KIDDERMINSTER REGENERATION PLAN

5.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 1st Jun 2008

A DISCUSSION DOCUMENT FROM THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AND LIBERAL PARTY

Prepared by Neville Farmer, Prospective Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Cllr Helen Dyke (Lib Dem), Cllr Fran Oborski (Lib), Cllr Mike Price (Lib) and members of the Liberal and Liberal Democrat Parties of Wyre Forest

MAY 2008

1. INTRODUCTION

2. ROAD AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

3. JOBS AND INDUSTRY

4. THE ENVIRONMENT

5. KIDDERMINSTER TOWN CENTRE - A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

6. HOUSING

7. COMMUNITY PROJECTS

8. SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED

9. YOUTH FACILITIES

10. ENTERTAINMENT AND HERITAGE

1. INTRODUCTION

As part of the Shuttle and Council's Plan For Kidderminster, the Liberal Democrats and Liberal Party of Wyre Forest would like to put forward a few ideas that we feel would benefit the town. Some of these match the thoughts of the readers who have already contributed to the Shuttle's website and some are in line with the plans of the council. The aim of this document is to outline a unified plan in which different projects would help boost each other and thereby make Kidderminster a more successful, dynamic and attractive place to live and work and visit. In the past, Kidderminster's piecemeal development has meant one good idea has often blighted another, leading us up planning blind alleys like the Ring Road or the re-phasing of development in Weavers Wharf. If Kidderminster is truly to benefit from regeneration, it has to be considered in a more "holistic" way.

For instance, shoppers who could buy everything they need in Kidderminster go to Merry Hill because they can make it an all-day experience for the family - shopping, food, films, fun. Kidderminster could be a really attractive shopping environment if it created an attractive experience for the customer - easy access, lots to do, plenty of choice, a pleasant atmosphere. That means more than just attracting a couple of upscale chains to the town or expanding the car parks.

Similarly, attracting diverse business that would bring a worthwhile and extensive range of jobs to Kidderminster requires, for instance, careful thought about transport. Will the British Sugar site make a suitable technology and light industry park when it already takes 40 minutes to get through Foley Park or Stourport during the rush hour? If not, what do we do about transport and roads? And do we have sufficient family housing to support a new and expanding working community in that area? And do our young people in that part of town get the education and life opportunities to make them suitable candidates for careers on that site?

This document also recognises the vital role than community spirit must play if Kidderminster is to rebuild itself. The loss of 18,000 carpet jobs during the 1980s shattered a community bound together by a single industry. But we have a new target in Kidderminster; to work together to make it a place that people would love to live in. Again, the "joined-up" approach is vital. We cannot expect the police to deal with youth crime and anti-social behaviour if we do not find ways to engage with the young people of the town. We cannot expect kids to behave if we don't give them positive outlets for their fantastic energy. We cannot expect the different generations of Kidderminster residents to understand each other if they never interact.

If there's something of Kidderminster's past we really need to revive, it's the sense of belonging to the community that our industries and businesses should display. Brintons Park is a fine example of a local business providing a great facility for its workers. It's a beautiful park and sets an example for Kidderminster's commercial sector. There remain a few fine sports fields, supplied by local businesses, as well but several generations on, will Kidderminster business sector step up to the plate and help regenerate the community in ways that go beyond providing low-wage jobs? This document also sets out some ideas for engaging Kidderminster's businesses in community events that will help to bring the community together and will raise the morale of the town.

We hope that Wyre Forest District Council accepts these ideas as a positive contribution to the regeneration project and will consider them seriously. If we can help make them a reality, we will be glad to help.

2. ROADS AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Road Surfaces - If the County Council aren't willing to come up with an effective plan to address the quality of roads in Kidderminster, why don't we design one and present it to them? Why don't we work as a community to provide a town survey on the state of roads that will tell the County what we want, rather than leave it to the vested interests of the county officers and their sub-contractors? After all, we pay for them.

Traffic Calming and Home Zones - Speed humps are crude and archaic forms of traffic calming that slow traffic but damage cars and do nothing for pedestrians or residents. Kidderminster's older side streets have narrow pavements introduced in the days when the car was king. We think it's time those residential streets were given back to the residents.

Although there has been resistance to 20 mph zones around school entrances, such zones are working effectively across the country and are found not to impede traffic flows, at all. Called Home Zones, they give the streets back to the residents, widening pavements and using vehicle triggered speed signs and more sensibly built speed humps where necessary.

Although 20 mph limits might seem slow, most drivers don't exceed that speed along narrow roads and heavy traffic usually travels slower. But the deterrence of 20 mph zones to speeding drivers makes the streets safer and quieter for residents and especially children. National surveys have proven that such home zones have no negative effect on traffic flow in adjacent main roads, as well. We propose looking at such zones for a number of areas of Kidderminster, including between Park Street and the hospital, much of the Greenhill area, areas around Foley Park and Sutton Park and a number of the other housing estates around the town. Twenty Is Plenty!

Pedestrian considerations - We hope the layout of the new Morrisons car park is going to be more pedestrian friendly than Tesco's. The whole Tesco car park area and access to it from the town centre end of New Street is awkward. Drivers have complained about people crossing in the wrong places but that's because the crossings are in the wrong place for pedestrian traffic flows. A pedestrian-prioritised approach to planning needs to be adopted. This should include wider pavements on many of the town's older streets.

All of Kidderminster's underpasses are unpopular, especially with women and the elderly. We should seek to remove them wherever possible.

Parking (On street and residential) - There is a culture of parking on curbs in Kidderminster which is costing us a lot of tax money and is diverting funds from fixing the roads. But there is no legislation to stop it other than if it blocks the pavement for a passing mobility buggy. On those streets that are too narrow for double parking, let's get the County Council to restrict parking to one side and ban parking on curbs.

There are several areas of town that are blighted by commuter and shopping parking because people don't want to pay for car parks. Residents' Parking permits are common across the country but not in Kidderminster. The District Council offers them in Bewdley to cover some off-road parking places but it's had a mixed reception and does not apply to on-street parking, which is the County's responsibility. If Worcestershire County Council wants to impose such a scheme, it should ensure that 1. people want it and 2. adequate consideration is made for business people and family visitors.

Parking (Car Parks and off-street) - Contrary to popular belief, there is sufficient parking space in Kidderminster. The problem is the way it is sited and signposted and the access from some of that parking to the town centre. Once again, Kidderminster has done things backwards and, like its ring road, built a large out-of-town shopping centre right in its heart, along with acres of tarmac to suit the customers. Yet less than a few hundred metres away is a town centre which is crying out for business. We believe we should resist the urge to expand car parking but to encourage drivers to use Blackwell Street, Bromsgrove Street, Aggborough and the Station.

Blackwell Street is already cheaper than Weaver's Wharf but we need to negotiate more shopper-friendly pricing schemes for the station and SVR car parks and to install electronic signage at the car parks around town to indicate where there are plenty of spaces elsewhere.

The Ring Road - The Ring Road (well, half of one) smack in the middle of town was a classic piece of 60s planning stupidity but we're stuck with it so there's no point wishing ourselves back 45 years. And there's equally no point trying to complete the circle as it would destroy large areas of the town to no traffic flow benefit. However, there are parts of the road that could be improved with better junctions - especially at the Horsefair and at the bottom of Park Butts.

The Horsefair is the only part of Kidderminster that fails EU air pollution standards and a relief road needs to be considered urgently whether or not the single site for council offices is built there.

The junction between the Butts, the Bullring and Crossley Retail Park is a nightmare for anyone who doesn't know the area. It's also extremely difficult to get out of Crossley Retail Park on a busy day, which deters shoppers from using it. There are a number of suggested relief plans for this and they need addressing urgently.

The Comberton Hill sunken roundabout is a major blockage to pedestrians who are scared to use the underpasses. We suggest EITHER filling it in and creating proper pedestrian crossings at ground level OR turning it into a comfortable amphitheatre style seating area with a central performance space and clean public toilets. It might make a suitable picnic space for lunches.

Town Gateways - Entering Kidderminster is not an exciting or enticing experience. We suggest the commissioning of large, colourful public installations, promoting the town's assets and heritage, created by local artists in conjunction with the schools closest to each gateway (e.g. King Charles on the Bromsgrove Rd and Baxter College on the Bridgenorth Rd).

Buses - There seems to be a clash of wills between the council and the local bus companies, notably First, who's old and disabled-unfriendly buses show disdain for the people of Kidderminster. However, the fact that the County Council only subsidises major bus routes makes it hard for bus companies to create a viable service. A reliable, affordable bus network reduces council costs for road-building and repairs, car-parking, traffic management and air pollution. We believe that Wyre Forest and the County Council needs to engage in serious discussions with all the bus services to work out a more effective way of attracting customers to the buses. For a start, later buses to outlying areas will encourage workers to use them and modern, low-entry buses would make them more attractive to disabled and elderly passengers.

Trains - We should entreat Chiltern Railways to extend their brief daily schedule of direct trains between Kidderminster and London. The current limited morning-out-evening-back service is fine for commuters from Kidderminster but a regular service through the day would attract visitors and business from across the country, including to the Severn Valley Railway. This is vital to Kidderminster's status in the nation. Accessibility means business and jobs.

The Severn Valley Railway might be a private company but it was built by thousands of local volunteers and has just received massive taxpayer funding. So, perhaps it should get involved in helping reduce local traffic congestion by running a light rail commuter shuttle service between Bewdley, the old halt at Foley Park and Kidderminster Town. Parry People Movers Ltd of Cradley Heath make superb hydrogen cell light rail vehicles in appropriate traditional styles, which are very low noise and environmentally friendly. With the development of the British Sugar site, the former Romwire site and Finepoint Business Park, there should be plenty of additional commuter traffic to Foley Park. It would take motor traffic away from the Stourport Road and could link with mainline commuter trains to help the residents of Bewdley. It would also make money and need not clash with the SVR's traditional schedule. If it is a success, perhaps additional stops could be added along the SVR route during times when the SVR is running a reduced schedule, reducing commuter traffic from some rural areas. If it proves to be really successful, it could even operate as a tram down Comberton Hill and into the town centre, as one Shuttle reader suggested.

3. JOBS AND INDUSTRY

As written in the Shuttle a few weeks ago, the influx of retail jobs to Kidderminster is not the basis for a secure future, especially as many of those jobs are poorly paid and lacking prospects. The elements which will attract new business to Kidderminster are accessibility to markets, good business property with high speed on-line access, a well-educated local workforce and a place the senior directors will want to live. We feel that there is no problem with the latter two but the other issues need consideration.

Accessibility To Markets - This is a problem for Kidderminster that has led to loss of business. Things can be improved with better rail links (see above) and better road links. As Stourport Road is the main industrial site for the area, we feel that the Stourport relief road should be reconsidered but we would suggest rethinking the link road from the British Sugar site to Hoo Road as that's just attracting traffic to another bottle neck and a residential area. Most of the relief road proposals to date have been aimed more at cars than freight. To attract more business, Stourport Road needs a link that will get freight to the M5 reliably and quickly. In the next few years it is also likely that more freight will be carried by rail. Although they belong to the SVR, perhaps the sidings on the British Sugar site should be considered as a future freight drop off point as part of the national rail freight network that is in the early stages of planning.

Business Properties - There are plenty of good business properties available all over the area, including offices in the town centre and light and heavy industrial sites along the Stourport Road and Worcester Road. We believe the Easter Park site was ill-considered as it will only increase traffic through Summerfield and has done little for the residents at the edge of Spennells. This site and the Finepoint Business Park seem to have been built without any guarantee that they will attract business. Before the British Sugar site is developed, there should be closer consultation to decide what Wyre Forest and the business sector actually need.

There are several technology-based companies working in Kidderminster and it would be wise to consult with them on ways of improving the area's access to the global digital highway to give firms in the area a truly global reach.

4. THE ENVIRONMENT

Waste Disposal - The fortnightly collections of rubbish in Wyre Forest might not be popular, but they are going to become the norm nationwide. However, one of the reasons two weeks seems so long is the quantity of packaging we have to cart home from the supermarkets. Much of this is unnecessary, including meat trays and fruit trays, which could both be replaced with lightweight bags. We would like Kidderminster's supermarkets to reduce the quantity of unnecessary packaging (not just by charging for carrier bags), to promote their loose produce, and to provide packaging depositories outside all of their exits, so that customers can get rid of their rubbish before they even get it home.

The supermarkets should also work with their suppliers to package goods in recyclable materials that can be handled by local recycling systems. There are a number of products that Wyre Forest's recyclers will not accept and supermarket packaging should reflect this.

Although there are merits to kerb-side sorting of recyclable goods, Wyre Forest's recycling teams quite often leave rubbish scattered on the street after they've visited. The council needs to keep the pressure on to ensure best practice. We understand that the council is to change this system to sorting at the recycling plant. We would like to ensure that this system provides quality recycling with a minimum of long-distance shipping of recyclable materials (e.g. plastic bottles to China).

There are also problems with some of the recycling boxes provided by the council. Because they have loose lids they often blow off on windy days, leaving rubbish scattered everywhere. A box with a clip lid would make more sense.

Street Cleaning - The gutter clearing schedule tried in some parts of town is a good idea and should be more widely spread to give cleaner streets and less flooding of drains.

Green Spaces - Some of the best green spaces and nature reserves in the area are being spoiled by too many cars and people not taking care of their dogs. Habberley Valley and Burlish Top need better consideration from the public and restrictions on vehicular access.

Trees - Kidderminster has a vast collection of trees in its parks, public gardens, open spaces and avenues but many of them are vandalised each year. Although we have a new arboriculturalist, there is no way he has the resources to adequately monitor our precious tree stock. We propose a scheme with kids, schools and parents to sponsor trees throughout Wyre Forest. For a small fee, children would have a tree named after them, registered on the map at the Council offices. They would then have a responsibility to identify the type of tree, to report regularly on the status of the tree to the Tree Officer and to learn to have pride in their environment through this responsibility. We suggest that children who receive free school dinners should be allowed to sponsor a tree for free and that others pay only a nominal sum to encourage maximum uptake.

Dog Mess - It's sensible that you can now use all bins for dog mess if placed in a plastic bag. We suggest that the local supermarkets and pet shops work with the council to provide free poop scoops with dog-related purchases and boxes of the bags supermarkets currently used on their fresh produce departments to encourage better behaviour from our dog owners.

5. KIDDERMINSTER TOWN CENTRE - A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Kidderminster needs to offer visitors an all-round shopping experience with good retailers of all kinds, easy access and plenty of good food and entertainment to complete their day. That needs a broader-minded approach.

Wyre Forest definitely needs to take back control of the planning of Kidderminster's town centre. In the last few years, superstores and supermarkets have dictated planning policy and ridden roughshod over any ideas that might benefit the community. The employment of Jackie Roberts as Town Centre Manager is a good step in the right direction, but she needs masses of resources and support from the council and local businesses.

Retail Choice - Attracting new and varied retailers is going to require a different attitude from the town's landlords. The number of charity shops and pound stores on Coventry Street and Worcester Street is an indication of the lack of businesses seeing Kidderminster's rates and rent as being viable. But the number of large chains in Weavers Wharf and Crossley Retail Park prove that people in the area will spend money. So clearly, drawing people into the Town Centre and away from their cars is key to reviving the town.

In addition, most of the empty units are too large. Many of them are owned by huge pension funds that have little care for Kidderminster's needs. We need to promote their redevelopment as small units to attract independent businesses and to seek better rent agreements for new businesses.

The street market gets a mixed reception, especially from main retailers who say the stalls block their shops, but it also attracts custom. We recommend restricting stalls to one side of the street, further away from shop fronts and slightly wider spaced, so people can access the shops. We also believe the market could attract a lot more people to the town centre if it offered more food stalls (see below).

We also favour a full covered market as Kidderminster always used to have. The suggestion has been made to extend this through the old Marks and Spencers Building on the High Street to the Rowland Hill courtyard beyond, but this is a commercial idea that has not found favour with stallholders so far. This needs constructive discussion with the market management.

Access - (see also car parks section above)

We should bring in Park Mobility electric buggy services for the elderly and disabled from a central drop off point in, say, the Aldi car park. We should also Install escalator access from Bromsgrove Street Car Park.

We need incentives to encourage use of the car parks in Blackwell Street and Bromsgrove Street to increase pedestrian traffic through town centre, Blackwell Street and Coventry Street.

Entertainment - Although people have run to the defence of the Warehouse cinema with regard to the planned new cinema complex on Worcester Street, thousands of local people would rather drive to watch a blockbuster movie in comfort at Merry Hill than use the Warehouse. We believe that both can thrive as they appeal to different audiences. The new entertainment quarter plan will enhance the experience of coming to Kidderminster and we are in favour of it in principle. However, the Warehouse management have done much to enhance the town and deserve support. Its small screening rooms are ideal for specialist films that appeal to fans of different genres and foreign films, including Polish films for the new Polish community.

Kidderminster is also a historical centre for music, so why not licence quality performers to use specified busking and street theatre sites around the town centre, especially on market days? This will enhance the party atmosphere of the town centre and draw customers from the Weavers Wharf area.

Food - Kidderminster's town centre suffers a lack of choice in prepared food outlets, especially at lunchtime. Even on market day there is very little by way of hot food on offer. Yet this is a major incentive to shoppers looking for an enjoyable day out. This plan can't persuade people to set up restaurants, but we can make it easier for caterers to set up business. A multi-cultural food court in either the Rowland Hill or Swan Centre would be a good start, including a choice of affordable food styles from a several independent outlets surrounding a comfortable communal seating/eating area. We also recommend talking to LSD, the market management company about increasing the choice of hot and cold prepared food and drink stalls on market days.

The lack of seating areas for picnic lunches doesn't help. So we propose establishing eating areas, both outside and covered be offered near the canal and river as well as at wide pedestrian points in the Town Centre. Apparently, the County Council is trying to restrict street cafes, but Kidderminster has very few and WFDC should argue this point.

6. HOUSING

Kidderminster's main areas of housing shortage are affordable and rented 3-4 bedroom family homes. The government's quota system on home building discourages the development of larger homes by giving the same rating to small flats as large houses, but the fact remains we must build less one and two bed homes and more family-sized ones.

We should also change the policy of separating off different economic groups across the town. For fifty years this has encouraged a "ghetto" mentality which is unhealthy for the community as a whole. We propose an increase in the affordable quota on all developments and the discouragement of allowing the affordable parts of a development to be placed elsewhere.

The building of the ring road created a dangerous boundary between commercial and residential parts of Kidderminster. This has long made the town centre a no-go zone at night. We encourage the development of young executive apartments and starter homes within the town centre area, such as the telephone exchange on Blackwell Street and above many of the shops in the town. The derelict but historic factory buildings on Park Lane would also make superb executive flats and small business units for mixed-use communities, especially with the development of the Park Lane linear park and the building of the footbridge.

There are many elderly couples in Kidderminster who have trouble with the upkeep of their large family homes and gardens. These houses would make excellent accommodation for many of the town's families. The council and the Community Housing Group should look at a home trading scheme that makes it easy for retired couples and singles to buy pleasant, smaller retirement homes with easy maintenance and low running costs in a part exchange deal for their more valuable larger homes. This could also free up equity for their retirement years.

7. COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Children at Oldington and Foley Park have asked if they can help with gardening for the elderly. This may be an excellent idea to be rolled out across the area in conjunction with social services and the schools. There are only 220 allotments in Kidderminster and all have a lengthy waiting list, but if some of the older tenants would like young volunteers to help, it would encourage kids to healthy exercise and possibly even a better diet. The same could go for elderly people with large, unmanageable gardens. It would also help improve relations between the old and young in Kidderminster.

Taking this a point further, we suggest investigating the creation of a "buddy" scheme between school children and the elderly of the area, including home and school visits by both parties, joint events, story telling sessions and assistance with home care.

There are a lot of teenagers in Kidderminster wanting to ride motorcycles and scaring their neighbours and parents with their antics. We propose a joint effort between police, local motorcycle sales businesses and young people to establish an area of open ground - perhaps adjacent to the Stourport Road, to develop a safe place for kids to learn motorcycling skills. We suggest this is at least partly funded by local businesses.

Kidderminster Carnival and local fetes and fairs have dwindled from their former glory but they are a great way to bring the community back together. Insurance and Health and Safety restrictions are an issue that needs addressing on a legislative level, but we really need more input from local business and schools, providing floats and sponsorship for carnival and playing fields for fetes and community games and sports events.

8. SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED

The biggest problem for the elderly in Kidderminster is loneliness. Although there are many activities for the elderly in the area, getting to them is a problem.

Shop Mobility (see above) - We recommend setting up an electric buggy service for the elderly and disabled to shop in the town centre.

Kneeling buses and Dial-a-Ride (see above) - It's a scandal that Dial-a-Ride prices have doubled and equally bad that the elderly have a poor bus service without low entry vehicles. It's all very well having free bus passes but not if you can't get on the bus or there isn't a service.

Trains - The free bus passes given to all pensioners in Kidderminster should be extended to trains and a discount facility such as smart cards for taxis.

9. YOUTH FACILITIES

Youth Forum - As the kids of Oldington and Foley Park have recently stated in the Pathfinder Project Youth Charter, the young people of the area appreciate people doing things for them but want a say in what those things are. So we should create a youth forum in Kidderminster in which young people of different ages have a genuine say in the aspects of local government that affect them. The officers of this forum should also be allowed to sit on the appropriate meetings of the District Council and their input taken seriously. They should be elected members and participate in elections through local schools.

Sports - The Back On Track campaign is an excellent scheme. Although competitive sports have their problems for kids who "don't get picked", they are an vital outlet for energy for many kids. For many kids these aren't the traditional field sports and we need to provide better facilities in these areas, too. This will contribute greatly to reducing youth crime and engaging our kids in the community.

Although there are skateboarding parks in the area, the one in Brintons Park is regularly full of broken bottles and rubbish, which deters its use. The Funbox mobile park which was designed to travel from village to village is underused and expensive and could probably be permanently installed somewhere in the town. Skateboarding, BMX and other such "extreme" sports are a vital park of youth culture today and should be taken more seriously.

Youth Centre - Currently leased by the Country Council from the Youth Trust, this has been underfunded for a long time, leading to lack of facilities and loss of control. This, in turn has resulted in anti-social behaviour problems and its temporary closure. If we want to save money on fighting anti-social behaviour, we ought to spend more here both on facilities and staff.

Internet Café - There are many complaints about teenagers gathering around the computer section of the library, yet there are no internet cafes in the centre of town. The Youth Centre could offer such services to young people and ease the pressure on the library. Other cafes in the town might consider installing free wireless broadband as an incentive to attract customers with their own laptops. This is common across Britain but not in Kidderminster.

Evening entertainment - For over 40 years, Frank Freeman offered local kids below drinking age a regular night out with music and soft drinks. Since his death, nothing has really replaced it. Yet we have plenty of local halls and mobile discos. Again, setting up a local youth entertainment fund would be money well spent.

Schools and industry - Many of the kids who slip through the cracks in our society are those who lack good academic skills but may excel in other ways. We would encourage local businesses to help sponsor teenagers who show aptitude towards apprenticeships and skills training

10. ENTERTAINMENT AND HERITAGE

Kidderminster is an extraordinary nurturing ground for entertainers, yet the local authorities have always resisted entertainment of any sort. The loss of the Playhouse in the sixties and the ABC cinema in the seventies was only addressed years on by local volunteers at the Nonentities and the Warehouse (20 years without a cinema is extraordinary).

We have a number of venues around the town and we ought to make it much more viable and amenable for promoters to use them to put on shows. The Town Hall Music Room and Corn Exchange and The Glades offer the sort of space that should attract more concerts than they do.

Few people realise Kidderminster's contribution to the world of music. Most people know about Robert Plant and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, but how about Bronco, Clifford T Ward, Steve Gibbons, Chris Eaton, The Band Of Joy, Jess Roden? Kidderminster people have played or worked behind the scenes with the biggest artists in the world, including Madonna, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Peter Gabriel. How many realise that Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, whose hit, "Songbird" is world renowned, used to play in Shatterford Village Hall with Stan Webb and Chicken Shack? Stan is still a Kidderminster resident yet is more famous in Germany than he is here. Few locals know that the famous keyboard line of "Telstar" the first US number one by a British band was played by Roger Jackson "Lavern" who started out playing in the Briars pub in Habberley. I think most Kidderminster people would be shocked to find out how many of their neighbours have appeared on or wrote million-selling records. So why don't we celebrate it in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions:

• An annual music festival in all the halls and venues and street venues of the town in conjunction with the Wyre radio station and local press and involving school music students and local artists.

• A mural by a local artist and/or school and college students depicting our musical history.

• A series of plaques at appropriate places around the town, such as the one on the site of Frank Freeman's dance hall.

• A museum or heritage centre as part of the new development at the Town Hall with rolling exhibits celebrating Kidderminster's music history.

If you would like to discuss these ideas further, please contact Neville Farmer (Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate nevillefarmer@aol.com) or Liberal Democrat Councillor Helen Dyke (helen.dyke@blueyonder.co.uk) Liberal Councillor Fran Oborski (franoborski@btinternet.com) or Liberal Councillor Mike Price (Michael.price@wyreforestdc.gov.uk)

If you would like to comment on this news story please email us on info@wyreforestlibdems.org.uk