Bewdley Town Council elects New Mayor

 

At the Annual Town Council meeting on the 12 May 2025, Bewdley elected their new Mayor, Councillor Nicole Harper, who will be supported by his husband William Barry as her Consort.

In her role as Mayor, Nicole is looking forward to representing and supporting the town at a wide range of functions across the region, including charity, community and formal events.

The Mayor Cllr Nicole Harper has chosen to support three local charities: The William Mills Foundation, The Emily Jordan Foundation and The Rob Poysor Fund for Cardiac Risk in the Young, who all do wonderful work within the community.

Nicole is looking forward to a busy but rewarding year representing the people of Bewdley.

Councillor Sharon Harvey was elected as Deputy Mayor.

 

Cllr Nicole Harper came to England from France as a student but fell in love with the country and decided to stay. She holds a Degree in English from the University of Aix-en-Provence and an MPhil from Aston University.

She lived first in Birmingham, then Stourport and Kidderminster before settling in Bewdley in 1978 when she married local artist Peter Harper.

Her career started in High Schools and on Teacher Training programmes but for the last 20 years of employment she was a Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University and travelled the world extensively as Director of International Affairs for the Business School, responsible for establishing joint degree programmes overseas as well as the recruitment and care of international students.

In 2008 she and her husband moved to France after her parents were both diagnosed with dementia. She returned to Bewdley in 2020 and after the death of her husband that year, she became more involved in the life of the community.

She was elected as Labour councillor for Wribbenhall in 2023 and has been active on the Town Council and various Committees before becoming Mayor this year.

She recently married Bill Barry, a retired judge, and they both live in Wribbenhall.  She coordinates the Community Speed Watch scheme for Bewdley and is a Trustee of the Bewdley Dementia Support Group.

Her main concern is to serve the community to the best of her ability, with a particular emphasis on green issues, health and wellbeing.