| Election Name: | 2024 Worcester City Council election |
| Country: | Worcestershire |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Worcester City Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2028 Worcester City Council election |
| Next Year: | 2028 |
| Seats For Election: | All 35 seats to Worcester City Council |
| Majority Seats: | 18 |
| Leader1: | Lynn Denham |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 13 seats, 28.0% |
| Seats Before1: | 13 |
| Seats1: | 17 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 16,203 |
| Percentage1: | 29.5% |
| Swing1: | 1.5% |
| Leader2: | Marjory Bisset |
| Party2: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election2: | 10 seats, 28.4% |
| Seats Before2: | 11 |
| Seats2: | 12 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 18,092 |
| Percentage2: | 32.9% |
| Swing2: | 4.5% |
| Party4: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election4: | 4 seats, 16.3% |
| Seats Before4: | 4 |
| Seats4: | 5 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Popular Vote4: | 7,894 |
| Percentage4: | 14.3% |
| Swing4: | 2.0% |
| Party5: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election5: | 8 seats, 25.4% |
| Seats Before5: | 7 |
| Seats5: | 1 |
| Seat Change5: | 6 |
| Popular Vote5: | 11,082 |
| Percentage5: | 20.1% |
| Swing5: | 5.3% |
| Joint leaders | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Lynn Denham (Labour) Marjory Bisset (Green) |
| Before Party: | No overall control |
| After Election: | Lynn Denham Labour |
| After Party: | No overall control |
The 2024 Worcester City Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom being held on the same day. All 35 members of Worcester City Council in Worcestershire were elected following boundary changes. The council remained under no overall control.
Worcester has been controlled by both the Conservatives and Labour for long periods. From 1980 to 1999, Labour held a majority on the council.[1] The Conservatives then held a majority from 2003 to 2008 after a period of no overall control, and again from 2011 to 2012.[2]
The Conservatives regained control in 2015, but the council reverted to no overall control a year later;[3] 2021 to 2022 was also a period of Conservative majority.[4] [5] In the previous election, the Green Party gained 5 seats with 28.4% of the vote, Labour gained 1 with 28.0%, the Liberal Democrats gained 2 with 16.3%, and the Conservatives lost all the seats they were defending with 25.4%. Following the 2023 election, Labour and the Green Party formed a coalition, with the party leaders serving as joint leaders of the council.[6] The Green leader, Marjory Bisset, did not stand for re-election in 2024.[7]
Worcester formerly elected its councillors in thirds, on a 4-year cycle. The 2024 election saw both a review of ward boundaries and a change to elections being held for all councillors every four years instead. All councillors were therefore elected to the new wards.[8]
| Old wards[9] | No. of seats | New wards | No. of seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arboretum | 2 | Arboretum | 2 | |
| Battenhall | 2 | Battenhall | 2 | |
| Bedwardine | 3 | Cathedral | 2 | |
| Cathedral | 3 | Claines | 3 | |
| Claines | 3 | Dines Green and Grove Farm | 2 | |
| Gorse Hill | 2 | Fort Royal | 2 | |
| Nunnery | 3 | Leopard Hill | 2 | |
| Rainbow Hill | 2 | Lower Wick and Pitmaston | 2 | |
| St Clement | 2 | Nunnery | 3 | |
| St John | 3 | Rainbow Hill | 2 | |
| St Peter's Parish | 2 | St Clement | 2 | |
| St Stephen | 2 | St John's | 2 | |
| Warndon | 2 | St Nicholas | 2 | |
| Warndon Parish North | 2 | St Peter's Parish | 2 | |
| Warndon Parish South | 2 | St Stephen | 2 | |
| Warndon and Elbury Park | 3 |
| After 2023 election | Before 2024 election[10] | After 2024 election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| 13 | 13 | 17 | ||||||
| 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||
| 8 | 7 | 1 | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Councillor | Ward | First elected | Party | Date announced | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Geraghty | St Clement | 2000 | Conservative | 13 April 2024[15] | |
| Marjory Bisset | Green | ||||
|-
Following the election, Labour formed a minority administration. Their leader Lynn Denham, who had been one of two joint leaders before the election, was appointed sole leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 14 May 2024.[16]
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Worcester Council following the close of nominations on 8 April 2024.[17] Sitting councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*).