Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire County Council: local government for the county of Worcestershire

Worcestershire County Council is the local authority responsible for a wide range of public services in the county of Worcestershire, UK. Its work spans adult and children's social care, education, highways, waste management, libraries, planning and economic development. The organisation is structured around a senior leadership team that translates political priorities into the day-to-day management of services.

Council services and responsibilities

The catalogue of services published by the institution includes areas such as:

• Adult and children's social care, with adoption, fostering and carer support programmes.
• Education and learning: school admissions, home education, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), free school meals and home-to-school transport.
• Highways, transport and mobility: road maintenance, street lighting, parking and Blue Badge, bus and rail transport, and promotion of walking and cycling.
• Waste and recycling: waste strategy, central composting and environmental monitoring services for landfill sites.
• Libraries, archives and archaeology.
• Planning and development: planning policy and strategy, planning applications and enforcement, and infrastructure improvement projects.
• Environment: environmental policy, flood prevention, sustainability and carbon reduction.
• Communities: community services directory, cost of living support, emergency planning, volunteering and integration programmes.
• Registration services: births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and citizenship.

Leadership team

The council's executive management is carried out by a senior leadership team. Paul Robinson is the Chief Executive and leads the team that supports councillors and staff in delivering statutory services. Rachel Hill is Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure, responsible for highways, transport, planning, waste and economic development. Mark Fitton leads the Adults and Communities area, with responsibility for adult social care services and obligations under applicable legislation, including the Care Act. Adam Johnston heads up Children's Services.

Citizen engagement and public consultations

The council runs ongoing consultation and engagement processes. These include the budget consultation for 2027/28, which invites residents and businesses to have their say on the annual spend of £1.24 billion on county services, with a participation period from 1 to 31 October 2026. A digital inclusion survey has also been launched to gather residents' experiences and guide investment in this area. The site also reports the sale of the former County Hall site in Worcester, with the aim of bringing a vacant space back into use.

Featured initiatives and programmes

The institution promotes programmes such as Life Beyond School, aimed at students with learning needs, disabilities or an EHCP, to explore their next steps in education or work. In the area of fostering, it runs campaigns to recruit foster carers who can provide stable homes for children in the county. It also runs the Voices United forum for young people with SEND, which has produced a series of video podcasts sharing their experiences. Other areas of work include support for older people, flood prevention, carbon reduction and the waste strategy.

Contact channels and customer service

The council has various email addresses for specific procedures and enquiries, including those for building, planning, direct payments, funeral services, registration services and supplier invoicing. Telephone support is distributed across several numbers depending on the service. General office hours are Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 17:00 and Friday 9:00 to 16:30.