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We can’t say for definite as this will be a decision for the new unitary council(s). The aim of reorganisation is to save money by making services more efficient, but it is too early to predict what the impact on Council Tax will be.
Up until 1 April 2028 nothing will change. Your bin will still be collected and social care services will continue. All councils across Worcestershire are committed to ensuring there is minimal disruption to services for residents. After the new council(s) take over, then it is possible there may be changes to the way services are delivered or who provides them. The Government's aim is to improve services by delivering them in a more joined-up way, so they’re easier to access and better value for money.
Yes. Whether there’s one new council or two, you’ll still have clear ways to get in touch—by phone, online, or in person. Local access points will still be available. You will still be able to get in touch with your existing district/city/borough council and the county council up until 1 April 2028.
If the structure changes, there would be new elections to choose councillors for the new council(s). These will likely take place in May 2027 to elect people to a shadow council, which will then make preparations to take over services from 1 April 2028. There will be fewer councillors than now.
No. Even if councils merge or change, towns and parishes keep their names, history, and community feel. Local priorities will still be important. The name of your district/borough/city councils will change however, to be either part of a single Worcestershire Council or a North/South Worcestershire Council.
Not directly. Education will still be managed locally. Reorganisation could help by making planning across school places, transport, and support services more joined up.
Planning and housing decisions will still be made locally but the system could be simplified. Planning for new housing could be delivered more effectively and strategically across a wider area. This already happens in South Worcestershire where one local plan covers three council areas.
Adult social care services will continue. Reorganisation aims to improve services like social care by removing confusion about which council does what, and making health, housing, and support services work more closely together.
Yes. Whether there is one or two unitary councils, fewer senior managers will be needed than in the current seven councils. Some other jobs may be reduced to save money and avoid duplication. The focus will be on protecting frontline services and delivering better outcomes for residents.
Other areas that have reorganised are saving millions of pounds every year. The savings come from having fewer staff, fewer councillors, fewer buildings, simpler systems, and combined services.
We have commissioned specialists to help us work up realistic estimates of what the potential savings could be for each option.
We don’t know the exact amount of money reorganisation in Worcestershire will cost or save at the moment. That work is part of the next phase but will be available before any submission is made to the Government.
Research complied by the House of Commons Library states:
“It is not clear from available evidence whether unitary councils save money compared with a two-tier system. International experience suggests that, when councils are merged, sometimes the merged council saves money and sometimes it does not.
“In England, estimates published by the consultancies EY (formerly Ernst and Young) (2016) and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2020) suggest that unitary councils could save roughly £20 million to £25 million a year compared with their predecessors. These estimates take into account the costs of the restructure itself, which are large in the short-term."
In terms of the benefits of devolution – again we don’t know the answer to that at this stage. It will depend how devolution is delivered in Worcestershire and what the offer is from the Government in terms of extra investment and additional powers.
This isn’t a formal consultation, it’s an engagement exercise to gain feedback from residents and other partners so isn’t covered by the guidance.
Unfortunately, a longer period of engagement wouldn’t allow us to properly analyse the responses and feed them into all the other work being done to work up the detail of the two options to allow councillors to make an informed decision in the autumn. Further work then needs to be done before final submission on 28 November so there just isn’t space to extend the engagement period and hit the Government’s deadline.
We, along with many councils across the country, have expressed concerns to the Government about the speed of the process but the timeline is fixed and we can’t change it. Once the Government has decided on a final option for Worcestershire, a formal consultation will take place before any changes are introduced.
There are currently different arrangements for managing allotments across the county. Some are the responsibility of town and parish councils and some are overseen by borough, city or district councils.
Where allotments are managed by parish or town councils there is likely to be no change to the current arrangements. Where they are managed by borough, city or district councils we do not have that level of detail at the moment.
It would be something for the new unitary council/councils to decide.
Parish and town councils are not directly affected by the Government's proposed reorganisation of local government.
They will continue in their current form. However, there will be opportunities - should parish or town councils wish to take them - to play a stronger role in providing some services and representing their communities.
It's too early at this stage to say what that may look like and it will form part of the negotiations as the process continues. In terms of their name, parish boundaries etc - none of that will change as a result of the reorganisation process.
It is the Government's intention that every area should have a strategic combined authority with a strong preference for these to have directly elected mayors.
There was widespread publicity in the local media about the fact the Government intended to reorganise local government when the decision was announced towards the end of 2024. Some councils also issued their own position statements through their communication channels.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you if political parties mentioned reorganisation during election campaigning as we don't have access to that information and it's a decision for each individual political party or candidate to choose what they campaign on.
Bromsgrove District, Malvern Hills District, Redditch Borough, Worcester City and Wychavon councils have commissioned external support in the period leading up to the submission of proposals to Government in November 2025.
The first phase of this work is an options appraisal with a potential second phase for support in the development of proposal(s). The price for phase one of this project is £63,850 including expenses and excluding VAT. Decisions whether to proceed with phase two will follow completion of phase one.
Please note, the Government has allocated £257,837 as a contribution towards proposal development in Worcestershire.
The expectation is all services currently operated by the existing borough, city and district councils – including those you mentioned – will be transferred over to the new unitary council or councils. It may be that some assets could transfer to other organisations such as the relevant town or parish council instead where this can be agreed.
Please see the Worcestershire Interim Plan for an estimate of projected expenditure for all councils in Worcestershire.
The Shadow Council (or councils if the decision is to go with two unitary councils) will be democratically elected by voters in the usual way. Elections to the shadow council will likely be held in May 2027. Those elected will then take charge of the new unitary council once it officially comes into being - likely to be 1 April 2028.
The county council and the six city/borough/district councils will continue to operate services until the new council takes over. The shadow council will exist in the background. It will be busy setting the new council's constitution, appointing a chief executive, a senior leadership team, approving staff structures etc and making other policy decisions needed to ensure the handover goes smoothly.
The information requested can be found in the Statement of Accounts for each council.
Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon and Wyre Forest District Council have published their draft Statement of Accounts for the financial year just ended 2024/25. The other councils are in the process of doing so. Please check their websites in the coming weeks for an update. For now, we have provided a link to their 2023/24 accounts. It is also worth noting Worcestershire County Council has been given exceptional financial support from the Government for the 2025/26 financial year. A link is provided below.
If you have specific questions relating to the finances of an individual council or need support understanding the information in the documents, then please contact the relevant council directly.
Yes, elections will be held for the new unitary council (or councils). Elections are expected in May 2027. Those elected will take responsibility for running the new council(s) from 1 April 2028. It will be up to political parties and individuals to present a mix of experienced and new candidates—and ultimately for voters to decide who they wish to elect.
Maintaining local knowledge is a priority. Work is underway to ensure that experienced staff, local insight, and established networks are not lost. This will be achieved through a mix of staff retention, knowledge-sharing processes, and careful design of the new council(s) structure, building on experience of reorganisations elsewhere.
All councils involved are already working closely with staff to offer support and training to help as many people as possible transition into the new council(s).
Yes. Assets and liabilities of the current councils will be transferred into the new unitary council or councils.
Birmingham City Council is a unitary authority and is facing financial challenges. The West Midlands Combined Authority, with a West Midlands Mayor, sits above that council and covers the metropolitan area of the West Midlands (Black Country, Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry). The financial position of Birmingham does not affect Worcestershire.
Under the proposals for Worcestershire the unitary council(s) will be the equivalent of Birmingham City Council, but much smaller in terms of the population they serve. Arrangements for a new strategic/combined authority in this area are still being considered and there are various options. Please see the about devolution page of the website for more information.
If a new combined/strategic authority needs to be created for all or part of Worcestershire, it will be a new entity with no legacy organisation to take over from. It will be funded through government grants, money for specific projects through devolution deals and they will also be able to set their share of the Council Tax bill on top of what the new unitary council(s), parish/town councils, fire and police ask for. Finances, liabilities, assets from the existing Worcestershire councils will transfer to the new unitary council(s), not the strategic/combined authority. So, it essentially gets to start life with a blank sheet.
We carried out public engagement on the changes from 1 to 29 June.
Once the Government has decided how it would prefer local government to look in Worcestershire in the future, a formal consultation will be held. This is likely to be in the early part of 2026.
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