Are you registered to vote?

On Thursday 2 May, there will be elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia and for Kidderminster Town Council.

If you have not already registered to vote and would like to have your say in the elections, you need to register by Tuesday 16 April.  It is quick and easy to do online.  Voters can also vote by post or proxy. Anyone can apply for a postal vote which allows you much greater flexibility about when you complete your ballot paper.  Anyone not already registered for a postal or proxy vote will need to complete an application form, which is available on our website. The deadline for new postal voting requests is 5pm on Wednesday 17 April.  For proxy votes it is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. 

Changes to voting by post and proxy

You can now apply online to vote by post and for some types of proxy vote. You also need to prove your identity when applying, by providing your National Insurance number.

The rules on who can hand in postal votes have changed. We are urging anyone with a postal vote to send it back in the post as soon as possible rather than handing it in at polling station.  For full information on the changes visit the electoral commission's website. 

Do you have Voter ID?

To vote in a polling station you will need to show photo ID. You may already have an acceptable form of photo ID like a passport, driving licence or blue badge. If you don't you can apply for a free voter ID document known as a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). The deadline for this is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. 

Electric vehicle charging points

Next month work is due to get underway installing almost 200 electric vehicle (EV) charging points in 22 of our car parks. Installing the chargers is part of our Climate Action and Carbon Reduction Plan. We are working with Flowbird Smart City UK and Opcharge UK, who are carrying out the work at no cost to the Council.  Flowbird will also pay the Council a fee which is linked to the number and types of chargers installed. All the details about the car parks where the chargers will be are on our website.

Food waste action week

We are supporting Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Waste Action Week campaign. This year, the campaign is encouraging everyone to, “Choose What You’ll Use” and buy fruit and vegetables loose instead of packaged. Research from Love Food Hate Waste has shown that we could reduce food waste by 60,000 tonnes just by buying loose fruit and veg! Research has found food waste makes up 35% of black bins in Worcestershire, of that 69% was avoidable and 43% still in its packaging! Food waste action week runs from 18 - 24 March. You can find more details on the website.

Sustainability session

If you would like to speak to somebody about how you become more sustainable, the Let’s Waste Less team from Worcestershire County Council is holding a drop-in session at Holy Trinity Church, Trimpley on Thursday 14 March, 4pm – 5pm. They can answer your greener living questions and will be giving advice on a wide range of topics including recycling, reusing and composting.

Great British Spring Clean

Have you joined our movement for a cleaner, greener Wyre Forest? Our Adopt a Street team of volunteers is working with us to litter pick streets across the district.

We will be taking part in the Great British Spring Clean, which runs from Friday 15 March until Sunday 31 March. The theme is ‘the environment belongs to everyone – protect it from #litterthatlastsalifetime.’ Litter picking is a simple action that anyone can do. It makes an immediate and visible difference to the environment where we live, work and play. Our rangers are running three litter picks on our reserves during the Spring Clean. Join in or find out how you can Adopt a Street or pledge to pick on our website.

Creating hedges for wildlife

If you have visited Burlish Top Nature Reserve lately you may have noticed our new traditionally laid hedge. It was created by our fantastic volunteer rangers and really opens up the view across Burlish Meadows. 

 The group had tutoring from an expert to create the ‘Midland Bullock’ hedge which allows native wildlife to thrive. The volunteers have also been creating a dead hedge habitat. This is around the wildlife pond located on the old landfill meadow at Burlish Meadow. Another haven for wildlife.

We are bringing the Piano building in Kidderminster town centre back into use. We acquired the Grade II listed building last month. We are transforming it into a mixed-use facility, including food and beverage spaces on the ground floor. The three upper floors will be repurposed to provide a mix of office, co-working and hybrid working space.

 It was funded through the Government's Levelling Up Fund (LUF) grant. The renovations are due to be completed by spring 2025.

Starter units

We now have a range of units available to let at Space at Hoo Farm Industrial Estate, Kidderminster.

There is a choice of modern workspaces to suit individual business needs including craft workshops, light industrial and production units and offices.

Free Wi-Fi, communal toilets, kitchen, shared meeting room and a compact reception area are included in the rent. Service fees and on-site parking are also included.

There are special introductory rates and flexible easy in - easy out terms. The council’s business support team can also provide access to business advice, coaching and grant funding.

For more information visit the Space at Hoo Farm website or email property@wyreforestdc.gov.uk.

Statement of Community Involvement

We want you to have your say on our new draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). It sets out how local communities will be involved at each stage of the planning process. The SCI identifies how and when people can be involved in planning applications and the Local Plan, including when the council is developing Supplementary Planning Documents and Conservation Area Character Appraisals.

The consultation ends on Tuesday 2 April at 5pm.