Worcester City Council

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. 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.

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. 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. Hereford and Worcester was abolished in 1998, since when a re-established Worcestershire County Council has been the upper-tier authority for Worcester.

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.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

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:

Composition
Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was as follows:

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.

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