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BBC News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Worcestershire's Tory stronghold facing an unpredictable election
It's been 20 years since Worcestershire's county council wasn't run by the Conservatives but politicians have said nothing can be taken for granted in the upcoming local elections. "I've absolutely no idea what's going to happen," one long-serving councillor tells a decent forecaster of which way the county's political winds are blowing, this time they are struggling to predict how the votes will fall on polling since 2005, all 57 of Worcestershire's county council seats will be contested on 1 May. At the local authority's last elections in 2021, the Conservatives won a decisive victory, securing 45 of those seats. No other party managed more than a on a campaign visit to Worcestershire earlier this month, the party's leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged the role the so-called "vaccine bounce" had played in that during the Covid-19 pandemic. A lot has changed since the general election last July, the Conservative vote in Worcestershire more than halved when compared to the previous election in county now has two Labour MPs, one in Redditch and another in Worcester, while both the Greens and Liberal Democrats appear confident of making gains in local polls and of playing a role in any future don't discount Reform. Four years ago the party fielded only seven candidates. This time it has mustered a full slate of 57. Elected, but for how long? Normally, county councillors are elected for four not this election is unusual because it is almost certain to be the last time we see elections to Worcestershire County Council before the government pushes ahead with its plan to streamline local authorities. For 27 years, voters in Worcestershire have elected a county council to run services like roads, social care, public transport and libraries, as well as six district councils to run services like bins, parks and now the Labour government wants those authorities merged and for a regional mayor to be elected. On its current timeline, a new council system could be in place by April 2028. Despite that outlook for the county council, this year's elections are still important because the politicians that voters pick here on 1 May will have a key role in shaping what comes the Conservatives want a single county-wide authority, Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats have all suggested splitting the county in two. Dividing Lines A former Royalist headquarters during in the English Civil War, Worcester's Commandery museum offers a view back of the city's turbulent of polling day, it played host to BBC Hereford and Worcester's local election debate between the county's five main political well as answering questions from voters, party spokespeople set out their key priorities. "Conservatives have a strong track record of delivery across Worcestershire and a clear plan for the future," said Simon Geraghty, the Tory leader of the council since party's six-point plan includes a £64m investment in road and pavement maintenance over the next three years and a £173m investment plan for extra school Labour candidate Beverley Nielsen said her party would prioritise growing the local economy, using the county council's procurement powers to help businesses thrive."We've had 20 years of Tory leadership and where has it left us: with a budget deficit, with £604m of debts and a government bailout," she said. Reform candidate Max Windsor-Peplow said Worcestershire's services were "in crisis". "We are standing on a manifesto pledge of auditing the council's finances immediately. We can't carry on like this."If successful in securing a role on the council's administration, he said his party would carry out an immediate review into SEND [Special Educational Needs and Disabilities] provision to understand its April, a joint Ofsted and CQC inspection found there were "widespread failures" within SEND provision in Worcestershire with some children waiting two years for local authority is currently working on an action and improvement plan it was instructed to produce. Liberal Democrat candidate Mel Allcott hopes to attract voters by steering a middle course. "We're not so far right that we're unreasonable… and we are not so far left that it just doesn't work for a lot of the population."We're here to listen," she said, highlighting adult social care, children's services and public transport as the party's main focus for change. Matthew Jenkins is standing for the Greens and said his party "works hard all year round" and would introduce measures to tackle congestion and pollution."We get things done locally. We hold the council to account and we have fought against bus cuts and the crisis that is SEND at the moment."More information on the election and how to make sure you are registered to vote is available on Worcestershire County Council's lists of candidates in each of the county's six districts are also available. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Scrapping Worcestershire councils would save £20m a year, report says
Scrapping Worcestershire's seven councils and replacing them with a single authority could save more than £20m a year, according to a study, by consultants PwC, also suggested an alternative option of splitting the county into two new unitary councils – north and south - could save £4.3m a are currently divided over the two options, after the government asked council leaders to produce proposals to merge the county's two-tier are required to produce a business case for changes by the end of November. Any new local authorities could be up and running as early as April 2028, following elections in May 2027. At present, Worcestershire has one county council, responsible for services including roads and social care, sitting above six district councils that run services such as bin collections and housing. "One Worcestershire council would be more effective and efficient," said Simon Geraghty, the Conservative leader of the county council, at a scrutiny meeting on the publication of Labour's devolution white paper, his administration commissioned consultants PwC to provide an independent review of the work, the Future Worcestershire Proposal, suggested moving to a single "unitary" authority could cost £11.9m in one-off costs, but save £20.6m a estimated another option, of splitting the historic county in two, would cost £16.9m, and save only £4.3m a consultants also said the proposed north and south councils would both face further financial challenges.A northern council, formed from Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest would take a smaller share of council tax, but a higher proportion of deprived communities, for addition, demand for expensive services such as home-to-school transport and special educational needs provision would "disproportionately impact" a southern council formed of Worcester, Wychavon and Malvern Hills, consultants the report was criticised by Lynn Denham, the Labour leader of Worcester City Council, for containing too many assumptions and inaccuracies. At the moment, Worcestershire's political leaders appear deadlocked over which option is Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council have argued a single unitary authority is the only option to meet the government's criteria, both Worcester City Council and Malvern Hills District Council have said they would prefer the county be split in other districts, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wychavon, said both options needed further the scrutiny meeting, Conservative member Emma Marshall and Liberal Democrat Tom Wells questioned whether statutory services such as social care would take priority over things like arts funding, once councils were combined."Whether we end up with a model that is countywide, or north and south, is it not the case that districts' discretionary services are now at risk, to support the statutory services we are struggling to provide?" Wells protect services, Geraghty said any future local authority would learn from the best practice of other existing unitary councils across councillors in Worcestershire have until November to submit a business case for proposals to the government, any negotiations are likely to be interrupted by county council elections on 1 May. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
