Annual Report 2024/2025

We have made exciting progress in growing our local economy and bringing new life to our towns. In early 2025, we opened The Old Court in Kidderminster. The former magistrates’ court has been beautifully restored to provide a new home for creative and digital industries. The surrounding public space has also been enhanced. This was made possible thanks to funding from the previous government’s Future High Streets Fund (FHSF).

Also funded through the FHSF is our connectivity project. We are creating an urban park at the top end of Worcester Street. The Step Entry is being replaced with a new green community space featuring winding, graduated steps connecting to the Bromsgrove Street car park.

We have started work to remodel the Piano Building in Kidderminster into a modern space for work and leisure. The surrounding area is also being updated to provide a performance space, supported by funding from the previous government’s Levelling Up Fund. We also made progress with the redevelopment of Lionfields (former Glades site) and the former Crown House site. We commissioned a feasibility study for these and other brownfield sites.

In Stourport, we have been working with the Town Council to help develop a long-term plan for a stronger town centre. We launched a survey to gather the views of local residents, businesses, community groups and visitors to help shape this future vision.

In Bridge Street, Stourport, we are exploring development options for the former temporary car park site. To move this forward, we removed the car parking order from the site.

We have been working with partners to improve skills and job opportunities. Upskill Worcestershire, Careers Worcestershire, and Building Brighter Futures all launched in 2024 to help local people gain the right skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Twenty residents gained practical digital skills through a new Digital Skills Pathway course.

We have also supported local businesses to grow. Programmes like BetaDen, Worcestershire Growth Hub, and business support initiatives funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund have helped local businesses thrive by offering advice, funding opportunities, and training. 

We are working smarter to make sure we can continue delivering the services that matter most. To do this, we need new income streams. We developed a new commercial strategy to help manage services and boost income.

We achieved record earnings from our garden waste and business waste services, as well as local roundabout advertising. Events such as the 80s exhibition and ABBA tribute concert at Bewdley Museum attracted thousands of visitors and generated a healthy profit.

Our nature reserves are wonderful assets, and we want more people to enjoy them. We created new site plans for all reserves, focusing on accessibility and visitor experience. Ranger projects have included adding benches, expanding wildlife habitats, and installing nest boxes to encourage biodiversity. When Storm Darragh hit in December 2024, it caused serious damage at Hurcott Nature Reserve. We worked quickly to make it safe and reopen it to the public. We have already started a replanting programme at Hurcott, to replace the trees lost to the storm with native varieties. We also planted more than 8,000 trees across the district.

We awarded the tender for our lottery-funded Brinton Park restoration project. Work on site was delayed due to highway amendments and on-site ecology issues, but we hope to begin as soon as possible this year.

Our Biodiversity Net Gain project is progressing well. It offers new ways for developers to protect and enhance nature by making financial contributions toward alternative sites. We are working with Staffordshire County Council, who will oversee land management arrangements in our area.

We have taken big steps to make our towns cleaner, safer, and more environmentally friendly.

We helped deliver 522 new homes, including 200 affordable homes. Planning approval was also granted for the Woven Oaks development for 1450 dwellings in Kidderminster. This will be the largest housing development in more than 40 years, with the first phase delivering 395 new homes.

We opened a new housing scheme, Millpond House, on Castle Road in Kidderminster. It offers 20 ensuite rooms for people needing short-term accommodation and the scheme was shortlisted for two regional awards.

We invested more in clearing litter with a dedicated blitz squad tackling hotspots, especially during the summer. Our Adopt a Street scheme has been a huge success, with volunteers committing to litter-pick an area at least three times a year. We provide training, equipment, and collection of rubbish. The scheme has been nominated for a national award for its strong community engagement and promotion of local pride.

We have tackled illegal parking with additional enforcement officers and awareness campaigns.

We secured over £16,000 for crime prevention projects to support community safety across the district.

We have introduced more inclusive play equipment and brought music back to our parks by supporting cultural events and activities. With our partners, we introduced initiatives like Park Yoga, volunteer fairs, and Older People’s Community Showcases to encourage participation and celebrate local groups.

Grant funding through the HUGS2 project enabled us to award £1,286,896 to upgrading 77 homes. It means homes that were not on the mains gas network, are now warmer and more energy efficient through the installation of 159 heating and insulation improvements. The majority of homes benefited from at least a 2-band uplift in their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. We also provided energy-saving advice and home visits to help residents reduce fuel bill costs.

Our Carbon Reduction Plan is underway, with energy-saving work being explored for key council buildings. We began a fleet electrification review in partnership with Community Housing to reduce vehicle emissions.

We are also planning to install electric vehicle charging points in car parks across all towns.Delays were caused by our original supplier but we are now working on a new procurement process.

We are proud of the progress we have made – and there is more to come. From transforming town centres to protecting nature and supporting our residents, we’re building a district that is full of opportunity.

Thank you to our staff, partners, volunteers and residents for working with us this year. Together, we are making Wyre Forest a safe, vibrant and clean place to live, work and visit.