At the most recent local elections Conservatives picked up three seats in this constituency from Labour, and one from the Lib Dems. Although Labour still runs the council, its control has narrowed considerably since 1997, when Labour had 22 councillors, sitting with just four Conservatives and a single Lib Dem.
Redditch was designated a new town in 1964, and was developed largely to cope with the overspill from the West Midlands conurbation. The new town project was completed and the development corporation wound up in 1985, but further development is still planned and it is expected the population will reach 90,000 in the near future.
Nearly 30% of homes in the seat remain council-rented, and there is a diverse mix of industry. Halfords and Shakespeare (fishing tackle manufacturers) have their headquarters here, the latter drawing upon the history of needle-making in the constituency. Indeed one of the few points of regional interest is the National Needle Museum at Forge Mill. Another is the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, currently undergoing a £60m investment programme which will make it one of the 10 largest in the country.
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