Malvern Hills District | |
---|---|
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | West Midlands |
Non-metropolitan county | Worcestershire |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Great Malvern |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974 (original boundaries) 1 April 1998 (current boundaries established) |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | Malvern Hills District Council |
• MPs | Harriett Baldwin |
Area | |
• Total | 222.8 sq mi (577.1 km2) |
• Rank | 66th (of 296) |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 81,024 |
• Rank | 280th (of 296) |
• Density | 360/sq mi (140/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
ONS code | 47UC (ONS) E07000235 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | SO7645153913 |
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Malvern, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn and a large rural area covering much of the western side of the county, including numerous villages. The district is named after the Malvern Hills, which are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The district was formed in 1974 and originally had significantly different boundaries; it initially also included Bromyard, Ledbury and surrounding areas, but excluded the Tenbury area. The current boundaries were adopted in 1998. In the 2021 census the population of the Malvern Hills district was 79,973.
The neighbouring districts are Wyre Forest, Wychavon, Worcester, Tewkesbury, Forest of Dean, Herefordshire and Shropshire.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, which also merged the former administrative counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire into a new county of Hereford and Worcester. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: [2]
The Bromyard and Ledbury rural districts had been part of Herefordshire prior to the 1974 reforms; the other three had been in Worcestershire. [3] The new district was named Malvern Hills after the range of hills which ran through the centre of the district. [4] Malvern Hills was one of two districts created in Hereford and Worcester which straddled the old county boundary, the other being Leominster District, created from five Herefordshire districts plus the Tenbury Rural District from Worcestershire. [2]
In 1998 the county of Hereford and Worcester was abolished, being split into a unitary authority of Herefordshire and a two-tier non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire. The parishes from Malvern Hills district which had been the rural districts of Bromyard and Ledbury prior to 1974 were transferred to the new Herefordshire authority, whilst the parishes which had been the old Tenbury Rural District were added to Malvern Hills District from the abolished Leominster District. [5] As such the boundary between Worcestershire and Herefordshire as re-established in 1998 is almost identical to the pre-1974 boundary, the only exception being a small area containing Park Wood which had been transferred from Mathon to West Malvern in 1986 and so went to Malvern District and Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire. [6] Following the boundary changes in 1998, the hills after which the district is named now lie principally along its western edges.
Malvern Hills District Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Vic Allison since 1 August 2020 [8] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 31 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 | |
Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern, WR14 3AF | |
Website | |
www |
Malvern Hills District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council. [9] The whole district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [10]
Since 2014 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouring Wychavon District Council. [11]
The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Since 2020 the administration has been a coalition of the independents and Greens. [12] [13]
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. A shadow authority was again elected in 1997 ahead of the significant district boundary changes which came into effect on 1 April 1998. Political control of the district council since 1974 has been as follows: [14] [15]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Independent | 1974–1987 | |
No overall control | 1987–1991 | |
Independent | 1991–1995 | |
No overall control | 1995–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
No overall control | 2019–present |
The leaders of the council since 2000 have been: [16]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reg Farmer [17] | Conservative | 2000 | 13 May 2003 | |
Tom Wells | Liberal Democrats | 13 May 2003 | 10 May 2005 | |
Diane Rayner | Liberal Democrats | 10 May 2005 | 6 May 2007 | |
Serena Croad | Conservative | 15 May 2007 | 21 Apr 2009 | |
Phillip Grove | Conservative | 23 Jun 2009 | 15 May 2012 | |
David Hughes | Conservative | 15 May 2012 | 10 May 2015 | |
Phillip Grove | Conservative | 19 May 2015 | 16 May 2017 | |
David Chambers | Conservative | 16 May 2017 | 14 May 2019 | |
Sarah Rouse [18] | Independent | 14 May 2019 | 28 Mar 2022 | |
Tom Wells [19] | Independent | 10 May 2022 |
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: [20]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Independent | 11 | |
Conservative | 7 | |
Green | 7 | |
Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
Malvern Hills Independents | 3 | |
Total | 31 |
The independents all sit together as the "Democratic Independent" group, which forms the council's administration with the Greens. [21] The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 31 councillors representing 18 wards, each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [22]
The council is based at the Council House on Avenue Road in Malvern. [23] It was built between 1874 and 1880 as a house. It later served as a school from 1909 until 1925, when it was bought by the former Malvern Urban District Council and converted to become their headquarters, passing to Malvern Hills District Council on its creation in 1974. [24]
The Malvern Hills themselves form the border between, and offer scenic views over, the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The district includes approximately half of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (prior to the 1998 alterations to its boundary, it covered most of the AONB). The district bounds onto the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire, as well as the Worcestershire districts of Wychavon, Worcester and Wyre Forest.
The River Teme is famous for its fishing and runs across the northern half of the district, from Tenbury Wells, to its confluence with the River Severn near Worcester, close to the site of the Battle of Worcester. Historically, the Teme Valley was famous for its orchards and hop yards, though these declined during the second half of the 20th century, with some revival since c. 2000. The River Severn forms the eastern boundary of the district (with Wychavon) between Stourport and Worcester, whilst to the south of Worcester the district includes parishes to the east of the Severn; the river is also popular with anglers and has public navigation rights.
The area has a significant spa heritage and Malvern water is bottled and distributed commercially worldwide. The spa buildings (The Pump Rooms) survive at Tenbury Wells and many free spring water sources are available to the public in and around Malvern. In the east of the district is Croome Court, a significant National Trust property.
The whole district is divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Malvern, Tenbury and Upton-upon-Severn have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". [25]
The parishes are:
Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.
The River Teme rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown, and flows southeast roughly forming the border between England and Wales for several miles through Knighton before entering England in the vicinity of Bucknell and continuing east to Ludlow in Shropshire. From there, it flows to the north of Tenbury Wells on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border on its way to join the River Severn south of Worcester. The whole of the River Teme was designated as an SSSI by English Nature in 1996.
Herefordshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. The largest towns are Evesham and Droitwich Spa; the council is based in the town of Pershore. The district also includes numerous villages and surrounding rural areas, and includes part of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The district's name references the Saxon Kingdom of Hwicce and the River Avon. The population in 2022 was 134,536.
Tenbury Wells is a market town and civil parish in the northwestern extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Its northern border adjoins Shropshire, and at the 2021 census joint with Burford it had a population of 5,224.
Leominster was a non-metropolitan district in Hereford and Worcester, England from 1974 to 1998. The council was based in the town of Leominster.
Leominster was a parliamentary constituency represented until 1707 in the House of Commons of England, then until 1801 in that of Great Britain, and finally until 2010, when it disappeared in boundary changes, in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
West Worcestershire is a constituency in Worcestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative. The constituency is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives, having been a marginal with the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2010. The constituency boundaries roughly correspond with the Malvern Hills District.
North Herefordshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ellie Chowns of the Green Party of England and Wales. It is the first Green seat in the West Midlands region.
The Worcestershire County Cricket League (WCL) is an English club cricket league, and consists of club teams primarily from Worcestershire and Herefordshire, several other clubs from bordering counties Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire, and Wales.
Worcestershire County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire in England. Its headquarters are at County Hall in Worcester, the county town. The council consists of 57 councillors and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party.
Ripple is a village and civil parish in the county of Worcestershire, England. Ripple is one of the most southerly parishes in the county and is situated on the A38 road with the River Severn as its western boundary. Besides Ripple, the parish contains the settlements of Holly Green, The Grove, Naunton, Ryall, Saxon's Lode, and Uckinghall. It had a combined population of 1,799 at the 2011 census.
Castle Frome is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 10 miles (16 km) north-east from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Bromyard, 5 miles (8 km) to the north. The Norman font in Castle Frome church is "one of the outstanding works of the Herefordshire school".
Felton is a small village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 7 miles (11 km) north-east from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest town is the market town of Bromyard, 6 miles (10 km) to the north-east.
Shelsley Beauchamp or Great Shelsley is a village and civil parish 9 miles (14 km) north west of Worcester, in the Malvern Hills district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 192. It is on the opposite bank of the River Teme to Shelsley Walsh. The parish touches Clifton upon Teme, Great Witley, Martley, Shelsley Kings and Shelsley Walsh. It shares a parish council with Shelsley Kings and Shelsley Walsh called the Shelsley Parish Council.
Linton is a civil parish in north-east of Herefordshire, England, and is approximately 14 miles (23 km) north-east from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest town is Bromyard, conjoined to the parish at the west. The parish includes the public open land of Bringsty Common at its north-east, and the hamlet of Linley Green.