Your City Councillors

Political Structure

Councillors are elected by local people to represent their community. Either two or three local city councillors are elected from each of the 15 areas of the city, or 'wards'. They work together to decide the council's priorities and how it should carry out its work. They also work to make sure that council services are delivered to you in the most efficient and effective way possible.

There are 35 councillors in total. Each one is elected for a term of four years. Elections are run by the Electoral Services team based at the Guildhall. One-third of councillors are elected each year. Elections are held on a four-year cycle, with City Council elections held over three years and Worcestershire County Council elections taking place in the fourth year.

Decisions are made by committees. Membership of the committees reflects the political balance of the Council.

The councillors you choose to represent you, give up a lot of their time to serve the community, and most are paid a basic allowance of £5,078 a year.

The political balance of Worcester City Council 

Current Worcester City Councillors

If you are not sure which ward you live in please check out our 'My Local Area'.

Leadership of the Council

Councillor Lynn Denham - Leader of the Council

Councillor Jabbar Riaz - Deputy Leader of the Council

The Committees

Policy and Resources Committee

What it does: top-level policy-making; preparation of a draft budget for recommendation to full Council; monitoring of the Council’s performance; oversight of contracts including revenues and benefits; oversight of the City Plan and the internal Transformation Programme

Chair: Councillor Lynn Denham  (Labour)
Vice-Chair: Councillor Jessie Jagger  (Liberal Democrat) 
Vice-Chair: Councillor Louis Stephen (Green)

Communities Committee

What it does: Housing and homelessness; sport and leisure; museums, heritage and culture; community safety; health and well-being; CCTV.

Chair: Councillor Jabbar Riaz (Labour)
Vice-chair: Councillor Jill Desayrah (Labour)

Environment Committee

What it does: Parks and open spaces; play areas; cemeteries and the crematorium; allotments; domestic refuse collection; trade waste; garden waste; street cleansing; car parking; oversight of Worcestershire Regulatory Services.

Chair: Councillor Zoe Cookson (Labour)
Vice-chair: Councillor Karen Lewing (Green)

Health and Wellbeing Committee

What it does: Mental and physical health and wellbeing outcomes; disability access; health inequalities; Worcestershire Integrated Care System; health partnership working; child poverty; outreach services; financial hardship and support relating to the welfare of residents.

Chair: Councillor Elena Round (Green)
Vice-chair: Councillor Elaine Willmore (Labour)

Place and Economic Development Committee

What it does: Improvements to Worcester; economic development; planning policy; tourism.

Chair: Councillor Robyn Norfolk  (Labour)
Vice-chair: Councillor Hannah Cooper (Green)

Planning Committee

Chair: Councillor Karen Lewing (Green)
Vice-chair: Councillor Patricia Agar (Labour)

Licensing and Environmental Health Committee

Chair: Councillor Richard Udall (Labour)
Vice-chair: Councillor Karen Lawrence (Liberal Democrat)

Audit and Governance Committee

Chair: Councillor Neil Laurenson (Green)
Vice-chair: Councillor Matt Lamb (Labour)

Standards Committee

Chair: Councillor Sarah Murray (Liberal Democrat)
Vice-chair: Councillor Basharat Ali (Labour)

The Mayor of Worcester

• The Mayor for 2024/2025 is Cllr Mel Allcott
• The Deputy Mayor for 2024/2025 is Cllr Matt Lamb

The Mayor is the Civic Head of the Council. In May of each year, one of the Councillors is elected to serve as Mayor for one year and another is elected as a Deputy. He/she chairs meetings of the Full Council and represents the city at ceremonial occasions. The Mayor also welcomes international visitors and attends events organised by local people.

Your vote: make it count

If you want to play your part in the future of Worcester, then use your vote. By taking the time to vote in local elections, you can make sure that your voice is heard. The elected councillor will be the voice of your local community for the coming four years - so make sure you have your say.

To be eligible to vote in any elections you must be over 18 and your name must be on the Electoral Register which is updated annually. To enter your name you must complete the registration form which is sent to your home each year.

For more details please visit our Elections page.