The club were treated to a fascinating address by Councillor Marcus Hart who, not shy in revealing his personal history, brought members up to date with the current developments in the town; some of which have been reported in recent issues of The Shuttle.

Born and bred in Kidderminster, Marcus joined the Conservative Party before going to University at Plymouth and Bristol to read Law, later becoming a qualified Solicitor whilst working locally at Thursfields. He became a councillor in 2002 by winning a by-election by just 77 votes, then in 2004, became Deputy Leader of WFDC, a post which he held for 10 years, before becoming Leader of The District Council. He is now specialising in Criminal and Mental Health law and also sits on Worcestershire County Council and holds the position of Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being.

Turning to local issues, members were pleased to learn that the council plan to build 200 new houses per year and this is likely to last for the next 10 to 20 years; including a scheme to bring dwelling houses back into the town centre. As in days gone by, these made a living heart in the town, before giving way to the ring road.

There was then a question and answer session where a lively debate ensued, as you might expect, including some contentious issues like the future of local fire stations, the development of a “Blue Hub” to oversee emergency services; and the idea of Unitary Authorities which would combine several existing local authorities, With Government funding having been reduced by 40% over the last 5 years, the Council have deferred many desirable projects and have been encouraged to introduce efficiency measures.