Worcester City Council
Worcester City Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
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 | |
 | |
| 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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 | |||
Composition
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ "Management structure". Worcester City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.