07/05/2026
Worcester City Council has launched a consultation into the future of parish councils in the city. At present only two areas of Worcester, St Peter’s and Warndon Villages, have a parish council. With Worcester City Council due to become part of a larger unitary authority in 2028, city councillors are looking at whether parts of the city that currently don’t have a parish council should have one. One of the options is to abolish St Peter’s and Warndon Villages Parish Councils and create one large parish council covering the entire city. If this were to go ahead St Peter’s would lose its parish council in April 2027.
St Peter’s Parish Council was created in 1994 following a campaign by residents as they felt St Peter’s was being ignored by the city council. The Parish Council’s creation enabled many facilities for local residents including an outdoor gym, an orchard, and extensive planning of trees, shrubs and bulbs around the parish, to happen. The Parish Council, in partnership with the Village Hall Association, provided substantial funding towards the new community centre, organises the annual St Peter’s Festival held in June, and also provides funding for several clubs, societies and voluntary groups in St Peter’s. it also campaigns for improvements around the parish that benefit its residents. For example, the reduction of the speed limit on Bath Road from 40mph to 30mph followed lobbying by the parish council on residents’ behalf. Throughout its existence the parish council has ensured that local residents get value for money for their council tax contribution and has often been able to tap into other sources such as grants for the benefit of the community it serves. On average St Peter’s households pay just £22.90 a year to have a parish council compared to the average of nearly £100 across England with some larger parish councils of charging over £400 a year.
St Peter’s Parish Council believes that parish councils should be as close to the people they serve as possible. St Peter’s is best served by having its own parish council which can ensure that the portion of resident’s council tax allocated to the parish council is spent on improving St Peter’s for the benefit of its residents. Unlike parish councillors on large parish councils, parish councillors in St Peter’s are paid no allowances.
It is important that residents make their voices heard during this consultation so that the final decision isn’t just left to city councillors. You can follow the link below to the survey which should only take a few minutes to complete:
https://form.jotform.com/261184529282360
