View source for Hereford and Worcester

{{Short description|Former English county}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox historic subdivision|
   |Name=              Hereford and Worcester
   |HQ=                [[Worcester, England|Worcester]]
   |Government=        [[Hereford and Worcester County Council]]
   |Status=            [[Non-metropolitan county]]
   |Start=             1974
   |End=               1998
   |Arms= [[File:Arms of Hereford and Worcester County Council.svg|150px]]<br />''Coat of arms of Hereford and Worcester County Council''
   |Replace=           [[Herefordshire]] (unitary)<br />[[Worcestershire]] (shire county)
   |Map=               [[File:Hereford and Worcester UK locator map 1974.svg|220px|Hereford and Worcester]]
   |Civic=   |Code=              25
   |CodeName=          [[ONS coding system|ONS code]]
   |Divisions=         [[Non-metropolitan district]]s
}}

'''Hereford and Worcester''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɛr|ɪ|f|ər|d|...|ˈ|w|ʊ|s|t|ər}} {{respell|HERR|if|ərd|_..._|WUUST|ər}}) was an English [[non-metropolitan county]] created on 1 April 1974 by the [[Local Government Act 1972]] from the areas of the former [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of [[Herefordshire]], most of [[Worcestershire]] (except [[Halesowen]], [[Stourbridge]] and [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]], which became part of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]<ref>Local Government in England: Government Proposals for Reorganisation (Cmnd. 4584) Circular 8/71 map</ref>) and the [[county borough]] of [[Worcester, England|Worcester]].<ref>Local Government Act 1972. 1972. c. 70</ref> An aim of the Act was to increase efficiency of local government: the two counties are among England's smaller and less populous counties, particularly after the same Act transferred some of Worcestershire's most urbanised areas to the West Midlands.

The county bordered [[Shropshire]], [[Staffordshire]] and the West Midlands to the north, [[Warwickshire]] to the east, [[Gloucestershire]] to the south, and [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]] and [[Powys]] in Wales to the west. It was abolished in 1998 and reverted, with some transfers of territory, to the two separate historic counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

==Creation==

{{See also|Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries}}

[[File:Hereford and Worcester.jpg|thumb|Hereford and Worcester road sign]]
The [[Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)|Local Government Boundary Commission]] in 1948 proposed a merger of the two counties,<ref>E. W. Gilbert, The Boundaries of Local Government Areas, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 111, No. 4/6. (April – June, 1948), pp. 172–198</ref> but the proposals of this Commission were not implemented. A merger of Herefordshire with South Worcestershire was again proposed by the [[Redcliffe-Maud Report]] in 1969, and was retained in the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]'s February 1971 White Paper (gaining more of Worcestershire), although no name was given.<ref>Local Government in England: Government Proposals for Reorganisation (Cmnd 4584)</ref> In the Local Government Bill introduced into Parliament in November 1971, it was named "Malvernshire",<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/index.html Hansard 1803 – 2005] [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1972/jan/17/local-government-reform-county-statistics#S5CV0829P0_19720117_CWA_313 Local Government Reform (County Statistics) 16 November 1971 vol 826 cc227-348] – Retrieved 27 August 2014</ref><ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/index.html Hansard 1803 – 2005] [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/nov/16/local-government-bill#S5CV0826P0_19711116_HOC_274 Local Government Bill (Order for Second Reading) 16 November 1971 vol 826 cc227-348] – Retrieved 27 August 2014</ref> after the [[Malvern Hills]], which were roughly in the geographical centre of the new county and formed the former border. This name was ridiculed and was altered during the Bill's passage through Parliament. The name Wyvern was also suggested, combining the names of the rivers that run through the two cities and counties: the [[River Wye]] through Hereford, and the [[River Severn]] through Worcester; a [[wyvern]] is a dragon emblem often found in heraldry.<ref>''Unpopular Name'', The Times. 5 January 1972</ref> A commercial radio station for the area, [[Wyvern FM]] was set up in 1982 using this allusion. It was also used much later by the [[FirstGroup]] who renamed their bus operations in the area [[First Midland Red|First Wyvern]] as opposed to the more historical [[First Midland Red]] used previously.

Herefordshire had about 140,000 people,<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10168636&c_id=10001043&add=N VoB Herefordshire population]</ref> far fewer than Worcestershire, with about 420,000<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10089839&c_id=10001043&add=N VoB Worcestershire population]</ref> and the change was thus perceived in Herefordshire as a takeover rather than a merger, especially after it emerged that the administrative centre was to be located to the east of Worcester city. It never attracted the loyalties of residents. A "Hands off Herefordshire" campaign was set up, and the proposal was opposed by Herefordshire County Council.<ref>Herefordshire County Council. Advert: ''Herefordshire is in mortal danger''. The Times, 25 March 1972.</ref>

A [[Hereford (cattle)|Hereford bull]] was led down [[Whitehall]] on 6 April 1972, as part of a protest, which also involved a petition handed in at 10 Downing Street calling for the preservation of Herefordshire.<ref>''Fair hearing for tale of two cities and one island.'' The Times. 7 April 1972.</ref>

Despite the opposition of many of the population of Herefordshire, neither of the county's two Conservative MPs opposed the merger. Parliamentary opposition had to be led from outside the county by [[Terry Davis (politician)|Terry Davis]], MP for Bromsgrove, who noted that the petition had been signed by 60,000 people. [[Clive Bossom]], the MP for Leominster in Herefordshire, supported the merger, noting that "much of South Worcestershire is very like Herefordshire".<ref>{{cite hansard|house=House of Commons|date=6 July 1972|column=1091}}</ref>

It was originally proposed to have a single large Herefordshire district within Hereford and Worcester. But this was divided, with separate [[Hereford]], [[South Herefordshire]] and [[Leominster (district)|Leominster]] districts, and part of Herefordshire in the [[Malvern Hills (district)|Malvern Hills]] district.

Meanwhile, large sections of Worcestershire in the [[Black Country]] and Birmingham suburbs were moved to the West Midlands.<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk H.M. Government] [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70 Local Government Act 1972] – Retrieved 23 February 2016</ref> This was intended to create a more unified [[metropolitan county]], since prior to this the conurbation had been split between Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. As a result, Hereford & Worcester was quite rural in character. These transfers continued a slow process of simplifying Worcestershire's boundaries, which once had included a [[Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries since 1844|complex set of exclaves]] within other counties.<ref>HM Government Legislation – Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844</ref>

==Districts==
Hereford and Worcester was divided into nine [[Non-metropolitan district|districts]]:

{| class="wikitable"
!Map!!No!!District!!Composition
|-
|rowspan=9|[[File:Hereford and Worcester numbered districts (1974-1998).svg|200px]]
|1 || [[Wyre Forest District|Wyre Forest]] || Worcestershire: [[Bewdley]], [[Kidderminster]], [[Stourport-on-Severn|Stourport]], [[Kidderminster Rural District|Kidderminster RD]]
|-
|2 || [[Bromsgrove District|Bromsgrove]] || Worcestershire: [[Bromsgrove]], [[Bromsgrove Rural District|Bromsgrove RD]]
|-
|3 || [[Borough of Redditch|Redditch]] || Worcestershire: Redditch UD
|-
|4 || [[Wychavon]] || Worcestershire: [[Droitwich]], [[Evesham]], [[Evesham Rural District|Evesham RD]], most of [[Droitwich Rural District|Droitwich RD]], most of [[Pershore Rural District|Pershore RD]]
|-
|5 || [[City of Worcester|Worcester]] || Worcestershire: [[County Borough of Worcester]], [[Warndon]] from [[Droitwich Rural District|Droitwich RD]], [[St Peter the Great County]] from [[Pershore Rural District|Pershore RD]]
|-
|6 || [[Malvern Hills District (1974–1998)|Malvern Hills]] || Worcestershire: [[Malvern, Worcestershire|Malvern]], [[Martley Rural District|Martley RD]], [[Upton upon Severn Rural District|Upton RD]]

Herefordshire: [[Bromyard Rural District|Bromyard RD]], [[Ledbury Rural District|Ledbury RD]]
|-
|7 || [[Leominster District|Leominster]] || Worcestershire: [[Tenbury Rural District|Tenbury RD]]

Herefordshire: [[Kington, Herefordshire|Kington]], [[Leominster]], [[Kington Rural District|Kington RD]], [[Leominster and Wigmore Rural District|Leominster and Wigmore RD]], [[Weobley Rural District|Weobley RD]]
|-
|8 || [[Hereford]] || Herefordshire: Hereford MB
|-
|9 || [[South Herefordshire]] || Herefordshire: [[Ross-on-Wye]], [[Dore and Bredwardine Rural District|Dore and Bredwardine RD]], [[Hereford Rural District|Hereford RD]], [[Ross and Whitchurch Rural District|Ross and Whitchurch RD]]
|}

==Abolition==

As part of the [[1990s UK local government reform|1990s English local government reform]], the Local Government Commission under John Banham recommended that Herefordshire should become a [[unitary authority]], with the rest of the former county retaining a two-tier structure. This came into effect on 1 April 1998.<ref>''The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996'' – SI 1996/1867</ref> A new unitary Herefordshire was formed from the Herefordshire parts of Malvern Hills and Leominster, along with Hereford and South Herefordshire, and became a unitary authority. The remainder of those two districts became a new Malvern Hills district, in the new two-tier [[non-metropolitan county]] of Worcestershire, along with the remaining districts.

Despite its abolition, some remnants of Hereford & Worcester's existence remain. For example, there is still a [[Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service]]. Also, the name is still used by some organisations, such as the [[BBC]] local radio station [[BBC Hereford and Worcester]]. There is also a Hereford and Worcester [[Chamber of Commerce]].

If Hereford and Worcester still existed, the population of the county would be 797,935 people in 2022.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=0&mainQuery=&searchType=all&form=basic&theme=&county=HEREFORD%20AND%20WORCESTER&district=&placeName= Images of Hereford and Worcester]{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at the [[English Heritage Archive]]

{{England counties/1974}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hereford And Worcester}}
[[Category:Hereford and Worcester| ]]
[[Category:History of Herefordshire]]
[[Category:History of Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in 1974]]
[[Category:Counties of England disestablished in 1998]]
[[Category:Herefordshire]]
[[Category:Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Local government in Herefordshire]]