All of the results from yesterday’s County Council Election in the Redditch District have now been returned.  For a full list of results and all other information including an interactive map, visit our dedicated Elections pages . The latest batch of FREE Couch to 5k courses are due to start this month across the Borough The 9-week course is designed for absolute beginners or you want to get back into being more active Couch to 5K is an easy way of getting fitter and healthier Redditch Borough Council Sports Development Officer said: “Couch to 5K is always one of our most popular activities we offer at the council and it is perfect for those wanting to start their fitness journey over the spring/summer period when it’s lighter and warmer (hopefully!) evenings.” The council’s Sports Development team have held ‘Kit Bank’ collections in the build up to the courses starting in new areas in order to break down barriers to participation Thanks to the amazing response from the public the council is now able to distribute a large amount of sports kit to areas where new Couch to 5k courses are starting The kit will be available to collect for FREE at the following locations from Saturday May 3rd 2025: Anyone that wants to ditch the couch and start running are welcome at any session The weekly sessions are led by Run Leaders who hold official qualifications from England Athletics and provide a course which is fully endorsed by the NHS You can mix and match which session you attend each week or attend the same session consistently The advice is to try and complete the session 3 times a week to build up your fitness and achieve the end goal of running 5K For more information see Couch to 5K or contact Sports Development on 01527 881404 or sd@bromsroveandredditch.gov.uk Kingfisher Shopping Centre 5 George Walk RedditchB97 4HB(Behind Primark) The latest batch of FREE Rounders for All sessions are due to start early next month across the Borough Redditch Borough Council are working with Rubicon Leisure to deliver sustainable free sessions said: “Rounders is a sport that many people will have played and enjoyed whilst they were at school but haven’t played since Rounders is a versatile sport meaning it can be played by all The sessions are mixed and make for great fun over the spring/summer months providing health benefits as well as general fun!” there’s plenty of benefits to participating More information about Rounders and access to the Redditch Rounders Facebook page can be found on the Redditch Borough Council website here. For further information or to enquire about other Rounders sessions please email hayley.gwilliam@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk has decided to postpone the John Bonham event which starts this weekend We plan to reschedule it sooner rather than later and so that the current works taking place in the town centre will be completed This will also give us time to work with all parties and stakeholders to produce a meaningful event for our residents and visitors A truly unique experience is landing in Redditch in March celebrating the town’s connection to the iconic John Bonham John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham called Redditch in Worcestershire his home and this has been honoured with the bronze statue of the drummer in Mercian Square in the Town Centre – installed on his 70th birthday Now a cutting-edge immersive tribute is coming to his home town Designed by a collaboration between Rediscover North East Worcestershire (ReNEW) the experience will be unveiled to the public on the 14th of March 2025 said: “John Bonham is revered by some of the greatest drummers across history have all cited him as a primary influence and even Dave Grohl has said "No one gets close to him" his connection to Redditch is a matter of great pride To see his statue ‘come alive’ via this new immersive and cutting-edge project is a really exciting prospect Residents will be able to get involved and immerse themselves in the history of Bonham in Redditch showcasing our town to music lovers everywhere Residents and visitors will be able scan the project QR code and explore the sights and stories that shaped Bonham’s life Using motion capture technology Redditch based drummer and producer of The Genius of John Bonham show Matt Green was filmed performing three of John Bonham’s iconic drum sequences from legendary Led Zeppelin tracks: Rock and Roll and Immigrant Song which was then synched with a digital avatar of John in his signature 70s pose which was then animated visitors simply use their phones to scan the QR code at the John Bonham Memorial Statue in Redditch to bring the performance to life / and watch John perform in real time The statue is thought to be the only statue of a drummer in the world – making it iconic in its own right – and there will be the opportunity to watch Palace Drum Clinic’s Matt Green perform his acclaimed show The Genius of John Bonham over the launch weekend of the 15th and 16th of March said: “This is a fresh project for the town Building on the previous successes of the ReNEW project to bring you their latest collaborative cutting edge experience The Rhythm of Redditch is a great chance to showcase the town to people from far and wide and everything it has to offer.” John Bonham is celebrated as one of the greatest and most influential rock drummers of all time Bonham’s contributions to pushing forward rock music remain peerless to this day his performances - both live and on record - continue to influence and inspire each new generation To find out more about the project and how you can get involved visit https://rediscovernew.co.uk/john-bonham or contact the team on renew@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports Victims and communities across Worcestershire will benefit from quicker access to justice as a new Crown courtroom officially opened yesterday (Tuesday 21 January 2025) at Redditch Magistrates’ Court marking a significant boost to the town’s justice services which includes the conversion of the existing 25-year-old Magistrates’ Court building into a joint magistrates’ and Crown Court facility represents a major investment in the region’s justice infrastructure In order to manage trials involving defendants appearing from prison custody the new room makes use of existing cells beneath the building The present magistrates’ court and police station were built in 1978 as part of the regeneration and New Town project The expansion of this new Crown courtroom facility will increase the court’s capacity to hear the most serious criminal cases and improve access to justice for local communities across Worcestershire and the wider Midlands region the opening of this new Crown Court has enabled 25 multi-day and multi-week trials to be heard in Redditch these would likely have been adjourned due to lack of court time in Worcester Crown Court I welcome the opening of this new Crown courtroom facility which will ensure local communities have quicker access to justice This development will provide an essential boost to our court infrastructure in Worcestershire and beyond The Lady Chief Justice attended the official opening event marking the first stop on the Midlands leg of her 2025 circuit tour This is one of two new Crown courtrooms being introduced across the region with another courtroom to be opened at Hereford Justice Centre this year The development is part of ongoing work to strengthen the justice system’s ability to process cases efficiently Jury trials have not been held in the Hereford area since June 2020 when the roof was damaged in a courtroom at the grade II listed 19th century building in St Peter’s Square COVID-19 restrictions created further backlogs of trials awaiting dates Crown court trials have been held in Worcester since with some Crown court sentencing hearings taking place at Hereford’s magistrates court in Bath Street The Crown courtroom in Hereford is on track to officially open later this year The building will continue to serve as both a Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court the Crown Court has been hearing cases since July 2024 Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Worcestershire's Conservatives have lost control of its county council with Reform UK taking the most of council's seats Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.comand on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Nigel Farage's party won 27 seats in Worcestershire today making them the largest party on the council they remained two seats short of an outright majority The Green Party and Liberal Democrats also gained seats in the area as locals appear to be looking beyond Conservative and Labour for leadership Reacting to the news, Simon Geraghty, who has been ousted as Conservative leader of the council, told the BBC that it had been "difficult day" for himself and local party members after he lost his seat, Riverside in Worcester, to the Greens Gillian Ruth BELL - Liberal Democrat - 138 Peter Desmond TURNER     Reform UK    - 956  Sara Jane WOODHOUSE - Liberal Democrat - 183     Ingrid SCHMEISING-BARNES    Liberal Democrat    131  Margaret ROWLEY    Liberal Democrat    599     Stephen Peter SQUIRES    Green Party    195    Emma Jane KEARSEY    Conservative    1137  Joshua William ROBINSON - Liberal Democrat - 1715 Samuel Marc EVANS - Liberal Democrat - 1141     John David COCHRANE     - Labour - 169     Helen Jayne JONES - Conservative - 474     Christopher Norman COOKE - Green Party - 154     James Andrew CLARKE - Liberal Democrat -502    Rita Lorraine DENT - Conservative - 257     Philip William HINGLEY    Reform UK    948    Helen Elizabeth DYKE    Independent    664     Linda Dorothy HARDWICK    Liberal Democrat    46     Mel ALLCOTT    Liberal Democrat    1656     Philip John EDMUNDSON    Labour    454     Cloud Clare Eloise GOLLOP    Liberal Democrat    118     Steven Robert COLELLA - Independent - 1129 Laura Maeve ROLLINS - Labour & Co-Operative Party -165 David Joseph NICHOLL - Liberal Democrat    135     Martin John ALLEN    Green Party    2027     Sarah Caroline MCDERMOTT    Conservative    497      Daniel Brian BIRCH    Conservative    1324    Christopher Hugh EDMONDSON    Reform UK    729     Nicola Louise Mary MORRIS    Green Party    691     Owen Mark RALPH    Liberal Democrat    154     Richard Julian MORRIS    Conservative    1276     Roy Charles HARMSWORTH    Liberal Democrat    155     Mark Sidney GOODGE    Conservative    707     Mary Elizabeth TASKER    Labour    305     Matthew Edward Wilson JONES    Liberal Democrat    196     Michele Jayne HULME    Reform UK    924     Emma Katherine STOKES    Conservative    493     Sally Danielle JONES    Liberal Democrat    99     Sebastian James SPIERS    Reform UK    816     Daniel WALTON    Labour & Co-Operative Party    735     Clifford HOBBS    Liberal Democrat    251     Richard Henry KIMBERLEE    Green Party    186     Paul John CLAYSON    Green Party    330     Andrew Paul FIELDSEND-ROXBOROUGH    Liberal Democrat    270     Hannah Mary ROBSON    Green Party    890     Aaron James POWELL    Conservative    833     John David LITTLECHILD    Liberal Democrat    89     Graham Paul KEMP    Heritage Party    16     Malcolm Gordon VICTORY    Green Party    1518    Sebastian BARBOUR    Conservative    628     Angel Florence CHAWNER    Reform UK    507    Emma TRUEMAN    Liberal Democrat    360     Paul BENNETT    Liberal Democrat    716     Julie Caroline MACLUSKY    Conservative    488     Chris MCSWEENY    Liberal Democrat    824   Karen Michelle HANKS    Conservative    685     Christopher Roland BURROWS    Labour    184   Natalie Maria MCVEY    Green Party    1559     Michael David SAVAGE    Reform UK    509    David Edgar Lawrence WATKINS    Conservative    462     Jamie CRAMP    Liberal Democrat    251     Scott BUTLER    Liberal Democrat    134     Michael Bleddyn STURT-JOY    Liberal Democrat    222    David Charles CHAMBERLAIN    Green Party    215     Dan BOATRIGHT-GREENE    Liberal Democrat    2263     Fiona Sarah NUNAN    Green Party    82     Christopher David WINDSOR    Labour    67     Tom WELLS    Independent    2194    65.12Max WINDSOR-PEPLOW    Reform UK    622    18.46Glen PROMNITZ    Conservative    361    10.72Paul BOATRIGHT-GREENE    Liberal Democrat    117    3.47Christopher Johnathan TAYLOR    Labour    75    2.23 Jabba RIAZ    Labour    794    32.59Clare WRATTEN    Green Party    768    31.53David CARNEY    Reform UK    595    24.43Gregory WILKINS    Conservative    185    7.59Bart RICKETTS    Liberal Democrat    70    2.87Mark Patrick DAVIES    Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition    24    0.99 EDMONDS (REF) & TUDGE (REF) elected for Redditch central division MONK (REF) & TAYLOR (REF) elected for Redditch East division BENNETT (REF) & EACOCK (REF) elected for Redditch South division FOSTER (REF) & MONK (REF) elected for Redditch West division Paul Richard JAGGER    Liberal Democrat    102     Archie Michael HARRISON    Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition    18     David Richard ROSS    Conservative    757     Bernadette CONNOR    Labour & Co-Operative Party    353     Oliver Yasha WALKER    Liberal Democrat    167     Fran OBORSKI    Liberal Party - Keep It Local    591     Marie HOLMES    Labour & Co-Operative Party    232     Nigel John GRACE    Liberal Democrat    226     Steven HOLLANDS    Conservative    214     Brett Raymond CAULFIELD    Green Party    143     Tony Andrew MUIR    Independent    331     Di SMITH    Labour & Co-Operative Party    309     Kevin George GALE    Conservative    229     Shazu MIAH    Liberal Party - Keep It Local    164     Mark Thomas Eliot HEAFIELD    Liberal Democrat    82     Martin John HEWLETT    Reform UK    570     Bertie BALLINGER    Conservative    277     Peter JACKSON    Liberal Democrat    66     Martin POTTER    UK Independence Party (UKIP)    19     Leigh WHITEHOUSE    Independent    350     John BECKINGHAM    Labour & Co-Operative Party    336     Suzanne Elizabeth NICHOLL    Liberal Democrat    93     Paul Simon HICKLING    Reform UK    758    Stuart WILD    Liberal Democrat    122     Nathan John DESMOND    Conservative    624     Clare CASSIDY    Liberal Democrat    167     Roger Paul BROOKER    Reform UK    541     Angelika WISNIEWSKA    Conservative    233     John William Roland THOMAS    Independent    267     Timothy SCHMEISING-BARNES    Liberal Democrat    139     Ian Robert CRESSWELL    Reform UK    1298    John CALDWELL    Liberal Democrat    536     Carl FORDINGTON    Conservative    1072     Peter Henry JONES    Green Party    314     Adam Cedric Hudson SCOTT    Labour    150     Linda ROBINSON    Conservative    1318     Philip David KILLORAN    Liberal Democrat    675    Robert Jon NICHOLS    Green Party    208     Steve AINSWORTH    Labour & Co-Operative Party    134     Jill Marjorie DESAYRAH    Labour    440     Connor Paul Terence SMITH    Reform UK    684     Sarah MURRAY    Liberal Democrat    536     Shirley Anne WEBB - Conservative - 1047     Martin Philip GERMAN - Liberal Democrat - 245     Julian Malcolm GRAY - Green Party - 152     Adam David KENT - Local Conservatives - 1832     Valerie Jane CLARKE - Liberal Democrat - 92 Amelia Louisa QUIRK - Green Party - 77