Independent Community and Health Concern

Independent Community and Health Concern, previously Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often known by the shorter name Health Concern and abbreviated as ICHC) is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom. It grew out of the campaign to restore the casualty unit at Kidderminster Hospital, and the National Health Service is still its primary focus, but the party has since diversified. Since 2015 it has also been known as the Wyre Forest Independent Party and has successfully contested local elections within the Wyre Forest local government area, which includes Kidderminster.^[4]

Dr Richard Taylor

The party had one MP in the House of Commons, Dr Richard Taylor, who won a surprise landslide victory in the 2001 general election standing for the Wyre Forest constituency, which includes Kidderminster. He was the only person not from a major London-based or national party elected as an MP in the 2001 Parliament.^[5] Taylor was re-elected as member for Wyre Forest in the 2005 election, albeit with a considerably reduced majority. On both occasions, Health Concern benefited from a decision by the Liberal Democrats not to put up a candidate of their own. However, the party lost its only seat in the 2010 election to the Conservative candidate, Mark Garnier, by a margin of 2,643 votes; on this occasion the Liberal Democrats did put up a candidate who attracted 6,040 votes.

Dr Taylor was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2014, for services to Worcestershire, particularly Kidderminster Hospital.

Local government

ICHC is also active in local government, although it has lost much support in recent years. Before the 2004 local elections it held 16 seats on Wyre Forest District Council, making it the largest party, but in those elections it lost half of these seats to the Conservative Party.^[6] The 2005 local elections to Worcestershire County Council, held on the same day as the general election, also saw Health Concern perform poorly, losing five of its six seats. However, in the 2006 local elections for the district council, it held its own, making one net gain to take its representation from eight to nine. In the 2007 local elections its representation again increased, from nine to 10 members. The party has since gradually lost further seats on Wyre Forest District Council, with just 7 seats after the 2014 elections.^[2]

After the May 2014 local elections, Health Concern lost two district seats, reducing the overall number to seven, but managed to gain control of Bewdley Town Council, taking seven of the 13 available seats, a gain of three.^[7]

Organisation

According to the Electoral Commission's register of parties, its leader is Dr Taylor, Peter Young is the nominating officer, Keith Robertson is treasurer, and Gerald Wheeler is campaigns officer. The party does have a formal membership. It had expenditure of about £12,000 and income of about £9,000 in the 2005 calendar year.

References

External links

• Official website