Use your vote

On Thursday (4 May) residents in Wyre Forest will go to the polls to have their say in local elections.

All 33 seats are up for election on Wyre Forest District Council. There are also contested elections for Bewdley Town Council and four of the six wards on Stourport-on-Severn Town Council. All other parish council elections are uncontested and candidates for seats on those parish councils, including two wards in Stourport-on-Severn Town Council, will automatically be elected.

Kidderminster Town Council elections will take place in May 2024.

The polling stations for the election will be open between 7am and 10pm. Please remember if you are voting in person you are now required to take photo ID.

If you have a postal vote please return it as soon as possible - we must receive it before 10pm on Thursday 4 May. If you do not post it in time you can hand in completed postal ballot packs to your normal polling station.

The count is taking place on Friday 5 May. Results will be announced live on Facebook and posted the council’s website.

Watch our meetings

Did you know you can watch our Full Council, Planning Committee and now Cabinet meetings online? Our streaming webpage lets you view the meetings from the comfort of your own home. The next Full Council meeting is taking place on Wednesday 17 May. This will be the first time all councillors elected on Thursday 4 May meet in a formal meeting.

Coronation fun

However you are celebrating the King Charles III Coronation on Saturday we hope you have a wonderful time. Thirty different organisations are benefiting from our Coronation Community Grant Fund. All sorts of events have been planned, from big screenings to tree planting and tea parties. We know there are going to be street parties taking place and you can find out about road closures on our temporary road closures webpage.

Bewdley Museum has a Big Coronation Picnic on Sunday 7 May. It is being held in conjunction with Bewdley Baptist Church and the Riverside Elim Church in the Green Theatre. 1pm-3pm, bring your own picnic and blanket and they will provide the music. On Monday 8 May Bewdley Concert Band will be playing at the museum between 1.30pm - 3.45pm.

Friends of Brinton Park are also holding a Big Lunch on Sunday 7 May. It runs from 12pm -7pm. There is live music, stalls, bouncy castle, competitions and more. They are also holding ‘The Big Help Out’ on Monday 8 May between 11am and 2.30pm. This is a fair for local community groups and businesses.

Friends of Springfield Park are holding a Coronation Picnic with entertainment on Monday 8 May from 11am until 4pm.

Splashpad opening

The splashpad in Brinton Park is reopening next Saturday (6 May) in time for the bank holiday weekend. Over the winter months we have carried out maintenance work, including repairing the floor. We have changed the opening times to 11am - 5pm. This is because we had feedback asking for it to be open for longer after schools finish. It will be closed between 2pm and 3pm for cleaning and safety checks. More details are available on our Brinton Park website.

SustFest

Sustfest is underway. This is a two week long event celebrating all things, “greener, happier and healthier”. It showcases organisations and businesses that support sustainability. From recording species at Bishops Wood to making paper, a spring clean and the chance to find out where your recycling goes, there is something for everyone. 

Work underway on Creative Hub

Work has started on site at the former Magistrates' Court in Kidderminster to transform it into a new Creative Hub.

The new Creative Hub will provide contemporary multi-functional arts and cultural development space, co-working and research space. It also includes a complete renovation and re-development of the public area on Worcester Street – Coronation Gardens - and the Worcester Cross.

International multi-disciplinary property and construction company, BAM, has been appointed to deliver the construction and engineering work which will bring the former Magistrates' Court back into use.

Great British Spring Clean

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Great British Spring Clean in March and April. Over the 16 day campaign 284 bags full of rubbish were collected by fantastic volunteers. Among those taking part were groups of litter pickers brought together by Keep Britain Tidy Ambassador Karen Blanchfield. She worked with 117 children and 37 adults from Wyre Forest Scout groups to collect 28 bags of litter. Their haul included car parts, wheelchair parts, toys, an air pistol and tyres!

Autism strategy

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Autism Partnership Boards (which include autistic people, carers, professionals from social care, health, public health, policing, support providers, and advocacy services) are working together to develop a new joint All-Age Autism Strategy. They would like to get your views on autistic residents' experiences of living in Herefordshire or Worcestershire.