland of Wyre Forest. The largest town is Kidderminster, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, along with several villages and surrounding rural areas.
The district borders Bromsgrove District to the east, Wychavon to the south-east, Malvern Hills District to the south-west, Shropshire to the north-west, and South Staffordshire to the north.
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. Wyre Forest District Council made headlines in June 2024 when it announced that it had banned bouncy castles on council-owned land because of insurance problems. Abolition Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Worcestershire, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district forming part of a new North Worcestershire unitary authority, also including the area of the Bromsgrove and Redditch districts.
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: (Put "Wyre Forest" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in control Years 1974–1976 1976–1979 1979–1996 1996–1999 1999–2002 2002–2002 2002–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2012 2012–2015 2015–2019 2019–2023 2023–present
Leadership The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:
Councillor Party From To Graham Smith 1974 1975 Malcolm Cooper 1975 1979 Anthony Batchelor 1979 May 1983 Graham Ballinger 1983 1984 Anthony Batchelor 1984 1985 Mike Oborski 1985 1986 Gilbert Edwards 1986 1989 Jamie Shaw 1989 1994 Jane Bonnick 1994 1996 Jamie Shaw 1996 1999 (no leader) 1999 2000 Mike Oborski 2000 15 May 2002 Liz Davies 15 May 2002 14 May 2003 Howard Martin 14 May 2003 2004 Stephen Clee 2004 May 2007 John Campion 16 May 2007 Mar 2014 Marcus Hart 2 Apr 2014 22 May 2019 Graham Ballinger 22 May 2019 12 May 2021 Helen Dyke 12 May 2021 May 2023 Marcus Hart 17 May 2023
Composition Following the 2023 election, and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2026, the composition of the council is:
The Green councillor sits in a group with seven of the eight independent councillors.
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 Stourport Civic Centre on New Street, 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 Television The area is served by the regional television programmes: BBC Midlands Today ITV News Central Radio Radio stations for the area are: BBC Hereford and Worcester Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sunshine Radio Radio Wyvern Newspapers Local newspaper that served the area is The Shuttle.
See also Wyre Forest District Council elections
References
External links Wyre Forest District Council