View source for Independent Community & Health Concern

{{Multiple issues|
{{Update|date=October 2019}}
{{Primary sources|date=August 2008}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox political party
| name = Independent Health Concern
| country = the United Kingdom
| colorcode = {{party color|Independent Community & Health Concern}}
| logo = Independent Health Concern logo 2021.png
| logo_size = 250px
| leader = Harry Grove{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
| president = [[Richard Taylor (UK politician)|Richard Taylor]]
| chairman = Nigel Thomas
| foundation = {{start date|2000|01|27|df=y}}
| dissolved = {{end date|2023|11|09|df=y}}
| ideology = [[Single-issue politics]]
| national = [[National Health Action Party]]
| international = 
| european = 
| europarl = 
| colours = [[Black]]
| headquarters = Station Approach, Comberton Hill, [[Kidderminster]], [[Worcestershire]], DY10 1QX
| website = {{Official URL}}
| seats5_title = [[Worcestershire County Council]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/makeup.htm |title=Local Council Political Compositions |author=Keith Edkins |date=24 November 2013 |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-date=7 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107031244/http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/makeup.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| seats5 = {{Composition bar|0|57|{{party color|Independent Community & Health Concern}}}}
| seats6_title = [[Wyre Forest District Council]]<ref name=bbcresults>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c95egxg00kpt |title=BBC News - Wyre Forest District Council |author=BBC News |date=23 May 2014 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref>
| seats6 = {{Composition bar|0|33|{{party color|Independent Community & Health Concern}}}}
| seats7_title = [[Shropshire Council]]<ref name=Shropshire>[https://shropshire.gov.uk/elections-and-electoral-registration/election-results/local-elections-2021/unitary-results-may-6-2021/ Shropshire Council] Unitary results 6 May 2021 (updated 8 May 2021)</ref>
| seats7 = {{Composition bar|0|74|{{party color|Independent Community & Health Concern}}}}
}}
'''Independent Community & Health Concern''' (formerly '''Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern'''), {{abbr.}} '''ICHC''', was a [[political party]] based in [[Kidderminster]], [[United Kingdom]]. The party was founded in 2000, having grown out of the campaign to restore the casualty unit at Kidderminster Hospital. Since 2015 it has successfully contested local elections within the [[Wyre Forest District|Wyre Forest]] local government area, which includes [[Kidderminster]]. The party was deregistered on 9 November 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Registrations/PP44|title = View registration - the Electoral Commission}}</ref>

== History ==

===Richard Taylor===
{{Main|Richard Taylor (British politician)}}
The party had one [[Member of Parliament|MP]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], [[Richard Taylor (UK politician)|Richard Taylor]], who won a surprise landslide victory in the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]] standing for the [[Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)|Wyre Forest constituency]], which includes [[Kidderminster]]. He was the only person not from a major party elected as an MP from an English constituency in the 2001 Parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP01-54/RP01-54.pdf|title=General Election results, 7 June 2001|website=House of Commons library|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Health Concern benefited from a decision by the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] not to put up a candidate of their own.

Taylor was re-elected as member for [[Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)|Wyre Forest]] in the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 election]], albeit with a considerably reduced majority. The party lost its only seat in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 election]] to the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate, [[Mark Garnier]], by a margin of 2,643 votes; the Liberal Democrats did field a candidate in 2010 having not done so in 2001 and 2005, which may have contributed to Taylor's defeat.

Taylor was awarded an [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in the [[2014 Birthday Honours|Queen's Birthday Honours List]] in 2014, for services to [[Worcestershire]], particularly [[Kidderminster]] Hospital.

===Deregistration===
It was deregistered on 9th November 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=View registration - The Electoral Commission |url=https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Registrations/PP44 |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=search.electoralcommission.org.uk}}</ref>

==Local government==
ICHC is also active in local government. It is currently the major party in the Progressive Alliance coalition which is currently in control of Wyre Forest District Council after getting 8 seats in the 2019 election. Before the [[2004 Wyre Forest District Council election|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.<ref name=hold>{{cite news| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/locals/html/3800.stm | title = Wyre Forest council | access-date = 31 December 2009 | work = [[BBC News Online]]}}</ref> The 2005 [[2005 United Kingdom local elections|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 Wyre Forest District Council election|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 Wyre Forest District Council election|2007 local elections]] its representation again increased, from nine to 10 members. The party then gradually lost seats on Wyre Forest District Council, with just 7 seats after the 2014 elections.<ref name=bbcresults/>

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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ichcbewdley.co.uk| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140625094923/http://ichcbewdley.co.uk/| archive-date = 2014-06-25| title = ICHC Bewdley - Home}}</ref>

The party previously stood candidates for [[Shropshire Council]], and had won seats, however it did not stand any candidates in the [[2021 Shropshire Council election|2021 election]].<ref name=Shropshire/>

Six former party members stood in the [[2023 Wyre Forest District Council election]], of which two were elected, Peter Young and Nicola Martin

==Organisation==
According to the [[Electoral Commission (UK)|Electoral Commission]]'s register of parties, its leader is 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.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.healthconcern.org.uk/ Official website]

{{British political parties}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Independent Community and Health Concern}}
[[Category:Political parties established in 2000]]
[[Category:Locally based political parties in England]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Politics of Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Politics of Shropshire]]
[[Category:Kidderminster]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Single-issue political parties in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2023]]
[[Category:2023 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in England]]