Worcestershire County Council

Last updated

Worcestershire County Council
Arms of Worcestershire County Council.svg
Worcestershire County Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Tracey Onslow,
Conservative
since 16 May 2024 [1]
Simon Geraghty,
Conservative
since 14 January 2016
Paul Robinson
since March 2018
Structure
Seats57 councillors
United Kingdom Worcestershire 2023.svg
Political groups
Administration (40)
  Conservative (42)
Other parties (17)
  Green (5)
  Labour (4)
  Independent (4)
  Liberal Democrats (3)
  Reform UK (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 6 May 2021
Next election
 1 May 2025
Meeting place
Worcester - County Hall (geograph 3976307).jpg
County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP
Website
www.worcestershire.gov.uk

Worcestershire County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire in England. Its headquarters are at County Hall in Worcester, the county town. The council consists of 57 councillors and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party.

Contents

The county council was first created in 1889. In 1974 the council was abolished when Worcestershire and neighbouring Herefordshire were merged to form a new county called Hereford and Worcester. In 1998 Worcestershire and Herefordshire became separate counties again, and Worcestershire County Council was re-established.

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The boroughs of Worcester and Dudley were considered large enough to provide their own county-level services and so they were made county boroughs, independent from Worcestershire County Council. The county council was elected by and provided services to the rest of the county, which area was termed the administrative county. The 1888 Act also said that any urban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in the county which had the majority of that district's population, which saw Worcestershire gain the part of Redditch which had been in Warwickshire. [2]

The first elections to the county council were held in January 1889 and it formally came into being on 1 April 1889. On that day it held its first official meeting at Worcester Guildhall. The first chairman was George Hastings, who was the Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for East Worcestershire. [3]

There were a number of changes to the boundaries of the administrative county over the years. It ceded territory in the north-east to Birmingham on several occasions, and the complicated boundaries in the south with Gloucestershire and Warwickshire were simplified in the 1930s. In 1966 Oldbury was transferred to the new County Borough of Warley, which was ceremonially associated with Worcestershire but outside the administrative county controlled by the county council.

The administrative county of Worcestershire was abolished in 1974. The boroughs of Halesowen and Stourbridge were transferred to the new West Midlands county, and the rest of administrative county merged with Herefordshire and the county borough of Worcester to form a new non-metropolitan county called Hereford and Worcester. Hereford and Worcester County Council therefore took over the old Worcestershire County Council's functions for most of its area. [4]

Hereford and Worcester only existed as a county for 24 years. It was abolished in 1998 as part of the 1990s United Kingdom local government reforms and divided into separate counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, with Worcestershire County Council being re-established as the upper-tier local authority for Worcestershire. [5]

Governance

Worcestershire County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the six district councils:

Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [6]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2005.

The first elections to the re-established Worcesteshire County Council were held in 1997, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1998. Political control of the council since 1998 has been as follows: [7]

PartyTenure
No overall control 1998–2005
Conservative 2005–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1998 have been: [8]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Carol Warren [9] [10] Labour 1 Apr 19982001
George Lord [11] [12] [13] Conservative 20016 Nov 2010
Adrian Hardman [14] [15] Conservative 18 Nov 201014 Jan 2016
Simon Geraghty Conservative 14 Jan 2016

Composition

Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to June 2024 the composition of the council was: [16]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 40
Green 5
Labour 4
Independent 4
Liberal Democrats 3
Reform UK 1
Total57

Two of the independent councillors sit in a group with the Green Party. The next election is due in 2025. [16]

Cabinet

Worcestershire County Council currently operates using a Leader and Cabinet system.

Worcestershire County Council's cabinet is composed of ten Conservative councillors and the Conservative Leader of the council. Cabinet members work closely with the directors and professional officers of the council to ensure the successful implementation of the decisions they make. [17]

TitleCouncillor
Leader of the CouncilSimon Geraghty
Adult ServicesAdrian Hardman
Children and FamiliesSteve Mackay
CommunitiesMarcus Hart
Economy, Infrastructure and SkillsMarc Bayliss
EducationTracey Onslow
Health and WellbeingKaren May
Highways and TransportMike Rouse
Corporate Services and CommunicationAdam Kent
EnvironmentRichard Morris

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2005 the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 52 electoral divisions, with each division electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years. [18]

Premises

The county council has its headquarters at County Hall on Spetchley Road on the outskirts of Worcester. [19] The building was purpose-built as the headquarters of Hereford and Worcester County Council and had been completed in 1978. [20] The building transferred to the re-established Worcestershire County Council as part of the 1998 reforms. [5]

Shire Hall: Meeting place of the first incarnation of the county council The Shire Hall, Worcester.jpg
Shire Hall: Meeting place of the first incarnation of the county council
County Buildings, St Mary's Street: County Council's headquarters 1930-1974 County House, Worcester - geograph.org.uk - 4305041.jpg
County Buildings, St Mary's Street: County Council's headquarters 1930–1974

Having held its first meeting in 1889 at Worcester Guildhall, the first Worcestershire County Council later established its usual meeting place at Shire Hall, Worcester, a courthouse which had been built in 1835. [21] County Buildings was built alongside Shire Hall in 1930 to house the council's administrative offices. [22] [23] County Buildings and Shire Hall continued to be used by the successor Hereford and Worcester County Council until the new County Hall at Spetchley Road was completed in 1978. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcestershire</span> County of England

Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties of England</span> Geographic divisions of England

The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purposes of lieutenancy; the 84 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties for local government; and the 39 historic counties which were used for administration until 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hereford and Worcester</span> Former English county

Hereford and Worcester was an English non-metropolitan county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the areas of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester. An aim of the Act was to increase efficiency of local government: the two counties are among England's smaller and less populous counties, particularly after the same Act transferred some of Worcestershire's most urbanised areas to the West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herefordshire</span> County of England

Herefordshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malvern Hills District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Malvern, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn and a large rural area covering much of the western side of the county, including numerous villages. The district is named after the Malvern Hills, which are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council</span> Local government body in England

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Dudley Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. The town of Dudley had been a borough since the thirteenth century, being reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 the council has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Herefordshire</span> Former local government district in England

South Herefordshire was one of nine local government districts of the English county of Hereford and Worcester from 1974 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leominster (district)</span> Local government district in England

Leominster was a non-metropolitan district in Hereford and Worcester, England from 1974 to 1998. The council was based in the town of Leominster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyre Forest District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Wyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. It is named after the ancient woodland of Wyre Forest. The largest town is Kidderminster, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, along with several villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herefordshire Council</span> Unitary local government authority for the county of Herefordshire in England

Herefordshire Council is the local authority for the county of Herefordshire in England. It is a unitary authority, combining the powers of a district and county council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire County Council</span>

Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England. Its headquarters are at Shire Hall in the centre of Warwick, the county town. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides numerous other local government services in its area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembrokeshire County Council</span> Local government of Pembrokeshire, Wales

Pembrokeshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Pembrokeshire, one of the principal areas of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essex County Council</span> English principal local authority in the East of England

Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and has been under Conservative majority control since 2001. The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire County Council</span> British administrative authority

Staffordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Stoke-on-Trent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottinghamshire County Council</span> The upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England

Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. It consists of 66 county councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The most recent election was held in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester City Council</span> Local authority for the city of Worcester, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hereford and Worcester County Council</span>

Hereford and Worcester County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Hereford and Worcester in west England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished on 31 March 1998. The county council was based at County Hall in Worcester. It was replaced by Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries since 1844</span>

The administrative boundaries of Worcestershire, England have been fluid for over 150 years since the first major changes in 1844. There were many detached parts of Worcestershire in the surrounding counties, and conversely there were islands of other counties within Worcestershire. The 1844 Counties Act began the process of eliminating these, but the process was not completed until 1966, when Dudley was absorbed into Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Worcester</span> County building in Worcester, Worcestershire, England

County Hall is a municipal facility at Spetchley Road in Worcester, Worcestershire. It is the headquarters of Worcestershire County Council.

References

  1. ↑ Wilkinson-Jones, Phil (16 May 2024). "Worcestershire County Council appoints new chairman and vice chairman". Worcester News. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 27 August 2023
  3. ↑ "Worcestershire County Council". Berrow's Worcester Journal. 6 April 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Local Government Act 1972
  5. 1 2 "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1996/1867, retrieved 17 November 2023
  6. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Council minutes". Worcestershire County Council. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  9. ↑ McVey, Clare (1 April 1998). "Fiasco on eve of counties' long-awaited separation". Birmingham Post. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Severn - Carol Warren (Labour)". Worcester News. 25 May 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  11. ↑ "Lord is new leader". Worcester News. 4 July 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Paine, David (12 November 2010). "Councillors focus on leadership after resignation of Dr George Lord". Worcester News. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  13. ↑ "Worcestershire sex assault council leader dies". BBC News. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "County Council selects Adrian Hardman as leader". Worcester News. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  15. ↑ Farrington, Dayna (29 December 2015). "Adrian Hardman to quit as Worcestershire County Council leader after drink drive charge". Bromsgrove Advertiser. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Worcestershire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe.
  17. ↑ Manninen, Terhi. "Cabinet". C.
  18. ↑ "The County of Worcestershire (Electoral Changes) Order 2005", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2005/174, retrieved 2 February 2024
  19. ↑ "Complaints Department". Worcestershire County Council. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visits Worcester County Hall". Getty Images. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ↑ Historic England. "Shire Hall, Worcester (1389831)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  22. ↑ "Adding a New Layer: 20th Century Heritage in Worcestershire - Civil Buildings". Explore the Past. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  23. ↑ Local List of Heritage Assets (PDF). Worcester City Council. 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  24. ↑ The Municipal Year Book. London: Municipal Journal. 1976. p. 517.
New creation Cam
1889 – 1974		Succeeded by
Preceded by County council
1998 – present		Current
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