52°06′50″N2°04′52″W / 52.114°N 2.081°W /52.114; -2.081
Wychavon District | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Evesham, the district's largest town | |
 Wychavon shown within Worcestershire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Non-metropolitan county | Worcestershire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Pershore |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Wychavon District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
| • MPs | Harriett Baldwin (Conservative) Chris Bloore (Labour) Nigel Huddleston (Conservative) |
| Area | |
• Total | 256.2 sq mi (663.5 km2) |
| • Rank | 50th(of 296) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 134,536[1] |
| • Rank | 176th(of 296) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 47UF (ONS) />E07000238 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SO9445346235 |
Wychavon (/ˈwɪtʃ.eɪvən/)[3] is alocal government district inWorcestershire, England. The largest towns therein areEvesham andDroitwich Spa; the council is based in the town ofPershore. The district also includes numerous villages and surrounding rural areas, and includes part of theCotswolds, a designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The district's name references theSaxon Kingdom ofHwicce and theRiver Avon. The population in 2022 was 134,536.
The neighbouring districts areMalvern Hills,Worcester,Wyre Forest,Bromsgrove,Redditch,Stratford-on-Avon,Cotswold, andTewkesbury.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[4]
The name Wychavon was coined for the new district. "Wych" phonetically recalls theSaxon Kingdom ofHwicce, and "Avon" is for theRiver Avon.[5]
Wychavon District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Vic Allison since 1 August 2020[7] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 43 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Pershore Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, WR10 1PT | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Wychavon District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byWorcestershire County Council.[8] The whole district is covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9]
Since 2014 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouringMalvern Hills District Council.[10]
.jpg)
The council has been underConservative majority control since 1999.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[11][12][13]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1983 | |
| No overall control | 1983–1987 | |
| Conservative | 1987–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–1999 | |
| Conservative | 1999–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1999 have been:[14]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Grantham[15] | Liberal Democrats | 9 May 1999 | ||
| Malcolm Meikle[16][17] | Conservative | May 1999 | May 2003 | |
| Martin Jennings | Conservative | May 2003 | 6 May 2007 | |
| Paul Middlebrough | Conservative | 22 May 2007 | 20 May 2015 | |
| Linda Robinson | Conservative | 20 May 2015 | Oct 2018 | |
| Bradley Thomas | Conservative | 7 Nov 2018 | 18 Oct 2023 | |
| Christopher Day | Conservative | 18 Oct 2023 | ||
Following the2023 election the composition of the council was:[18]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 29 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | |
| Green | 6 | |
| Labour | 1 | |
| Total | 43 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 43councillors representing 27wards, each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[19]
The council is based atPershore Civic Centre on Queen Elizabeth Drive, which was purpose-built for the council in 1991. The council also maintains offices in Droitwich and Evesham.[20]
The whole district is divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Broadway is apost town, but has not been declared a town by its parish council.[21] The Wychavon district includes the followingcivil parishes:
