Former Kidderminster mayor back on Wyre Forest District Council (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Former Kidderminster mayor back on Wyre Forest District Council

7:50am Monday 14th May 2012 in Local By William Tomaney

A FORMER Kidderminster mayor said it was “good to be back” after a 10-year absence from Wyre Forest District Council.

Labour councillor Nigel Knowles won the seat in Franche ward, where Conservative Jeffrey Baker chose not to stand for re-election.

Mr Knowles, also a former chairman of Wyre Forest District Council, picked up 592 votes, collecting a majority of 151 over Independent Community and Health Concern candidate Caroline Shellie, who received 441 votes.

He said: “I am extremely pleased. I am familiar to voters in Franche and they know my strong record in local government.”

Mr Knowles was a district councillor for Franche from 1990 until 2002 and has stood for election seven times since then. He was district council chairman in 1996, Worcestershire County Council chairman in 1999 and Kidderminster mayor in 2000.

“I am going to represent the people of Franche for jobs, council services and housing,” he said.

“In Wyre Forest we can find it hard to make ourselves heard and get the services we require and Franche is a part of that.”

Mr Knowles has also stood as a parliamentary candidate for Labour on eight occasions, including unsuccessfully in 2010 for Wyre Forest.

“I still have parliamentary ambitions,” he added, “I am really pleased to be back and I am grateful to people who voted for me.”