North Worcestershire (district)
North Worcestershire | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
 Redditch Interchange | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 52°18′25″N 1°56′29″W / 52.3069°N 1.9415°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Ceremonial county | Worcestershire |
| Incorporated | 1 April 2028 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | North Worcestershire Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 180.17 sq mi (466.65 km2) |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 293,445 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
North Worcestershire will be a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Worcestershire, England. It is planned to be formed on 1 April 2028, with the first elections taking place in May 2027.[1] The area includes the more urbanised northern part of Worcestershire near to the West Midlands metropolitan county.[2] The largest settlement will be Redditch[3] and it will also include Bromsgrove, Kidderminster and Stourport-on-Severn.[1][4] The area has a 2024 estimated population of 293,445.[5][6][7]
Formation
It will be formed from the existing Worcestershire districts of Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest.[8] Bromsgrove, Redditch and the Rubery area are currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished.[4] Bromsgrove and Redditch councils are considering the establishment of charter trustees to maintain civic identity.[9][10]
The district is being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country that have separate county councils and district councils will see those replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance.[11] A north/south split was backed by five of the six district councils in Worcestershire, with Worcestershire County Council's alternative proposal for a single unitary not being accepted.[12][13] The remainder of the county will form a new South Worcestershire authority.
Governance
It will be run by North Worcestershire Council, which will comprise 54 councillors.[14]
References
- 1 2 Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (16 July 2026). "Worcestershire will have two unitary councils from 2028". Worcester News.
- ↑ Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (17 July 2026). "The industrial north and rural south - why Worcestershire is being split in two". Worcester News.
- ↑ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Figure 1". Office for National Statistics.
- 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
- ↑ "Bromsgrove". City Population. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- ↑ "Redditch". City Population. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyre Forest". City Population. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation: decision letter to Leaders in Worcestershire" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Request for the Establishment of Charter Trustees for Bromsgrove" (PDF). Bromsgrove District Council.
- ↑ "Agenda item - Local Government Reorganisation: Future Local Governance in Redditch". Meetings and Agendas. 21 October 2025.
- ↑ Forsyth, Alex (16 July 2026). "New councils to be created in 14 areas of England in local government shake-up". BBC News.
- ↑ "Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Worcestershire". Gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- ↑ Edwards, Tom (16 July 2026). "Worcestershire to get two new councils in north-south split". BBC News.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation: implementation letter to Worcestershire chief executives" (PDF). Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Retrieved 31 July 2026.