RESIDENTS in Worcester are being asked for their views on how many parish councils there should be in the city and whether a new town council should be established.
The Future Worcester public consultation has been launched to give residents a say on how local governance arrangements should be enhanced in the wake of the upcoming Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme. That will see Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council replaced with a new organisation in 2028.
Future Worcester is a community governance review, giving residents the chance to have their say on the number of parish councils the city needs in the context of LGR.
Parish councils can provide a range of local services, including allotments, managing community halls, playgrounds, public toilets, making grants to community organisations and passing byelaws.
Coun Lynn Denham, leader of Worcester City Council, said: “The city and county councils are both going to disappear in April 2028 as part of the Government’s reorganisation programme. They’ll be replaced by a new unitary council that will take over all services for either the south of our county or the whole of Worcestershire.
“There are currently two parish councils in our city, for St Peter’s and Warndon Villages. Should other areas of the city have a parish council? Should there be a Worcester town council, now that we know the city council won’t be around after April 2028? A town council can carry on the tradition of appointing a Mayor of Worcester.
“There are other options to be considered as part of a community governance review, so I would encourage people to head to www.worcester.gov.uk/futureworcester to find out more and make their voice heard.”
This first phase of the Future Worcester consultation will run until Monday June 15.
Worcester City Council, which is legally responsible for conducting this review, will be organising pop-up events as part of the consultation and details of these will be announced shortly.
The results of this first phase of the consultation will be considered by the city council, which will then make recommendations for local governance arrangements in Worcester. Those recommendations will then be the subject of a second consultation.
The city council will then make a decision on the final recommendations at a meeting in late 2026.
Visit www.worcester.gov.uk/futureworcester to take part.
