In this month’s Vale Matters column, Councillor Craig Reeves, independent representative for Harvington and Norton on Wychavon District Council raises concerns about local government reorganisation and its effect on project funding.
By Craig Reeves
CHANGE is coming to Wychavon as Local Government Reorganisation is imposed on all two-tier councils around the country. Wychavon will soon discover the direction Worcestershire will take.
In May 2027, elections will be held to appoint councillors who will help usher in the new council arrangements expected in 2028.
It is currently anticipated that existing district councillors will work alongside newly elected members as a form of shadow council, helping to shape the structure, priorities and direction of the new authority.
The new unitary authority will bring together district and county responsibilities. Exactly what that looks like is still in the hands of Government ministers. A decision is expected to arrive with council chief executives in July.
You may recall, the proposed and voted proposal is for a North/South split of the current county boundary, an approach I believe would better support localism with focus directly aimed at rural communities like ours. The alternative is a single Worcestershire-wide authority.
But while we talk about the shape of our future local government, we must also consider the future shape of Evesham and the surrounding villages.
There are already signs of progress. The Riverside Shopping Centre is moving forward, backed by Wychavon’s investment, with a demolition order now in place. Yet there are still crucial missing pieces in the wider Evesham jigsaw and two projects in particular deserve urgent focus.
The first is the Battle of Evesham Tourism Centre. This vision, driven by Harvington campaigner and VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Mick Hurst, would create a year-round space dedicated to one of the most significant events in our region’s history.
Proposed at the top of Green Hill, the centre could support schools, educate visitors, raise awareness of the battle’s national importance and bring much-needed tourism prosperity into the area. A welcome extension to the volunteer-driven battle weekend we see each August in town.
The second is the Evesham Greenway. Long championed by the Two Shires Greenway project, this pedestrian and cycling health corridor would follow disused trainline routes across Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Section 106 funds have been waiting in the wings to connect Common Road in Evesham to The Valley at Twyford for a considerable time.
This link will provide safer pedestrian access to Twyford and form part of a much larger ambition to connect our town and villages onwards to Bidford, Alcester and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Stratford’s own greenway is a proven success, used by commuters, families, walkers, cyclists and sporting events.
A similar route here would be a practical, healthy and forward-looking investment in how people move sustainably around our community and connect The Valley, Evesham and villages to the north.
The clock, however, is ticking. Once the shadow council is in place in 2027, significant financial decisions are likely to be paused until the new authority becomes fully active.
That could mean serious delays for projects that depend on a mixture of council support, external funding and national grants.
That is why commitments need to be locked in now. Early backing would give both projects the momentum to survive the coming financial blackout and carry on into the new authority.
I have lobbied for both projects throughout my time as a councillor, and I hope colleagues and officers across our councils will now help get them moving.
Evesham’s future will not be secured by administration alone. It will be shaped by investment, heritage, hospitality, community and ambition.
At a time when national and global pressures are working against towns like ours, we must invest in what makes Evesham distinctive: its history, its rural identity, and its potential to thrive. The time for action is now.
