Councillor Information
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Notes:
Annual report and review 2025/2026
Section 1: Attendance at Council, Committee and Sub-Committee meetings
Name of Committee & No. of meetings held during the year & No. of meetings attended
Council 5 - 5
Licensing & Environmental 2 - 2
Planning 1 - 1
This represents an overall attendance of 100%
Other attendance
Period of Extended Absence, (e.g. Maternity leave/Sick leave): 0
Number of meetings attended as a substitute: 1
Section 2: Mandatory Training Completed
Training Activity
Refresher Training Licensing - 07/05/25
Introduction to Treasury Management part 1 - 03/11/25
Other training Number of modules completed 0
Core e-learning 0
Additional e-learning 0
Cyber security training 3
Section 3: Community Involvement
Over the past 12 months, I have continued to actively engage with a wide range of local community groups, supporting their activities wherever possible. I remain proactive within the ward, regularly assisting residents in a variety of ways.
I have organised and participated in numerous litter picks alongside community volunteers and remain committed to maintaining clean and tidy streets, whereby I work closely with officers to improve the public realm. I regularly report street cleansing and grounds maintenance issues to ensure our area is kept to a high standard. I have worked closely with local senior police officers and council enforcement officers to address local concerns, particularly in relation to speeding and parking concerns.
I also continue to personally remove graffiti using materials I have funded myself and have begun cleaning road signs where it is safe to do so. Over the past year, I have installed Emergency Bleed Control Kits across the ward. These are vital not only for knife crime incidents but for any situation involving catastrophic bleeding. In addition, I was able to work with LCP Estates to install a new 24/7 accessible defibrillator in the town centre near to JD Sports and Costa Coffee in May 2025. I remain committed to increasing the number of defibrillators across the ward and the wider Wyre Forest area. I now maintain four defibrillators across the area in my own time. Residents of Blakebrook and Habberley South are now closer than ever before to a 24/7 accessible defib and bleed kits.
I continue to support many individuals through my work in mental health, building on the group I founded in 2019, You Matter, Mental Health Matters. I also assist families with SEND children and work closely with local schools to support inclusive provision. I have used my 2025/26 CLF to provide funding to both St John's Primary and Wyre Forest School.
Section 4: Assisting Constituents
I have undertaken a large number of visits with local policing teams and key stakeholders to address issues such as anti-social behaviour and to improve community confidence. I regularly carry out site visits, often accompanied by relevant partners and residents, to ensure concerns raised by residents are addressed effectively. I work closely with residents to hold officers and partners to account and ensure action is taken on matters that are important to the residents I serve.
My casework continues to increase year on year since my election in May 2019. This is a positive reflection of continued resident engagement and remains the aspect of the role I find most rewarding - delivering tangible results for the community.
I respond to all emails and phone calls within 24 hours, often within two hours. I conduct weekly proactive visits across the ward, sometimes independently but often alongside residents, Neighbourhood Watch groups, and other community representatives. These are carried out on foot, car or by bicycle, with a focus on identifying and resolving issues before residents need to report them.
My contact details, including my direct mobile number, are publicly available. I regularly distribute targeted letters to keep residents informed about local activity and provide clear contact information. These are personally funded and delivered by myself. I also carry out door knocking/canvass sessions, leaving business cards to ensure residents can easily get in touch. It is important to me that I remain close to the issues that impact residents across the ward and make representations on their behalf.
Residents contact me via email, letter, telephone calls, SMS, and increasingly through my councillor Facebook page found by searching: “Cllr Leigh Whitehouse”. I encourage all residents to follow this page to stay updated on my work throughout the year. I am active all year round, not just during election periods. I remain accessible 24/7 and hold surgeries on an ad hoc basis, with demand decreasing as more residents choose to contact me directly or communicate via social media. I would encourage residents to send all casework and formal correspondence to my email address: leigh.whitehouse@wyreforestdc.gov.uk
Section 5: Supplementary Information
I keep up to date with council business by viewing committee meetings via the council's webcast service, including those I am not a member of. I also meet with council officers on an ad hoc basis to address complex issues within the ward, I frequently work cross-party to deal with issues. Further to this, I read as many committee agendas as is possible, to ensure I am able to communicate key information to residents as required.
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Leigh
Whitehouse
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