# 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 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. 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 retained its independence from the surrounding county by being made a county borough, independent from 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:
| 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:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | Notes |
| Stephen Inman | Conservative | 2002 | May 2006 | |
| Simon Geraghty | Conservative | May 2006 | 14 May 2013 | |
| Adrian Gregson | Labour | 14 May 2013 | 3 Jun 2014 | |
| Simon Geraghty | 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 | |
| Chris Mitchell | Conservative | 29 Nov 2022 | 7 May 2023 |
| Lynn Denham | Labour | 16 May 2023 | 14 May 2024 | Joint leaders |
| Marjory Bisset | Green | 16 May 2023 | 14 May 2024 | Joint leaders |
| 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.

### Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labour | 17 |
| | Green | 12 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 5 |
| | Conservative | 1 |
| Total | Total | 35 |
On 20th January 2025 Worcester City Council’s last remaining Conservative councillor Alan Amos declared that he had left the Conservative Party and would from now on sit as an Independent. It brought to an end Conservative representation on a council which until 2022 the party had controlled. 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.