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 was .
The neighbouring districts are Malvern Hills, Worcester, Wyre Forest, Bromsgrove, Redditch, Stratford-on-Avon, Cotswold, and Tewkesbury.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[1]
The name Wychavon was coined for the new district. "Wych" phonetically recalls the Saxon Kingdom of Hwicce, and "Avon" is for the River Avon.[2]
| Wychavon District Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Wychavon District Council logo.svg |
| Logo Res: | 220px |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Chair |
| Leader1: | George Duffy |
| Party1: | Conservative |
| Election1: | 15 May 2024[3] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Christopher Day |
| Party2: | Conservative |
| Election2: | 18 October 2023 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Vic Allison |
| Election3: | 1 August 2020[4] |
| Seats: | 43 councillors |
| Structure1 Res: | 200px |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Voting System1: | First past the post |
| Last Election1: | 4 May 2023 |
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
| Session Room: | Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore - geograph.org.uk - 4249465.jpg |
| Meeting Place: | Pershore Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, WR101PT |
Wychavon District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council.[5] The whole district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6]
Since 2014 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouring Wychavon District Council.[7]
The council has been under Conservative 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:[8] [9] [10]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1983 | ||
| 1983–1987 | ||
| 1987–1995 | ||
| 1995–1999 | ||
| 1999–present | ||
The leaders of the council since 1999 have been:[11]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Grantham[12] | 9 May 1999 | |||
| Malcolm Meikle[13] [14] | May 1999 | May 2003 | ||
| Martin Jennings | May 2003 | 6 May 2007 | ||
| Paul Middlebrough | 22 May 2007 | 20 May 2015 | ||
| Linda Robinson | 20 May 2015 | Oct 2018 | ||
| 7 Nov 2018 | 18 Oct 2023 | |||
| Christopher Day | 18 Oct 2023 | |||
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[15]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total | 43 | ||
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 43 councillors representing 27 wards, each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[16]
The council is based at Pershore Civic Centre on Queen Elizabeth Drive, which was purpose-built for the council in 1991. The council also maintains offices in Droitwich and Evesham.[17]
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 a post town, but has not been declared a town by its parish council.[18] The Wychavon district includes the following civil parishes: