Chairman's report for 2024-2025

The end of April 2025 draws my sixth year as Chair to a close, and I am pleased to present my report.

The Parish of Rock is situated in the western part Wyre Forest District. It is the largest parish (14 square miles in area) and is said to be the second largest parish in England.

Its boundary is over 20 miles stretching from the Shropshire border at Dowles Brook in the north for some five miles to Clows Top.

Much of the Wyre Forest lies within the parish, as does the Forestry Commission's Visitor Centre, situated on the A456 at Longbank, a short distance from the boundary with Bewdley.

The parish name of Rock is said to have originated from the old spelling of the word ‘oak' which the forest once consisting mainly of this tree.

Much of the parish is over 500 feet above sea level, and a very small portion near Clows Top is over 700 feet.

The UK 2021 Census recorded Rock had a population of 2677 people, some 1330 Females and 1332 Males. Broken down further we have 416 under 18 year olds, 1405 people aged 18 to 64, and some 841 over 65 year olds.

So that sets the backdrop for us as a Parish. The Parish Council consists of 13 elected councillors, with diverse backgrounds in health services, manufacturing, local government, farming, education, law and law enforcement. We currently have two vacancies.

Some major events in 2024 of course were the D-Day landings commemorations in Normandy and the General Election in July. Sadly, wars continue in the Middle East and in Ukraine, with the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States playing central roles in trying to bring about ceasefires and hopefully some form of peacekeeping. We saw Paris host both the Olympics and Paralympics with the UK achieving magnificent results.

I am pleased to report that many residents have attended our meetings at The Sports Pavilion in Callow Hill, some to express their concerns, some to just observe.

The Parish Council has played a significant role in bringing about the traffic calming measures throughout the Parish. I would like to thank Councillor James Baker for his lead and with the support of Worcestershire Highways and Councillor Dan Morehead we have purchased 4 VAS (Vehicle Activated Speed) signs which are now in operation at key locations where speeding traffic is an issue. We have all experienced the significant affect the two VAS signs are having on the 30 mph stretch of the A456. My thanks to Stephen Clee (our Clerk) and Dan Johnson (our Lengthsman) who maintain the VAS signs on our behalf.

Rock Parish Council continues to thank our public service workers including our NHS staff, and also our local policing team, especially CSO Jeni Bray and PC Marc Ginder for their attendance at meetings and their monthly updates.

Also, we would like to thank our Worcestershire County Councillor, Dan Morehead for his attendance and support to the Parish throughout the year and thanks also to our Wyre Forest District Councillors, Emily Bourne and Nick Wilson, who continue to give support to the Parish.

Since April 2024 we have discussed, agreed to support, or recommended refusal of 51 planning applications, of which 33 were voted for approval. The Parish of Rock continues to be an attractive area for potential developers. We believe that our local housing needs have been met and so we strongly resist the proposed development of parcels of land listed as greenbelt or open-countryside. There remains strong resistance in the Parish for any further development of, or expansion of, caravan, camping, glamping, shepherd huts and other leisure parks as it is considered that there is already a preponderance of these already in existence. The agreed WFDC Local Plan forms the template for future planning in Wyre Forest District and Parish Councillors have received training and updates from the WFDC Planning Department regarding our responsibilities regarding planning issues. We are awaiting the publication of the latest WFDC Housing Needs Survey which will inform planning decisions over the next three years. However with the new Government there is widespread speculation that planning rules and regulations will be eased and so we await with trepidation further developments in the Parish.

When setting the annual budget for the Parish Council this year, we agreed that there should be a minimal increase in the precept and the monies received from WFDC, this is to cover the increasing costs to the Parish that need to be met.

The work of our lengthsman has continued throughout the year with tasks including grass cutting, drain clearance, road sign maintenance, grit bin top-ups, litter removal, fly-tipping removal, and much work that we don’t see or hear about.

Thanks must also be given to a host of volunteers, all parish residents, who continue to tackle the litter problem in the Parish. Their work is very much appreciated and they are keeping the Parish looking so splendid.

This year we awarded grants totalling £6000 to charitable associations within the Parish. We received eleven applications for support and we awarded £545.00 each to the following local organisations: Far Forest School PTA, Little Acorns, Rock and Far Forest Nursing Charity, Heightington Village Hall, Clows Top Village Hall, Far Forest Village Hall, Far Forest Baptist Church, Wyre Forest Nightstop, We Are Men United, Bliss Gate Village Fields, Rock and Far Forest Royal British Legion. We hope that these grants will help to continue the valued work they do for our residents and young people.

Finally, I want to say a public ‘thank you’ to all of our councillors who devote so much time to the parish representing all areas within the Parish of Rock. We currently have vacancies for two Parish Councillors so if you are interested please contact our Clerk, Stephen Clee.

I continue to pay tribute to our Parish Clerk, Stephen Clee, who has the unenviable task of managing the Council and its members. Stephen works tirelessly for the Parish and its communities. Thank you Stephen!

Finally, I sincerely hope that the year 2025-26 will bring a more settled world, and that the community of the Parish of Rock will remain a safe, caring community that we can all be proud of.

Cllr. Richard Williams
Chairman
Rock Parish Council, 31 March 2025