Are you registered?

If you have not already registered to vote and would like to have your say in the General Election on Thursday 4 July, you need to register by Tuesday 18 June. Voters can also vote by post or proxy. Anyone can apply for a postal vote which allows you much greater flexibility around 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 19 June.  For proxy votes it is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. It is quick and easy to apply for all these things online via our General Election webpage.

Voter ID required

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 26 June. 

New Chairman of the Council

At Full Council on Wednesday 15 May, Councillor John Byng, was sworn in as the new Chairman of the Council. Cllr Byng who represents Wribbenhall and Arley ward, will attend a wide range of functions  on behalf of the the council. This includes community and charity events and formal openings. He will also chair council meetings and work throughout the year to raise money for his chosen charity, the British Heart Foundation.

Watch our meetings

During June we will be live webcasting the following meetings:

Thursday 6 June, Overview and scrutiny
Tuesday 11 June, Cabinet
Tuesday 18 June, Planning Committee

All meetings start at 6pm. If you can not watch live, recordings are available on our website.

Rangers Guided Walk

This month join the rangers for a guided walk through Burlish Top and Burlish Meadows! During the walk you can find out about the work they do, the species we protect, and our strategies for future conservation.

Meet at Burlish Meadows car park, The Kingsway, Stourport on Severn at 10am on Saturday 8 June. The walk will last approximately an hour and a half. Please dress comfortably and wear sturdy shoes suitable for walking. Let us know you're coming by completing the short form on our website.

Volunteers' week

This week is volunteers’ week and we are lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers who regularly give their time to give back to the community.  The week celebrates the amazing contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK. We will be sharing some of our volunteers’ stories on social media and highlighting how volunteering can also help you gain valuable new skills and experiences and boost your confidence.  You can read more about the volunteering opportunities with our rangers, Bewdley Museum and litter picking in the community on our website.

Adopt a Street – Franche Primary school

We are delighted to welcome Franche Primary School in Kidderminster to Adopt a Street. It is the first school in the district to sign up to our scheme which supports communities to reduce litter. More than 200 streets have now been adopted. If you would like to join in, let us know where you would like to adopt and we will provide you with the litter picking equipment, bags and health and safety information. The scheme is on top of our service and we are also creating a litter blitz squad to help tackle littering in the district.

Worcester Street update

We have appointed Shropshire based building and civil engineering contractors McPhillips (Wellington) Limited to transform the Worcester Street area of the town centre. The company was successful in a recent tender exercise to deliver our Connectivity Project, which will completely change the look and feel of Worcester Street and the surround public places. The project will connect this area of the town to where the Glades Leisure Centre used to be, and to the area adjacent to the Former Magistrates Court – currently being transformed into a new Creative Hub. 

Refurbishment of the Piano Building

A planning application to refurbish the Grade II listed Piano Building in Kidderminster into an attractive mixed-use facility has been submitted. The plans are for the creation of new food and beverage spaces on the ground floor and the re-purposing of the three upper floors to provide a mix of office, co-working and hybrid working space. The Council purchased the building in February. The proposals have been designed by Worcestershire based One Creative Ltd and will be developed and delivered by Malvern based company Speller Metcalfe.

New community fridge

Kidderminster has its first community fridge!

The aim of the fridge is to reduce food waste. It is located at St Peter’s Community Church in Birchen Coppice and is open Sunday from 9.30am -1pm, Monday 9.30am-12pm and Thursday 7pm-10pm. Food can be donated by individuals, food businesses and supermarkets and this food is then available to any members of the community to take.

The fridge project is a partnership between the area’s community champions, the district council and Worcestershire County Council’s teams in waste and public health.

I Grew up 80s

This is the last week of our highly successful ‘I grew up 80s’ exhibition which ends on Sunday 9 June. It has been the museum’s most successful exhibition date, with thousands of visitors enjoying reminiscing over this colourful decade.  Don’t miss your chance to step back to the 80s, pop along before Sunday.