HARVINGTON residents got the chance to meet their political representatives last Thursday when Chris Bloore MP and district councillor Craig Reeves went on a combined walkabout.
The two men called in on and spoke to several constituents in the village during a three-hour ‘walking surgery’ last Thursday (February 20) to hear their issues and concerns.
Mr Bloore has been the MP for Redditch since last year’s general election when he won the seat for Labour after beating the incumbent Rachel Maclean (Conservative) by 789 votes.
Before 2024 the Wychavon District Council ward Harvington and Norton was part of the historic Mid Worcestershire parliamentary constituency – now Droitwich and Evesham – but it was redrawn after a boundary review the previous year.
The MP told the Observer: “I was delighted to be able to host a joint walking survey with Councillor Reeves last week. We had planned it to be a 90-minute surgery, but it lasted well over three hours.
“We spoke about flooding, planning, rural crime, SEND, and more, and we will address these issues for residents. Residents appreciated that we were working together and connecting local and national issues.
“We’re both grateful for the fantastic engagement from those in the village and are already planning our subsequent surgery. “
District Councillor Craig Reeves who stands as an Independent won the Harvington and Norton ward seat following a by-election in August 2024 after Bradley Thomas (Conservative) stood down following his election as the MP for Bromsgrove.
He told the Observer that the pair had previously worked together on some joint concerns so it made sense to join forces for a visit.
Councillor Reeves said: “It was very well-received and we had a great response from residents with many thanking us for our collaboration.
“Working together, and listening to concerns has proven efficient and provides confidence that our MP supports our rural area, which is new to the parliamentary constituency.”
He said they had been able to clarify confusion among residents about how the boundary changes might affect services.
“As part of listening to concerns we were able to reassure constituents that Wychavon District and Worcestershire County Council still provide services as they did before, it was our representative in parliament that had changed,” he added.
