Independent Community & Health Concern

Last updated

Independent Health Concern
Leader Harry Grove[ citation needed ]
President Richard Taylor
Chairman Nigel Thomas
Founded27 January 2000 (2000-01-27)
HeadquartersStation Approach, Comberton Hill, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 1QX
Ideology Single-issue politics
National affiliation National Health Action Party
Colours Black
Worcestershire County Council [1]
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Wyre Forest District Council [2]
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Shropshire Council [3]
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Website
healthconcern.org.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Independent Community & Health Concern (formerly Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern), abbr.ICHC, is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom. The party was founded in 2000, having grown out of the campaign to restore the casualty unit at Kidderminster Hospital. Since 2015 it has successfully contested local elections within the Wyre Forest local government area, which includes Kidderminster. [4]

Contents

History

Richard Taylor

The party had one MP in the House of Commons, Richard Taylor, who won a surprise landslide victory in the 2001 general election standing for the Wyre Forest constituency, which includes Kidderminster. He was the only person not from a major party elected as an MP from an English constituency in the 2001 Parliament. [5] Health Concern benefited from a decision by the Liberal Democrats not to put up a candidate of their own.

Taylor was re-elected as member for Wyre Forest in the 2005 election, albeit with a considerably reduced majority. The party lost its only seat in the 2010 election to the Conservative candidate, Mark Garnier, by a margin of 2,643 votes; the Liberal Democrats did field a candidate in 2010 having not done so in 2001 and 2005, which may have contributed to Taylor's defeat.

Taylor was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2014, for services to Worcestershire, particularly Kidderminster Hospital.

Local government

ICHC is also active in local government. It is currently the major party in the Progressive Alliance coalition which is currently in control of Wyre Forest District Council after getting 8 seats in the 2019 election. Before the 2004 local elections it held 16 seats on Wyre Forest District Council, making it the largest party, but in those elections it lost half of these seats to the Conservative Party. [6] The 2005 local elections to Worcestershire County Council, held on the same day as the general election, also saw Health Concern perform poorly, losing five of its six seats. However, in the 2006 local elections for the district council, it held its own, making one net gain to take its representation from eight to nine. In the 2007 local elections its representation again increased, from nine to 10 members. The party then gradually lost seats on Wyre Forest District Council, with just 7 seats after the 2014 elections. [2]

After the May 2014 local elections, Health Concern lost two district seats, reducing the overall number to seven, but managed to gain control of Bewdley Town Council, taking seven of the 13 available seats, a gain of three. [7]

The party previously stood candidates for Shropshire Council, and had won seats, however it did not stand any candidates in the 2021 election. [3]

Organisation

According to the Electoral Commission's register of parties, its leader is Taylor, Peter Young is the nominating officer, Keith Robertson is treasurer, and Gerald Wheeler is campaigns officer. The party does have a formal membership. It had expenditure of about £12,000 and income of about £9,000 in the 2005 calendar year.[ citation needed ]

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Kidderminster is a market town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Birmingham and 12 miles (19 km) north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2021 census, it had a population of 57,400. The town is twinned with Husum, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bewdley</span> Human settlement in England

Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley, and is 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Kidderminster, 10 miles (16 km) North of Worcester and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the River Severn, at the gateway of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve, and at the time of the 2011 census had a population of 9,470. Bewdley is a popular tourist destination and is known for the Bewdley Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford, and the well preserved Georgian riverside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Taylor (British politician)</span> British politician (born 1934)

Richard Thomas Taylor, MBE, FRCP is an English medical doctor and politician. He served as an independent Member of Parliament for Wyre Forest between 2001 and 2010. He was co-leader of the National Health Action Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

Wyre Forest is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The current MP is Mark Garnier of the Conservative Party who was re-elected in the 2019 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyre Forest District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

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 1999 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.

The 2000 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2002 UK local government election

The 2002 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Wyre Forest District Council election</span>

The 2003 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> Election in Worcestershire, England

The 2004 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2003. The council stayed under no overall control, but with the Conservatives taking over as the largest party on the council from the Health Concern party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Wyre Forest District Council election</span>

The 2006 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2007 UK local government election

The 2007 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Wyre Forest District Council election</span>

The 2008 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Health Action Party</span> Political party in the UK

The National Health Action Party (NHA) is a political party in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidderminster Hospital</span> Hospital in Worcestershire, England

Kidderminster Hospital is an acute general hospital in Kidderminster in Worcestershire, England. It is managed by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2011 UK local government election

The 2011 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2012 UK local government election

The 2012 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Wyre Forest District Council election</span>

The 2014 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 22 May 2014 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2015 UK local government election

The 2015 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election after boundary changes reduced the number of seats by nine. The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Wyre Forest District Council election</span> 2023 English local election

The 2023 Wyre Forest District Council election took place on 4 May 2023, to elect all 33 members of Wyre Forest District Council in Worcestershire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.

References

  1. ↑ Keith Edkins (24 November 2013). "Local Council Political Compositions". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 BBC News (23 May 2014). "BBC News - Wyre Forest District Council". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 Shropshire Council Unitary results 6 May 2021 (updated 8 May 2021)
  4. ↑ "View registration - the Electoral Commission".
  5. ↑ "General Election results, 7 June 2001" (PDF). House of Commons library. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Wyre Forest council". BBC News Online . Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "ICHC Bewdley - Home". Archived from the original on 25 June 2014.
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