Malvern Hills District

Coordinates: 52°11′N 2°20′W / 52.18°N 2.34°W / 52.18; -2.34
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Malvern Hills District
Non-metropolitan district
Malvern, with its Priory church, is the district's largest settlement and its administrative centre
Malvern, with its Priory church, is the district's largest settlement and its administrative centre
Malvern Hills shown within Worcestershire and England
Malvern Hills shown within Worcestershire and England
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Non-metropolitan countyWorcestershire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQGreat Malvern
Incorporated1 April 1974 (current boundaries established 1 April 1998)
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyMalvern Hills District Council
 • MPsHarriett Baldwin
Area
 • Total222.8 sq mi (577.1 km2)
 • Rank66th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total79,973
 • Rank280th (of 296)
 • Density360/sq mi (140/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code47UC (ONS)
E07000235 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSO7645153913

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.

History[edit]

See also: History of Worcestershire

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.

Governance[edit]

Malvern Hills District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Barbara Jones-Williams,
Conservative
since 24 May 2023[7]
Tom Wells,
Independent
since 10 May 2022
Vic Allison
since 1 August 2020[8]
Structure
Seats31 councillors
Political groups
Administration (18)
  Independent (11)
  Green (7)
Other parties (13)
  Conservative (7)
  Liberal Democrats (3)
  MH Independents (3)
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.malvernhills.gov.uk

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]

Political control[edit]

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

Leadership[edit]

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

Composition[edit]

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.

Elections[edit]

See also: Malvern Hills District Council elections

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]

Premises[edit]

Council House (completed 1880), situated in Priory Park, Great Malvern

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]

Geography[edit]

Main article: Malvern Hills

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.

Malvern Hills in Hereford and Worcester, 1974–1998

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.

Towns and parishes[edit]

Further information: List of civil parishes in Worcestershire
Tenbury Wells, lying close to the border with Shropshire is the second largest town in the district
Upton-on-Severn, is the third-largest settlement in the district and lies close to the Gloucestershire border.

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:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Malvern Hills Local Authority (E07000235)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ^ "Worcestershire: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1972". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ^ "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1867, retrieved 11 February 2024
  6. ^ "The Malvern Hills (Parishes) Order 1986" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. ^ Calkin, Sarah (15 May 2020). "People moves: Districts confirm joint chiefs, Howe returns to local government". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  10. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  11. ^ Cosgrove, David (17 October 2014). "Malvern Hills and Wychavon Councils to share chief executive". Worcester News. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  12. ^ Barnett, Christian (9 July 2020). "Four councillors in Malvern quit Lib Dems over new leader's decision to leave administration". Worcester News. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  13. ^ Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (25 May 2023). "Greens and independents in charge of Malvern Hills District Council". Malvern Gazette. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Malvern Hills". BBC News Online. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  16. ^ "Council minutes". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  17. ^ Gibbons, Craig (10 August 2017). "Tributes paid to former Malvern Hills District Council leader Reg Farmer who died aged 88". Malvern Observer. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  18. ^ Banner, Tom (30 March 2022). "Malvern Hills District Council leader Sarah Rouse resigns". Malvern Gazette. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  19. ^ Banner, Tom (25 June 2021). "Malvern councillor quits Lib Dems and defects to ruling Independent group". Malvern Gazette. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  21. ^ "Your councillors by political grouping". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  22. ^ "The Malvern Hills (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2023/23, retrieved 11 February 2024
  23. ^ "Contact us". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  24. ^ Historic England. "The Council House (Grade II*) (1156369)". National Heritage List for England.
  25. ^ "Parish and Town Councils". Malvern Hills District Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

External links[edit]

52°11′N 2°20′W / 52.18°N 2.34°W / 52.18; -2.34

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