South Worcestershire is expected to be a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Worcestershire, England. It was planned to be formed on 1 April 2028, with the first elections planned to take place in May 2027. Its largest settlement will be Worcester and it will also include Droitwich Spa, Evesham, Malvern, Pershore, Tenbury Wells and Upton-on-Severn. The area has a 2024 estimated population of 327,915. Plans to create it were halted in September 2026 and the 2027 election was cancelled.
Formation It will be formed from the existing Worcestershire districts of Malvern Hills, Worcester and Wychavon; with the remaining, more urban, northern part of Worcestershire near to the West Midlands metropolitan county forming part of a new North Worcestershire unitary authority.
The district is being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country that have separate county councils and district councils will see those replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance. The alternative proposal for a single unitary, which was backed by Worcestershire County Council, but only one of the county's six district councils, was not accepted.
In September 2026, the Worcestershire proposals were halted by the government and placed under review.
Governance It will be run by South Worcestershire Council, which will comprise 60 councillors. Parishes Worcester is currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished. Worcester City Council, which would be abolished, is considering the establishment of a civil parish of Worcester, which would have a town council.
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