Worcester City Council
Worcester City Council | |
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Type | |
Type | Non-metropolitan district |
Leadership | |
Mel Allcott, Liberal Democrat since 14 May 2024 | |
Lynn Denham, Labour since 14 May 2024 | |
Managing director | David Blake since March 2017[1] |
Structure | |
Seats | 35 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 4 May 2028 |
Meeting place | |
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The Guildhall, High Street, Worcester, WR1 2EY | |
Website | |
www |
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 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.[2] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Worcester was considered large enough to run its own county-level services and so it became a county borough, independent from the surrounding Worcestershire County Council.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5][6] Hereford and Worcester was abolished in 1998, since when a re-established Worcestershire County Council has been the upper-tier authority for Worcester.[7]
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.[8]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[9][10][11]
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:[12]
Councillor | Party | From | To | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stephen Inman[13] | Conservative | 2002 | May 2006 | ||
Simon Geraghty | Conservative | May 2006 | 14 May 2013 | ||
Adrian Gregson | Labour | 14 May 2013 | 3 Jun 2014 | ||
Simon Geraghty[14] | 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 |
- ^ 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.[15]
Composition
Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was as follows:[16]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 17 | |
Green | 12 | |
Liberal Democrats | 5 | |
Conservative | 1 | |
Total | 35 |
The next election is due in 2028.
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.[17]
Premises
The city council is based at Worcester Guildhall on the High Street in the city centre.[18] The current guildhall was built in 1723 on a site which had been occupied by a guildhall since about 1227.[19]
References
- ^ "Management structure". Worcester City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ Municipal Corporations Act 1835
- ^ "Worcester Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 September 2022
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs, 28 March 1974". Hansard. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "No. 46303". The London Gazette. 31 May 1974. p. 6486.
- ^ "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1867, retrieved 29 September 2022
- ^ Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (15 May 2024). "Labour's Lynn Denham is new leader of Worcester City Council". Worcester News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Worcester". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Conservatives lose overall control of Worcester City Council". Worcester News. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Council minutes". Worcester City Council. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Shock as council's top man quits job". Worcester News. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Council minutes, 17 May 2022" (PDF). Worcester City Council. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2024: full council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "The Worcester (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/122, retrieved 15 May 2024
- ^ "Worcester City Council". Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "Worcester Guildhall". Discover Worcestershire. Retrieved 24 August 2019.