Worcester City Council

Worcester City Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Mayor	Mel Allcott, Liberal Democrat since 14 May 2024
Leader	Lynn Denham, Labour since 14 May 2024
Managing director	David Blake since March 2017[1]
Structure
Seats	35 councillors
Political groups	Administration (17)   Labour (17) Other parties (18)   Green (12)   Liberal Democrats (5)   Conservative (1)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Last election	2 May 2024
Next election	4 May 2028
Meeting place
The Guildhall, High Street, Worcester, WR1 2EY
Website
www.worcester.gov.uk

Worcester City Council is the local authority for Worcester, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Worcestershire, England. The council consists of 35 councillors, elected from 15 wards.

History

Worcester was an ancient borough which had held city status from time immemorial. The city was given the right to appoint its own sheriff in 1621, making it a county corporate, independent from the jurisdiction of the Sheriff of Worcestershire.^[2] The city became a municipal borough in 1836, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and citizens of the city of Worcester", but generally known as the corporation or city council.^[3] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Worcester retained its independence from the surrounding county by being made a county borough, independent from Worcestershire County Council.^[4]

In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the city had its territory enlarged, gaining the parishes of Warndon and St Peter the Great County and it became a non-metropolitan district, with Hereford and Worcester County Council providing county-level services.^[5] Worcester retained its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, whilst its city status was re-conferred on the enlarged district, allowing the council to take the name Worcester City Council.^[6][7] Hereford and Worcester was abolished in 1998, since when a re-established Worcestershire County Council has been the upper-tier authority for Worcester.^[8]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2022. Following the 2024 election, Labour had most seats and formed a minority administration.^[9]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:^[10][11][12]

Party in control		Years
	No overall control	1974–1976
	Conservative	1976–1980
	Labour	1980–1983
	No overall control	1983–1986
	Labour	1986–2000
	No overall control	2000–2003
	Conservative	2003–2007
	No overall control	2007–2011
	Conservative	2011–2012
	No overall control	2012–2015
	Conservative	2015–2016
	No overall control	2016–2021
	Conservative	2021–2022
	No overall control	2022–present

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Worcester is largely ceremonial, with political leadership instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2002 have been:^[13]

Councillor	Party		From	To	Notes
Stephen Inman[14]		Conservative	2002	May 2006
Simon Geraghty		Conservative	May 2006	14 May 2013
Adrian Gregson		Labour	14 May 2013	3 Jun 2014
Simon Geraghty[15]		Conservative	3 Jun 2014	5 Feb 2016
Marc Bayliss		Conservative	23 Feb 2016	17 May 2016
Adrian Gregson		Labour	17 May 2016	27 Mar 2018
Marc Bayliss		Conservative	27 Mar 2018	29 Nov 2022	[a]
Chris Mitchell		Conservative	29 Nov 2022	7 May 2023
Lynn Denham		Labour	16 May 2023	14 May 2024	Joint leaders
Marjory Bisset		Green
Lynn Denham		Labour	14 May 2024

1. Nominally "joint leader" after 17 May 2022, with provision made for Labour as second largest party to appoint another joint leader, but they chose not to do so.^[16]

Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was as follows:^[17]

Party		Councillors
	Labour	17
	Green	12
	Liberal Democrats	5
	Conservative	1
Total		35

The next election is due in 2028.

Elections

Main article: Worcester City Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.^[18]

Premises

The city council is based at Worcester Guildhall on the High Street in the city centre.^[19] The current guildhall was built in 1723 on a site which had been occupied by a guildhall since about 1227.^[20]

References

1. "Management structure". Worcester City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
2. Page, William; Willis-Bund, J. W. (1924). A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 4. London: Victoria County History. pp. 376–390. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
3. Municipal Corporations Act 1835
4. "Worcester Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
5. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 September 2022
6. "District Councils and Boroughs, 28 March 1974". Hansard. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
7. "No. 46303". The London Gazette. 31 May 1974. p. 6486.
8. "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1867, retrieved 29 September 2022
9. Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (15 May 2024). "Labour's Lynn Denham is new leader of Worcester City Council". Worcester News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
10. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
11. "Worcester". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
12. "Conservatives lose overall control of Worcester City Council". Worcester News. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
13. "Council minutes". Worcester City Council. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
14. "Shock as council's top man quits job". Worcester News. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
15. Edwards, Tom (10 February 2016). "Tributes paid to Simon Geraghty's time as Worcester City Council leader - as new budget moves a step closer". Worcester News. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
16. "Council minutes, 17 May 2022" (PDF). Worcester City Council. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
17. "Local elections 2024: full council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
18. "The Worcester (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/122, retrieved 15 May 2024
19. "Worcester City Council". Retrieved 29 September 2022.
20. "Worcester Guildhall". Discover Worcestershire. Retrieved 24 August 2019.