Issues and SWOT: Wyre Forest

strength

Connect Kidderminster through a completed park

Talbot Park has opened with play space and a town-centre route.

Proposed response: Maintain safe access and an inviting public space.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £825 a month (August 2026) in Wyre Forest council area. This is £634 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.2% in Lickhill to 27.7% in Blakebrook & Habberley South — a gap of 18.5 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Turn restored space into sustained activity

The Piano Building has opened, but that alone does not show full occupancy.

Proposed response: Track actual use and support viable tenants.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Wyre Forest council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.9% in Aggborough & Spennells to 7.1% in Areley Kings & Riverside — a gap of 2.2 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Provide homes on a central reused site

Lion Fields is seeking a partner for residential-led redevelopment.

Proposed response: Use the partnership to agree housing and access that meet local needs.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

25.3% of people in Wyre Forest council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 16.8% in Broadwaters to 34.4% in Bewdley & Rock — a gap of 17.6 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

26.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Wyre Forest council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 17.9% in Aggborough & Spennells to 25.5% in Areley Kings & Riverside — a gap of 7.6 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Wyre Forest council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 14.6% in Lickhill to 26.5% in Foley Park & Hoobrook — a gap of 11.9 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Keep procurement separate from housing delivery

Lion Fields’ June notice is a partner invitation.

Proposed response: Publish unresolved funding and planning stages.

Evidence